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1940 Fijian general election

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General elections were held in Fiji on 20 July 1940.[1]

Electoral system

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The Legislative Council consisted of 32 members, including 16 'official' members who were civil servants, fifteen 'unofficial' members (five Europeans, five Fijians and five Indo-Fijians), and the Governor sitting as President of the Council.

For Europeans and Indo-Fijians, three of the five representatives were elected from single-member constituencies, with the other two appointed by the Governor. All five Fijian members were appointed from a list of ten candidates submitted by the Great Council of Chiefs.[2]

Voting for Europeans remained restricted to men aged 21 or over who had been born to European parents (or a European father and was able to read, speak and write English), who were British subjects and had been continuously resident in Fiji for 12 months, and who either owned at least £20 of freehold or leasehold property or had an annual income of at least £120.[2] For Indo-Fijians, eligibility was also restricted to men aged 21 or over. They had to be a British subject or from British India, have lived continuously in the Fiji for at least two years, be able to read or write in English, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu or Urdu, and for the previous six months, have either owned property with an annual value of five years, had a net annual cash income of at least £75, or held a Government or municipal licence worth at least £5 annually.[2]

In both ethnic categories, civil servants were barred from voting.[2]

Results

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Constituency Candidate Votes % Notes
European members
Eastern Harold Brockett Gibson 95 41.5 Re-elected
William Edmund Willoughby-Tottenham 62 27.1
William Carlisle Baker 56 24.5
Patrick Costello 16 7.0
Northern and Western Hugh Ragg Unopposed Re-elected
Southern Alport Barker 320 63.4 Re-elected
Amie Ragg 185 36.6
Indo-Fijian members
Eastern J. B. Tularam 127 42.5 Re-elected
Jafar Khan 92 30.8
Sadhu Lal 80 26.8
Northern and Western B. D. Lakshman 1,010 69.3 Elected
Sadanand Maharaj 447 30.7
Southern Vishnu Deo 783 68.1 Re-elected
K. B. Singh 366 31.9
Source: Fiji Elections, Fiji Royal Gazette 1940

Nominated members

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Europeans
Henry King Irving
John Trotter
Fijians
G.W. Lalabalavu
Lala Sukuna
George Toganivalu
George Tuisawau
Tiale Vuiyasawa
Indo-Fijians
Said Hasan
K. B. Singh
Source: Fiji Royal Gazette 1940

References

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  1. ^ Councillors elected in Fiji Pacific Islands Monthly, August 1940, p6
  2. ^ a b c d 1940 Legislative Council Election Fiji Elections Archive