1929 Hutt by-election

New Zealand by-election April 2024 April 2022 1929 Hutt by-election New Zealand 1929 presidential no 1928 New Zealand general election 1928 general 1931 New Zealand general election 1931 general 1929 12 18 y 12,555 (84.27%) 150x150px Walter Nash New Zealand Labour Party 5,047 40.53 100px James Kerr United Party (New Zealand) 4,835 38.83 150x150px Harold Johnston Reform Party (New Zealand) 2,570 20.64 Hutt Electorate (1928-38).png Hutt electorate boundaries used for the by-election Member Thomas Wilford United Party (New Zealand) Walter Nash New Zealand Labour Party The Hutt by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Hutt, an urban seat at the bottom of the North Island. The by-election was held on 18 December 1929, and was precipitated by the resignation of sitting United member of parliament Thomas Wilford on who had been appointed the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Joseph Ward. Wilson James Oakley New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 4th First published in 1913 1985 V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer 245 Wellington 154283103Who's Who in New Zealand and the Western Pacific, 1932 Scholefield Guy Guy Scholefield 1932 3rd Wellington The Rangatira Press 15 The by-election was contested by Walter Nash of the Labour Party, James Kerr from the United Party and Harold Johnston of the Reform Party. The lead up to the by-election was marred by harsh words between candidates.Sinclair 1976 78-9 Candidates and selection process Labour Party After standing in Hutt for Labour in both 1925 and 1928, Walter Nash's selection as the Labour candidate for the by-election came as no surprise. Nash came a respectable second to Wilford and was seen as well capable of winning the seat. He was the current General Secretary of the Labour Party and was thus well known. Local newspaper The Hutt News (part owned by another candidate James Kerr) printed several articles through the campaigning attempting to discredit Nash as a Soviet-style socialist.Sinclair 1976 78 Peter Fraser served as the campaign organiser, and Mark Fagan was Nash's election secretary.Choice of Candidates http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19291115.2.140 The Evening Post 13 15 November 1929 14 May 2016 Just as the campaign was about to begin, a local businessman named Nash had been recently divorced and rumours spread that it was Walter Nash. To quell this canard Nash's advertisements featured him alongside his family. The pamphlet featured a portrait of him wearing glasses appearing as (according to his biographer) "... as a bespectacled and possibly severe man, looking more like a schoolmaster than a Labour agitator."Sinclair 1976 77-8 United Party James Kerr, a resident of Petone, was the official United Party candidate in the election. He was the son of James Kerr, a former member of the Legislative Council. At the time Kerr was the proprietor of the Hutt and Petone Chronicle newspaper, a position he had held since 1912. He previously resided in Greymouth serving as the proprietor of the Grey River Argus. In 1908 he stood for the Grey seat against Speaker of the House, Arthur Guinness, being defeated by a small majority.The General Election, 1908 https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1909-II.2.5.2.10&e=-------10--1------0-- National Library 14 April 2012 1–34 1909 Outgoing MP Thomas Wilford and his wife campaigned intensely on Kerr's behalf.Mr. Kerr's Meetings http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19291125.2.83.3 The Evening Post 10 25 November 1929 14 May 2016 Kerr was a member of the Petone Fire Board, an associate of the Petone Borough Council, President of the Petone Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Hutt Valley High School Board of Governors. He was one of the foundation members of the United Party, and at the time a member of the executive and had been chairman of Wilford's election committee. Kerr's campaign manager was the president of the Lower Hutt Chamber of Commerce, Jack Andrews.Lower Hutt identity Jack Andrews dies aged 93 The Evening Post 28 June 1983 11 Reform Party Several names were speculated as possible Reform candidates including the party's 1922 candidate Henry Bennett, Will Strand the Mayor of Lower Hutt and former mayor Sir Alex Roberts.https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19291114.2.32 Hutt By-election – Probable Candidates Nelson Evening Mail 14 November 1929 LXIV 4 Ultimately Harold Johnston was chosen as the Reform Party candidate for the contest. The only other nominee was Victor Jacobsen of Petone.https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19291118.2.54 The Hutt Seat - Reform Candidate The Dominion 18 November 1929 23 46 10 Johnston was a respected lawyer and the fourth son of Charles Johnston, former MP for Te Aro and Speaker of the Legislative Council.Four Candidates Announced http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=HN19291121.2.4 The Hutt News 2 21 November 1929 14 May 2016 Earlier that year the position of Chief Justice was offered to Johnston upon the death of Charles Skerrett, but he declined the offer, with Michael Myers becoming the next Chief Justice instead.Spiller Peter 4M74 Myers, Michael 27 March 2014 Johnston was well known as an able speaker and he was regularly able to draw large crowds to his meetings. Reverend Richard Hobday wrote from Auckland rather critically of Johnston stating "What a weird looking creature Johnston is! He looks exactly like one of the vultures in our Zoo here!" Nash replied, writing more charitably of Johnston. The New Zealand Worker mused that while Johnston had been educated at Wanganui Collegiate School and Oxford University which had "left him with the attractive personality of a graduate of these institutions" but thinking him a Reform member by association rather than genuine conviction.Sinclair 1976 77 Independent Henry Bennett (who contested the seat in 1922 for the Reform party) announced his candidacy as an independent. He proposed to stand in the interests of the country itself, rather than of any particular political party. Bennett was concerned that New Zealand could be 'handed over' to Socialism by a minority vote given the increasing competition for right wing votes by United and Reform. With candidate from both parties standing Bennett was not ignorant of the fact that he too was helping to split the anti-Labour vote, but claimed his hopes were that both would withdraw their candidates in favour of himself.Party or Country? http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19291119.2.63.1 The Evening Post 10 19 November 1929 14 May 2016 However, his plea fell on deaf ears with United wanting to retain their seat and Reform seeking to supersede United in seats. As a result, Bennett withdrew and hoped either Kerr or Johnston would prevail.Mr. Bennett Retires http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19291125.2.83.1 The Evening Post 10 25 November 1929 14 May 2016 Campaign Dozens of meetings were held and speeches made by the three candidates. Many high-profile figures spoke on behalf of the candidates as well, Harry Holland, James McCombs & Michael Joseph Savage for Nash, Thomas Wilford & Harry Atmore for Kerr and both Gordon Coates & William Downie Stewart Jr for Johnston.Candidates' Meetings http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19291119.2.63.3 The Evening Post 10 19 November 1929 14 May 2016 Mr. Nash's Campaign http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19291125.2.83.2 The Evening Post 10 25 November 1929 14 May 2016 Date Nash Kerr Johnston Wed, 20 November Labour Hall, PetoneOddfellows' Hall, Petone Thu, 21 November Eandwick SchoolLyceum Hall, Lower Hutt Fri, 22 November Sat, 23 November Sun, 24 November Mon, 25 November Oddfellows' Hall, Lower HuttDellabarca's Hall, Eastbourne Tue, 26 November Eastbourne Borough ChambersPetone Committee Rooms Wed, 27 November Thu, 28 November 95 Hutt Road, Petone Fri, 29 November Sat, 30 November Sun, 1 December Mon, 2 December King George Theatre, Lower Hutt Tue, 3 December Wed, 4 December King George Theatre, Lower Hutt Thu, 5 December Labour Hall, Petone Fri, 6 December Sat, 7 December Sun, 8 December Mon, 9 December Day's Bay PavilionAlicetown Church Hall Tue, 10 December Moera Community HallEmpire Theatre, PetoneWaiwhetu Methodist Hall Wed, 11 December Moera Community Hall Thu, 12 December Eastern Hutt SchoolOddfellows' Hall, PetoneKing George Theatre, Lower Hutt Fri, 13 December Labour Hall, PetoneKnox Church HallWesley Hall, Petone Sat, 14 December King George Theatre, Lower Hutt Sun, 15 December Mon, 16 December Korokoro School Tue, 17 December Eastbourne, Picture Hall At Nash's first meeting, held at the Petone Labour Hall, the power cut out and Nash was forced to speak to the crowd for an hour and forty minutes by candlelight. Despite this the hall was full and audience was enthusiastic. At several of Nash's subsequent meetings he had trouble with interjectors from the Junior Reform League. The most infamous was when a fleet of motor cars was used to take Junior Reform members from Wellington to noisily drive past a meeting at Day's Bay. One of them questioned Nash's loyalty to the Crown, and a vote of confidence in him at the meeting's end was lost by a large majority due to the Junior Reformers presence.Sinclair 1976 78 Johnston claimed that Labour wanted to confiscate private land, would probably raise interest rates, repudiate interest payments on accounts with the Post Office Savings Bank and that privately owned shops in Moera 'would be taken over by the State'. Nash strongly denied all these allegations. At one of Johnston's meetings interjectors denouncing the Reform Party because "They put us in a swamp", referring to the local unemployed being given low paying relief work, worth only "nine bob a day." The meeting concluded with cheers for Nash and Labour leader Harry Holland rather than Johnston.Sinclair 1976 78 Election results The following table gives the election results: When the results were announced on election night, Nash spoke to a crowd from the mayoral office in Upper Hutt, saying that the harsh words on the campaign should be forgotten and all should work together for good and received cheers from those in attendance. The Wellington newspaper The Evening Post wrote that Nash would likely be a moderating influence on Labour policy owing to his experience as a business owner (a rarity among Labour politicians at this time).Sinclair 1976 78 Notes References Sinclair Keith Keith Sinclair Walter Nash https://www.questia.com/read/58587637/walter-nash Auckland University Press Auckland 1976 2014-04-14 Questia subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20140414012807/http://www.questia.com/read/58587637/walter-nash 0-19-647949-5 Mackenzie Craig Walter Nash, Pioneer and Prophet Dunmore Press Wellington 1975 collapsed Hutt 1929 Category:1929 elections in New Zealand 1929 Hutt by-election Category:Politics of the Wellington Region Category:1920s in Wellington Category:December 1929 in Oceania