There were mixed emotions all around as the election results were announced. The preliminary counts saw PNP winning 17 of the 31 seats. The leaders of both parties comfortably retained their seats but several of their colleagues were not as lucky.

Thursday, January 13, 1955

PNP VICTORY IN ELECTION

17-13 lead a preliminary count

Bustamante, Manley in

THE PEOPLE’S NATIONAL Party is the winner in the island’s third general election under universal adult suffrage. By 2.45 a.m. this morning the PNP had won 17 seats outright. The Jamaica Labour Party had won 13 seats and were leading in one while Mr Cleve Lewis, an Independent, was leading in Northern St Elizabeth after having trailed PNP’s Mr E.V. Allen all evening.

All other parties and Independent candidates were rejected by the electorate. Mr Ken Hill, leader for the National Labour Party, lost his seat in Western Kingston; and two candidates regarded as certainties by the Farmers’ Party in Eastern Hanover and North-Eastern St Catherine failed to win. Several candidates will lose their deposits, including most of the Farmers’ Party 13 candidates. 

After a day of relatively quiet polling, excitement ran high all over the island as people awaited the election results by radio or at the Kingston Race Course where The Gleaner operated an election scoreboard.

Both Party leaders retained their seats – Mr Bustamante by a margin of 4,500 in Southern Clarendon and Mr Manley by a margin of 4,000 in Eastern St Andrew.

Three ministers lost their seats –Mr Lawson Bloomfield, Minister of Communications, in South Manchester, on the preliminary count; and by PNP victories conceded in South St Elizabeth where Mr Donald Sangster, minister of finance, campaigned for the JLP, and in Western St Thomas, where Mr Jehoida McPherson, Minister of Labour, campaigned.

Decisive win

Noel Nethersole, Deputy Leader of the PNP, scored a decisive victory over JLP’s Lynden Newland in Central St Andrew, and three old party stalwarts – Mr Florizel Glasspole, Dr Ivan Lloyd and Mr Wills O. Issacs – were returned; but in Western St Ann, Mr G.W. Aabuthnot-Gallimore is upsetting the PNPs hope of another seat in this parish.

In Western Westmoreland, Mr Fred Evans, the stormy petrel of PNP politics, unseated the former Speaker of the House, Mr Clifford Campbell, in a constituency which was previously considered solidly JLP; while Mr Evans own constituency of Eastern Westmoreland which he represented for his return in the House was won by his nominee, Mr Max Carey.

At one period last night, the PNP appeared headed for a victory with 19 or 20 seats, but as counting proceeded and their early leads were cut down, it even began to look like the result would be a 16-16 deadlock.

With one St Elizabeth seat still undecided it appears that the PNP will head home with 17 seats, the JLP with 14 and one Independent. Mr Coke leads Mr Sangster by 2,998 with 136 out of 147 boxes counted; while Mr Lewis leads Mr Allen by 35 votes with 142 out of 144 boxes counted.

First protest about the election results came from Mr Willie Henry, PNP candidate in Eastern St Mary, who lost by a narrow margin to Mr Andrew Vivian Ross, JLP.

Shortly after the counting, Mr Henry lodged a formal protest with the Returning Officer, complaining about irregularities in the polling and the shortage was a strong demonstration outside the head station in this constituency by PNP supporters when the result was announced.

In this constituency, Mr Ross polled 8,741 on the preliminary count and Mr Henry 8,282.

Principal interest in the election proceedings was in the counting which started at most stations shortly after six o’clock. As information was published, excitement grew.

At an early hour, the People’s National Party had established leads in most of the island’s constituencies; and at one time it appeared that their total of seats would be greater than the final results at midnight last night.

Unseated

The first seat to be announced was Mr Glasspole’s seat in East Kingston at five minutes past 9 o’clock. One minute later, Mr Jonathan Grant’s win in South-East St Catherine, where he unseated Mr Leslie Rose, JLP, was announced.

Soon afterwards, it was announced from Morant Bay at 9.30 o’clock that Mr Barrant had won in East St Thomas, to be followed up 20 minutes later with the information that Mr Edwin Allen had scored a close victory over Mr William Linton, who was making a comeback try for the PNP in the North-Western constituency of Clarendon.

The fight in several constituencies – West Kingston, Eastern Hanover, West Portland, Eastern – St Mary, North-Western Clarendon – was close.

Great interest, in particular, was shown in the Western Kingston contest which was a see-saw affair between Mr Hugh Shearer and Mrs Iris King. Mr Ken Hill, the third candidate and previous holder of the seat, was always behind the two leaders.

The heaviest poll was in Western St Andrew, with 24,566, Central St Andrew was next with 23,524 and Southern Clarendon with 22, 371. The lowest poll was in East Hanover with 7,528.

Several members of the past House of Representatives lost their seats. These were, for the JLP – Mr Leslie Rose, in South East St Catherine; Mr Stanley Scott, in South-East St James; Mr Bloomfield in Southern Manchester; Mr Clifford Campbell in Western Westmoreland.

For the PNP, Mr Percival Broderick in North-East Clarendon; Mr Adrian Gray in Eastern Portland.

Ken Hill, in West Kingston, and Mr Norman Sinclair, in Northern Manchester, were also casualties.

Surprises

Two surprises of the election were Dr Eric Campbell’s win for the PNP in Eastern Hanover and Mr Edwin Allen’s win of the JLP in North-Western Clarendon.

Coverage of the election for a large crowd in Kingston was provided by The Gleaner at the Kingston Race Course. The information was brought from all ends of the island by telephone and telegraph, the Jamaica Telephone Company providing the Gleaner with special all-island telephone connections at 28 of the 32 head stations. The Postal Department also cooperated handsomely.

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