Southern Rhodesian general election, 1934
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The Southern Rhodesia general election of 7 November 1934 was the fourth election since the colony of Southern Rhodesia was granted self-government. The election was called only a year after the previous election when the Prime Minister, Godfrey Huggins, formed the United Party as a merger of the conservative section of his Reform Party and the former governing Rhodesia Party. Huggins succeeded in winning a landslide, defeating all but one of his Reform Party opponents.
Franchise and electoral procedure
No changes were made to the franchise, the procedure of elections, or electoral boundaries since the previous election.
Political parties
The Reform Party was believed by many in Rhodesia to be a left-wing party but Huggins had presented a cautiously conservative Cabinet after winning power in 1933. In particular, Finance Minister Jacob Smit was a strong believer in conventional economics and opponent of Keynesianism. The course of government led eventually to a confrontration in August 1934 with the left-wing of the party over reform to the Rhodesian railways. Huggins decided to approach Sir Percy Fynn, leader of the Rhodesian Party, who pledged support for a National Government under Huggins.
However, the Acting Governor refused a dissolution on the grounds that the Assembly had many years left, and the government had not been defeated. Huggins persuaded the majority of the Executive of the Reform Party to suspend the party's constitution to allow a National Government on 17 September, and then formed the United Party with Fynn, asking a second time for a dissolution on the basis of a changed party alignment. This time the Acting Governor acceded.
Summary result
Electorate: 27,388 (in contested seats, 25,879) Turnout: 64.6%
| Party | Seats in 1933 | Candidates | Elected | Unopposed | Popular vote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |||||
| United Party | - | 30 | 24 | 2 | 11,076 | 61.9 |
| Rhodesia Labour Party | 5 | 14 | 5 | - | 4,816 | 26.9 |
| Reform Party | 16 | 20 | 1 | - | 2,012 | 11.2 |
| Totals | 30 | 64 | 30 | 2 | 17,904 | 100% |
Results
- Lab – Rhodesia Labour Party
- Ref – Reform Party
- UP – United Party
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BULAWAYO CENTRAL Two members 2,018 (61.4%) |
†James Cowden | UP | 683 |
| †Donald Macintyre | Lab | 654 | |
| Arthur James Butler | UP | 604 | |
| Edward Jonathan Davies | Lab | 536 | |
| BULAWAYO NORTH Two members 1,989 (65.1%) |
†John Banks Brady | UP | 967 |
| †Allan Ross Welsh | UP | 910 | |
| David Bennie | Lab | 421 | |
| Frederick Martin | Lab | 291 | |
| BULAWAYO SOUTH 1,257 (70.6%) |
†Harry Herbert Davies | Lab | 458 |
| Thomas Hugh William Beadle | UP | 430 | |
| CHARTER 623 |
†Ernest Lucas Guest | UP | unopposed |
| EASTERN 886 |
†John Louis Martin | UP | unopposed |
| GATOOMA 842 (77.3%) |
†William Sydney Senior | UP | 366 |
| Thomas Alfred Kimble | Lab | 285 | |
| GWANDA 677 (70.2%) |
†Sir Hugh Grenville Williams | Ref | 257 |
| Herbert Hildeyard Phillips | UP | 218 | |
| GWELO 1,048 (63.2%) |
†Frank Delano Thompson | UP | 377 |
| Albert Hill | Lab | 285 | |
| HARTLEY 571 (79.5%) |
James Joseph Conway | UP | 256 |
| Arthur Bertram Shepherd-Cross | Ref | 117 | |
| Christopher Holderness | Lab | 81 | |
| INSIZA 644 (69.9%) |
Robert Clarkson Tredgold | UP | 273 |
| Leo George Robinson | Lab | 110 | |
| Joseph Hussey | Ref | 67 | |
| INYATI 756 (67.7%) |
Frank Ernest Harris | UP | 334 |
| John Bazeley | Lab | 178 | |
| LOMAGUNDI 818 (68.7%) |
†Lewis Aloys MacDonald Hastings | UP | 365 |
| Frank Smith | Ref | 197 | |
| MARANDELLAS 812 (58.6%) |
Alfred William Vincent Crawley | UP | 251 |
| †Reginald Herbert Bruce Dickson | Ref | 225 | |
| MATOPO 966 (66.9%) |
†Robert Alexander Fletcher | UP | 412 |
| Jonah William White | Lab | 234 | |
| MAZOE 891 (64.8%) |
†Edward Walter Lionel Noaks | UP | 467 |
| Alexander Macintyre Hutchinson | Ref | 110 | |
| QUE QUE 793 (71.6%) |
†Charles Walter Leppington | UP | 290 |
| Edward Empson Webb | Lab | 243 | |
| John William Watkinson | Ref | 35 | |
| RAYLTON 1,243 (70.7%) |
†Lawrence John Walter Keller | Lab | 440 |
| William Hives Eastwood | UP | 439 | |
| SALISBURY CENTRAL Two members 2,257 (66.6%) |
†Jacob Hendrik Smit | UP | 1,125 |
| Robert Thomson Anderson | UP | 848 | |
| James Kerr Taylor | Lab | 335 | |
| Roger Edward Downes | Lab | 315 | |
| Charles Olley | Ref | 245 | |
| †Neil Housman Wilson | Ref | 204 | |
| SALISBURY DISTRICT 966 (76.4%) |
†Godfrey Martin Huggins | UP | 519 |
| † Thomas Nangle | Ref | 219 | |
| SALISBURY NORTH Two members 2,016 (69.7%) |
Vernon Arthur Lewis | UP | 1,208 |
| †Percival Donald Leslie Fynn | UP | 1,198 | |
| William Lane Mitchell | Ref | 233 | |
| William Martin | Lab | 172 | |
| SALISBURY SOUTH 1,240 (71.5%) |
†George Henry Walker | Lab | 435 |
| Alexander Daniel Kirstein | UP | 350 | |
| Mrs. Otilia Liebermann | Ref | 101 | |
| SELUKWE 818 (68.7%) |
†Robert Dunipace Gilchrist | UP | 416 |
| Ernest Edward Fitzroy Blackwell | Ref | 146 | |
| UMTALI NORTH 864 (66.9%) |
†Donald Murray Somerville | UP | 429 |
| Albert Holman | Lab | 149 | |
| UMTALI SOUTH 761 (75.7%) |
†Jonathan Hunter Malcolm | Lab | 329 |
| Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead | UP | 247 | |
| VICTORIA 943 (76.6%) |
†William Alexander Eustace Winterton | UP | 641 |
| John Davidson | Ref | 81 | |
| WANKIE 689 (57.9%) |
†Alexander Robert Thomson | UP | 258 |
| William McDonald | Lab | 141 |
Byelections
Hartley
James Joseph Conway died on 10 May 1935, leading to a byelection on 4 July 1935.
| Constituency | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HARTLEY | Roger Edward Downes | Ref | 202 |
| Charles Malcolm Davenport | UP | 146 | |
| Thomas Alfred Kimble | Lab | 79 |
Selukwe
Robert Dunipace Gilchrist resigned on 30 June 1935, leading to a byelection on 28 August 1935.
| Constituency | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SELUKWE | Max Danziger | UP | 353 |
| Henry Frederick Edensor | Ref | 182 | |
| Ernest Millington | Ind UP | 117 |
Umtali South
Following his death, there was a byelection to replace Jonathan Hunter Malcolm on 15 September 1936.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMTALI SOUTH 800 (62.0%) |
James Brown Lister | Lab | 244 |
| Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead | UP | 153 | |
| William Arthur Rail | Ref | 99 |
Salisbury North
Following his resignation on 31 July 1936, there was a byelection to replace Vernon Arthur Lewis on 21 September 1936.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SALISBURY NORTH 2,035 (54.9%) |
Harry Bertin | UP | 595 |
| John Richard Dendy Young | Ref | 522 |
Eastern
John Louis Martin died on 28 May 1938 and a byelection to replace him was held on 15 August 1938.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EASTERN 751 (81.4%) |
Jacobus Petrus De Kock | UP | 222 |
| Douglas Abrahamson | UNP | 160 | |
| Reginald Herbert Bruce Dickson | Ref | 150 | |
| Roelof Hendrik Venter | Lab | 79 |
Hartley
Following his death, there was a byelection to replace Roger Edward Downes on 30 August 1938.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HARTLEY 584 (76.7%) |
Henry Hamilton Beamish | Ind | 144 |
| Thomas James Golding | RP | 125 | |
| Leslie Manfred Noel Hodson | UP | 118 | |
| Thomas George Gibson | Ref | 61 |
References
- Source Book of Parliamentary Elections and Referenda in Southern Rhodesia 1898–1962 ed. by F.M.G. Willson (Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1963)
- Holders of Administrative and Ministerial Office 1894–1964 by F.M.G. Willson and G.C. Passmore, assisted by Margaret T. Mitchell (Source Book No. 3, Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1966)
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