United–Reform coalition Government of New Zealand

The United–Reform coalition government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1931 to 1935. It was a coalition between two of the three major parties of the time, the United and Reform, formed to deal with the Great Depression which began in 1929. The Labour Party refused to join the coalition, as it believed that the only solution to the depression was socialism, which United and Reform did not support. Rather, they attempted to solve the country's economic problems by cutting public spending. This, the policy of making the unemployed do relief work for the unemployment benefit, and other cost-cutting policies, made the government the most unpopular of its era, and it was defeated in the 1935 election.

The 1931 Cabinet:
Front row (L-R): Ransom, Coates, Forbes, Stewart, Ngata and Young.
Back row (L-R): Jones, Cobbe, Hamilton and Masters.

Significant policies

Economic

  • Cut government spending in order to balance the budget.
  • The Reserve Bank of New Zealand was established in 1934, beginning the first issue of banknotes for the New Zealand Pound.
  • Created the Mortgage Corporation of New Zealand in 1935[1]

Transport

Welfare

  • Compelled the unemployed to labour on public works and other activities in exchange for an unemployment benefit.

Education

  • Raised school starting age to six in order to save money.
  • Closed teachers' colleges as cost-cutting measure.

Formation

The initial coalition between the United and Reform had formed earlier in 1931, following the collapse of an earlier coalition between the United and Labour. Fearing that splitting the anti-Labour vote would result in a Labour government even if it received fewer votes than United and Reform combined, the two parties formed a coalition and an election agreement. In the subsequent election, the coalition won 55.4% of the popular vote, compared to 34.3% for Labour.

Defeat

The government focussed primarily on getting New Zealand out of the depression by cutting government spending and thus balancing the national budget. It dealt with widespread unemployment by initiating relief work, which involved compelling the unemployed to work on a range of projects ranging from useful public works to pointless activity. The government was widely seen as heartless, encapsulated by the commonly believed but probably untrue story that Prime Minister George Forbes had told a delegation of unemployed men to go and eat grass. In the 1935 election, Labour won 46.1% of the popular vote, while the coalition won only 32.9%. However the result in terms of seats was much more overwhelming, with Labour winning 53 seats to the coalition's 16. A further eleven seats were won by minor parties and independents. Following their defeats, the Liberal and Reform parties merged to become the National Party.

Election results

Election Parliament Seats Total votes Percentage Gain (loss) Seats won Change Majority
1931 24th 80 396,004 55.4% 51 -3 11
1935 25th 80 32.9% -22.5% 16 -35

Prime ministers

The government was led by George Forbes of the United Party, with Gordon Coates of Reform as Minister of Finance.

Cabinet Ministers

Portfolio Minister Party Start End
Prime Minister George Forbes United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Agriculture David Jones Reform 22 September 1931 8 January 1932
Charles MacMillan Reform 8 January 1932 6 December 1935
Attorney-General William Downie Stewart Reform 22 September 1931 28 January 1933
George Forbes United 28 January 1933 6 December 1935
Minister of Customs William Downie Stewart Reform 22 September 1931 28 January 1933
Gordon Coates Reform 28 January 1933 6 December 1935
Minister of Defence John Cobbe United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Education Robert Masters United 22 September 1931 22 November 1934
Sydney Smith United 22 November 1934 6 December 1935
Minister of Finance William Downie Stewart Reform 22 September 1931 28 January 1933
Gordon Coates Reform 28 January 1933 6 December 1935
Minister of Foreign Affairs George Forbes United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Commissioner of State Forests Alfred Ransom United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Health Alexander Young Reform 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Immigration Alexander Young Reform 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Industries and Commerce Robert Masters United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Internal Affairs Adam Hamilton Reform 22 September 1931 28 January 1933
Alexander Young Reform 28 January 1933 6 December 1935
Minister of Island Territories George Forbes United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Justice John Cobbe United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Labour Adam Hamilton Reform 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Marine John Cobbe United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Mines David Jones Reform 22 September 1931 8 January 1932
Charles MacMillan Reform 8 January 1932 6 December 1935
Minister of Native Affairs Āpirana Ngata United 22 September 1931 1 November 1934
George Forbes United 1 November 1934 6 December 1935
Postmaster-General Adam Hamilton Reform 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Railways George Forbes United 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Revenue William Downie Stewart Reform 22 September 1931 28 January 1933
Gordon Coates Reform 28 January 1933 6 December 1935
Minister of Transport Gordon Coates Reform 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
Minister of Works Gordon Coates Reform 22 September 1931 10 April 1933
John Bitchener Reform 10 April 1933 6 December 1935

In 1934 the Minister of Native Affairs Sir Āpirana Ngata resigned as minister after accusations of departmental maladministration and favouritism were supported by a Royal Commission.

See also

References and notes

Notes

  1. "State Advances Corporation". New Zealand Electronic Text Collection. 1940. Retrieved 26 July 2015.

References

  • Bassett, Michael (1982). Three Party Politics in New Zealand 1911-1931. Auckland: Historical Publications. ISBN 0-86870-006-1.
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