1899 New Zealand general election (original) (raw)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1899 New Zealand general election
← 1896 6 (general) & 19 December (Māori) 1899 1902 →
← outgoing memberselected members →
All 74 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout 77.6%
First party Second party Leader Richard Seddon William Russell Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 28 April 1893 26 June 1894 Leader's seat Westland Hawkes Bay Last election 39 seats, 54.8% 26 seats, 34.0% Seats won 49 19 Seat change Increase 10 Decrease 7 Popular vote 204,331 141,758 Percentage 52.7% 36.7% Swing Decrease 2.1% Increase 2.7%
Results of the election.
Premier before election Richard Seddon Liberal Subsequent Premier Richard Seddon Liberal

The 1899 New Zealand general election was held on 6 and 19 December in the European and Māori electorates, respectively, to elect 74 MPs to the 14th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The election was again won by the Liberal Party, and Richard Seddon remained Prime Minister.

1896 electoral redistribution

[edit]

The last electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1896 for the 1896 election, and the same electorates were used again.[1] 34 seats were located in the North Island, 36 were in the South Island, and the remaining four were Māori electorates.[2] Since the 1890 electoral redistribution, the four main centres had electorates with three seats each.[3]

The 1899 election was held on Wednesday, 6 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 74 MPs to the 14th Parliament.[4] A total number of 373,744 (77.6%) voters turned out to vote.[5][6] In three electorates there was only one candidate, and they were thus returned unopposed.[5] Two of those were Liberal candidates: Richard Seddon in the Westland electorate, and John McKenzie in the Waihemo electorate. The third was an opposition representative, William Russell, who stood in the Hawke's Bay electorate.[7]

Two candidates died during the election campaign. A third, Henry Augustus Field, died two days after having been re-elected in the Otaki electorate.[8]

The following table gives party strengths and vote distribution according to Wilson (1985), who records Maori representatives as Independents prior to the 1905 election.[9]

Election results
Party Candidates Total votes Percentage Seats won Change
Liberal 86 204,331 52.71 49
Conservative 69 141,758 36.67 19
Independent 43 41,540 10.72 6
Popular Vote
Liberal 52.71%
Conservative 36.67%
Independents 10.72%
Parliament seats
Liberal 66.22%
Conservative 25.67%
Independents 8.11%

Seventy-four MPs were elected across sixty-two single-member, and four three-member electorates. The table below show the results of the 1899 general election:

Key

Liberal Conservative Independent Liberal Liberal–Labour Independent

Electorate results for the 1899 New Zealand general election[7] | Electorate | Incumbent | Winner | Majority | Runner up | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | General electorates | | | | | | | | | Ashburton | | Edward George Wright | | John McLachlan | 802 | | Charles John Harper[10] | | Ashley | | Richard Meredith | 751 | | Thomas Caverhill | | | | Auckland, City of | | Thomas Thompson | | William Joseph Napier | 1,440 | | James Job Holland | | | James Job Holland | | William Crowther | 938 | | | | | | | William Crowther | | George Fowlds | 94 | | | | | | Avon | | William Tanner | 148 | | Arthur Rhodes | | | | Awarua | | Joseph Ward | 1,732 | | W. T. Murray[11] | | | | Bay of Islands | | Robert Houston | 67 | | Norman Alexander McLeod[12] | | | | Bay of Plenty | | William Herries | 132 | | David Lundon[13] | | | | Bruce | | James Allen | 364 | | Crawford Anderson | | | | Buller | | Patrick O'Regan | | James Colvin | 552 | | Patrick O'Regan | | Caversham | | Arthur Morrison | 1,108 | | William Henry Warren[14] | | | | Christchurch, City of | | Charles Lewis | | William Whitehouse Collins | 1,760 | | Tommy Taylor | | | George Smith | | Charles Lewis | 418 | | | | | | | Tommy Taylor | | Harry Ell | 221 | | | | | | Clutha | | James William Thomson | 497 | | Finlay McLeod[15] | | | | Dunedin, City of | | Alexander Sligo | | John A. Millar | 2,319 | | Scobie Mackenzie | | | John A. Millar | | James Arnold | 1,564 | | | | | | | Scobie Mackenzie | | Alfred Richard Barclay | 637 | | | | | | Eden | | John Bollard | 4 | | Malcolm Niccol[16] | | | | Egmont | | Walter Symes | 268 | | William Monkhouse | | | | Ellesmere | | William Montgomery | | Heaton Rhodes | 104 | | William Montgomery | | Franklin | | William Massey | 1,180 | | W Findlay Wilson | | | | Geraldine | | Frederick Flatman | 1,556 | | Charles Nicholson McIntosh | | | | Grey | | Arthur Guinness | 786 | | Michael Hannan | | | | Hawera | | Felix McGuire | 55 | | Charles E. Major | | | | Hawke's Bay | | William Russell | Uncontested | | | | | | Invercargill | | James Kelly | | Josiah Hanan | 4,640 | | James Kelly | | Kaiapoi | | Richard Moore | | David Buddo | 481 | | Richard Moore | | Lyttelton | | John Joyce | | George Laurenson | 1,813 | | William Jacques | | Manawatu | | John Stevens | 148 | | Robert Bruce | | | | Manukau | | Maurice O'Rorke | 1,031 | | John Edward Taylor[17] | | | | Marsden | | Robert Thompson | 1,314 | | George Alderton | | | | Masterton | | Alexander Hogg | 1,191 | | Charles Cockburn-Hood[18] | | | | Mataura | | Robert McNab | 159 | | Irven Willis Raymond[19] | | | | Motueka | | Roderick McKenzie | 1,066 | | Walter Moffatt | | | | Napier | | Douglas Maclean | | Alfred Fraser | 38 | | Douglas Maclean | | City of Nelson | | John Graham | 581 | | Richmond Hursthouse | | | | Oamaru | | Thomas Young Duncan | 1,254 | | John Andrew MacPherson[20] | | | | Ohinemuri | | Alfred Cadman | | Jackson Palmer | 295 | | Edward Moss | | Otaki | | Henry Field | 305 | | Charles Morison | | | | Pahiatua | | John O'Meara | 369 | | Harold Smith | | | | Palmerston | | Frederick Pirani | 515 | | William Wood | | | | Parnell | | Frank Lawry | 840 | | Hugh Campbell | | | | Patea | | George Hutchison | 129 | | Arthur Remington | | | | Rangitikei | | Frank Lethbridge | 532 | | James Jervis Bagnall | | | | Riccarton | | William Rolleston | | George Russell | 1 | | William Rolleston | | Selwyn | | Cathcart Wason | | Charles Hardy | 140 | | John Rennie | | Taieri | | Walter Carncross | 460 | | Alexander Campbell Begg[21] | | | | Taranaki | | Henry Brown | | Edward Smith | 127 | | Henry Brown | | Thames | | James McGowan | 1,184 | | Henry Greenslade[22] | | | | Timaru | | William Hall-Jones | 2,275 | | James Stephen Keith[nb 1][23] | | | | Tuapeka | | Charles Rawlins | | James Bennet | 386 | | Charles Rawlins | | Waiapu | | James Carroll | 1,329 | | Cecil Fitzroy[24] | | | | Waihemo | | John McKenzie | Uncontested | | | | | | Waikato | | Frederic Lang | 322 | | John Hosking[25] | | | | Waikouaiti | | Edmund Allen | 332 | | John White[26] | | | | Waipawa | | George Hunter | | Charles Hall | 557 | | George Hunter | | Wairarapa | | Walter Clarke Buchanan | | J. T. Marryat Hornsby | 156 | | Walter Clarke Buchanan | | Wairau | | Charles Mills | 1,373 | | Walter Clifford | | | | Waitaki | | William Steward | 1,427 | | John Campbell[27] | | | | Waitemata | | Richard Monk | 450 | | Charles Newman | | | | Wakatipu | | William Fraser | 169 | | James Kelly[nb 2] | | | | Wallace | | Michael Gilfedder | 219 | | Allen Carmichael[28] | | | | Wanganui | | Gilbert Carson | | Archibald Willis | 709 | | Gilbert Carson | | Wellington, City of | | John Hutcheson | 1,116 | | Kennedy Macdonald[29] | | | | | Robert Stout | | Arthur Atkinson | 383 | | | | | | | George Fisher | 122 | | | | | | | | Suburbs of Wellington | | Charles Wilson | | Thomas Wilford | 536 | | Alfred Newman | | Westland | | Richard Seddon | Uncontested | | | | | | Māori electorates[nb 3] | | | | | | | | | Eastern Maori | | Wi Pere | 907 | | Mohi Te Ātahīkoia | | | | Northern Maori | | Hone Heke | 1,086 | | Eparaima Te Mutu Kapa | | | | Southern Maori | | Tame Parata | 168 | | Taituha Hape | | | | Western Maori | | Henare Kaihau | 1,812 | | Tureiti Te Heuheu Tukino V | | |

Table footnotes:

  1. ^ Note that in many newspapers, Keith is labelled as belonging to the opposition

  2. ^ Not to be confused with James Whyte Kelly, who was defeated that election in the Invercargill electorate

  3. ^ Note that the affiliation of many Māori candidates is not known.

  4. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 63.

  5. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 173.

  6. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 55.

  7. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 138, 287.

  8. ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 286.

  9. ^ "General elections 1853–2005 – dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2011.

  10. ^ a b "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 1 November 2012.

  11. ^ "Untitled". Bay of Plenty Times. Vol. XXIV, no. 3936. 11 December 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 6 February 2015.

  12. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 287–289.

  13. ^ "Electoral District of Ashburton". Ashburton Guardian. Vol. XXI, no. 4977. 28 November 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

  14. ^ "Farewell to Mr and Mrs W. T. Murray and Mr and Mrs B. W. R. Dunn". The Southland Times. No. 14743. 12 September 1900. p. 3. Retrieved 7 February 2014.

  15. ^ "Electoral District of Bay of Islands". Auckland Star. Vol. XXX, no. 280. 25 November 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 8 February 2014.

  16. ^ "The Electoral District of Bay of Plenty". Bay of Plenty Times. Vol. XXIV, no. 3932. 1 December 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 8 February 2014.

  17. ^ "Electoral District of Caversham". Otago Daily Times. No. 11604. 12 December 1899. p. 6. Retrieved 9 February 2014.

  18. ^ "Clutha Electoral District". Mataura Ensign. No. 669. 2 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 11 February 2014.

  19. ^ Scholefield 1940b, p. 124.

  20. ^ "Electoral District of Manukau". Observer. Vol. XVIII, no. 1094. 16 December 1899. p. 19. Retrieved 15 February 2014.

  21. ^ "Masterton Electorate". Wairarapa Daily Times. Vol. XVI, no. 6410. 4 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 15 February 2014.

  22. ^ "Electoral District of Mataura". Mataura Ensign. No. 673. 12 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 15 February 2014.

  23. ^ "Electoral District of Oamaru". The Oamaru Mail. Vol. XXIV, no. 7695. 12 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 15 February 2014.

  24. ^ Scholefield 1940a, p. 55.

  25. ^ "Electoral District of Thames". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXIX, no. 9510. 13 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 20 February 2014.

  26. ^ "The General Election". Daily Telegraph. No. 9729. 30 November 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 25 February 2014.

  27. ^ "Notice of Nominations". Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XXVI, no. 8683. 30 November 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2014.

  28. ^ "Official Declaration of Poll". Auckland Star. Vol. XXX, no. 296. 30 November 1899. p. 5. Retrieved 7 March 2014.

  29. ^ "Otago". The Star. No. 6661. 6 December 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 8 March 2014.

  30. ^ "Waitaki Electoral District". The Timaru Herald. Vol. LXII, no. 3123. 1 December 1899. p. 1. Retrieved 10 March 2014.

  31. ^ "Orepuki". Otago Witness. No. 2385. 23 November 1899. p. 34. Retrieved 11 March 2014.

  32. ^ "Untitled". The Evening Post. Vol. LVIII, no. 136. 6 December 1899. p. 6. Retrieved 14 March 2014.