General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago in 1938.
Electoral system The Legislative Council had 12 official members (civil servants), six nominated members, seven elected members and the Governor, who served as the legislature's speaker. The seven elected members were elected from single-member constituencies.
The franchise was limited to people who owned property in their constituency with a rateable value of $60 (or owned property elsewhere with a rateable value of $48) and tenants or lodgers who paid the same sums in rent. All voters were required to understand spoken English. Anyone who had received poor relief within the most recent six months before election day was disqualified from voting.George John (1991) 50 Years of the Ballot, Trinidad Express Newspapers, p8
The restrictions on candidates were more severe, with candidature limited to men that lived in their constituency, were literate in English, and owned property worth at least $12,000 or from which they received at least $960 in rent a year. For candidates who had not lived in their constituency for at least a year, the property values were doubled.John, p7
Results ConstituencyCandidateAffiliationVotesNotesCaroni CountySarran TeelucksinghIndependent Labour574Re-electedClarence AbidhUnionist Party468Eastern CountiesEdward Vernon Wharton –Elected unopposedPort of SpainArthur Andrew CiprianiTrinidad Labour Party–Re-elected unopposedSaint George CountyMichael Aldwyn MaillardTrinidad Labour Party–Re-elected unopposedSaint Patrick CountyTimothy RoodalTrinidad Labour Party–Re-elected unopposedTobagoGeorge de Nobriga –Elected unopposedVictoria CountyAdrian Cola RienziUnionist Party2,003ElectedHarold PiperIndependent547Source: John,John, p67 Teelucksingh,Jerome Teelucksingh (2014) Labour and the Decolonization Struggle in Trinidad and Tobago WyllieGeorge James Wyllie (1959) Political Parties in Trinidad and Tobago, p61
References