1918 Wellington South by-election
New Zealand by-election
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The Wellington South by-election of 1918 was a by-election held in the Wellington South electorate during the 19th New Zealand Parliament, on 19 December 1918. It was caused by the death of incumbent MP Alfred Hindmarsh,[1] the leader of the Labour Party and was won by fellow party member Bob Semple with a majority of 1,231.[2]
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19 December 1918
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| Turnout | 4,112 (42.51%) | |||||||||||||||
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Background
Bob Semple, a miners agent who was previously the organiser of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, was selected as the Labour Party candidate. The nomination was subject of much interest. The unsuccessful aspirants were Tom Brindle, Alec Monteith, John Read, Michael Reardon and Tom Young.[3]
Two Wellington City Councillors also stood as candidates. George Frost and John Castle offered themselves to the electorate, with Frost being endorsed by the Reform Party.
Results
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bob Semple | 2,411 | 58.63 | ||
| Reform | George Frost | 1,286 | 31.27 | ||
| Independent | John Castle | 398 | 9.67 | ||
| Informal votes | 17 | 0.41 | â0.37 | ||
| Majority | 1,125 | 27.35 | |||
| Turnout | 4,112 | 42.51 | â43.78 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,673 | ||||
Aftermath
Semple held the electorate only until the next election when he was defeated by George Mitchell.[4]
