James Gardiner (12 June 1861 – 27 October 1928) was an Australian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1901 to 1904 and from 1914 to 1921. He served as

colonial treasurer Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

under two

premiers Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Walter James Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

and

Henry Lefroy Sir Henry Bruce Lefroy (24 March 1854 – 19 March 1930) was the eleventh Premier of Western Australia. Biography Lefroy was born in Perth, Western Australia on 24 March 1854. His father was Anthony O'Grady Lefroy, Colonial Treasurer of Wes ...

. Gardiner was also the inaugural state leader of the Country Party from 1914 to 1915, and briefly served as

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by Speaker (politics), presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled Legislative Assembly, legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures ...

from March to June 1917.

Early life

Gardiner was born at Papakura,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

(south of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

), to Mary (née Craig) and George Gardiner. Moving to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

early in 1865, Gardiner was initially educated in Port Augusta then from 1870 in

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Del ...

. After he left school at age 11, he worked in the business of wheat-buyers Ernst Siekmann and

John Moule (politician) John Moule (10 March 1845 – 22 March 1912) was a wheat merchant and politician in the colony of South Australia. He was taken to the United States as a young boy, and by the time he was twenty had seen much of the world. He settled in South ...

, then with the South Australian Carrying Company Limited for three years and other commercial companies in Saddleworth. From 1882 to 1885 he was an accountant in Naracoorte, and secretary of its Pastoral and Agricultural Society, the Naracoorte Institute and the Naracoorte Turf Club. In early 1886 Gardiner briefly took a post as a provisional school teacher at Lochaber, South Australia. Gardiner then worked from mid-1886 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

as an accountant and auctioneer for William Hamilton & Co., a stock and station agency. After leaving the stock and station agency about 1893, Gardiner set up business for himself for two years, then accepted a position with the publisher Gordon & Gotch. Following news of gold strikes in Coolgardie and

Kalgoorlie, Western Australia Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area include ...

, Gardiner was sent to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in 1895 to establish and manage a new branch. Gardiner relinquished his position with Gordon & Gotch to set up his own auctioneering business in 1900 which promoted suburban and rural land sales. He also pursued land settlement and development, and was foremost in developing land around the Moora region. From 1897 to 1899 he served as chairman of the Western Australian Cricket Council. He subsequently served two further terms as president of the

Western Australian Cricket Association The Western Australian Cricket Association (known as the WACA) is the governing body for cricket in Western Australia. The WACA was formed on 5 November 1885. In 1893 the association opened the WACA Ground. Elite cricket The WACA is responsible ...

(WACA), 1906 to 1915 and 1917 to 1924.

Western Australian federation

Gardiner ran for parliament at the 1900 Albany by-election, after

George Leake George Leake (3 December 1856 – 24 June 1902) was the third Premier of Western Australia, serving from May to November 1901 and then again from December 1901 to his death. Leake was born in Perth, into a prominent local family. Studying l ...

resigned. Although he lost that by-election, he was actively involved in the campaign for the federation of Australia. During the federal campaign, the

Western Australian parliament The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliam ...

at first refused the people of the colony the right to vote for or against accepting the draft Commonwealth constitution, a right available to electors in all other Australian colonies. James Gardiner, George Leake and

, with other supporters of federation, promoted the 'Bill to the People Petition' supporting federal union. The petition was initially unheeded by parliament, but the cause was furthered by the 'Separation for Federation' movement on the

goldfields Goldfield or Goldfields may refer to: Places * Goldfield, Arizona, the former name of Youngberg, Arizona, a populated place in the United States * Goldfield, Colorado, a community in the United States * Goldfield, Iowa, a city in the United State ...

. There was strong anti-federation sentiment in the

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

, coal mining and

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

industries, owing to fears that the abolition of inter-colonial import tariffs and the inception of free trade with the eastern colonies would ruin these industries. Gardiner campaigned with Walter James in June 1900 to allay the fears of

Collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Man ...

coal miners that the coal industry would suffer as a result of federation. The miners ultimately voted for federation on 31 July 1900.

Politics 1901-1904

Gardiner again contested the seat of Albany at the 1901 state election and was elected. A new government under

emerged in July 1902, and Gardiner was appointed

. Aware that

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

disadvantaged Western Australia due to the loss of revenue previously raised through inter-colonial customs duties, he implemented a five per cent duty on the dividends of companies carrying out business in Western Australia to help raise the diminishing state revenue. In February 1904, Gardiner attended the State Treasurers' Conference in Melbourne where, among other issues, he argued against changes to the system of collecting customs revenue, which would have reduced Western Australia's total

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...

and increased the revenue of the other Australian states. He was forced to resign from parliament in April 1904 to reconsolidate his firm's business.

Midland Railway Company

Free of political responsibilities, Gardiner then began forging a significant working relationship with the Midland Railway Company to promote land sales. His first association with the company was in July 1905, when he drafted a scheme for land sales. The company was in litigation with the

Western Australian Government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...

, which was claiming payments from the company for pastoral rents and licence fees. Gardiner negotiated with Premier

Hector Rason Sir Cornthwaite Hector William James Rason (18 June 1858 – 15 March 1927), better known as Hector Rason, was the seventh Premier of Western Australia. Early life Rason was born in Cleeve, Somerset, in England on 18 June 1858. He was the son ...

and restrictions on land sales were withdrawn. Gardiner pursued a scheme of land development and settlement for the company until 1918, including the Improved Farms Scheme to sell ready-made farms in Carnamah, Winchester and Coorow.

Western Australian Country Party

During his association with the Midland Railway Company, Gardiner attempted a return to parliament in October 1911 when he contested the seat of Irwin. Running against two other candidates, he lost to a Liberal rival. Black D. & Prescott V. 1997, ''Election Statistics: Legislative Assembly of Western Australia 1890-1996'', Perth: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project & Western Australian Electoral Commission. He became involved with the Farmers and Settlers' Association (FSA) of Western Australia. Gardiner presided over a conference in June 1912, which ratified the objectives of the FSA. In March 1913, the FSA formed its own political party to contest state and federal elections. The Western Australian Country Party was engineered as the political wing of the FSA, and the FSA president, A.J. Monger, was paramount in helping to found the party. Gardiner was a member of the FSA executive committee. In 1914, a major drought had caused widespread failure of crops. The government was providing drought relief payments to all settlers except those settled by the Midland Railway Company, as the minister for lands, James Mitchell, considered that the company should provide its own relief support. Gardiner used his political influence to advantage when he interviewed Premier

John Scaddan John Scaddan, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916. Early life John Scaddan was born in Moonta, South Australia, into a Cornish A ...

in September 1914 and managed to secure an advance from the government for seeding crops, feed and water supplies. In October 1914, Gardiner was elected to parliament as the member for the seat of Irwin. He was subsequently elected as the first parliamentary leader of the Country Party in Western Australia. Increasingly, Gardiner took a pro-Labor stance to favour farmers in the newer wheatbelt areas, which drew further criticism of him from the government opposition, the government and from his own party. A nervous breakdown in March 1915 forced Gardiner to resign as leader of the Western Australian Country Party.

Francis Willmott Francis Edward Sykes Willmott (1870 – 29 January 1941) was an Australian politician who was a member of both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, serving in the Legislative Assembly from 1914 to 1921, and then in the Legislative ...

was elected leader, and he led the Country Party to again adopt an anti-Labor stance. Upon his return to duties in June, Gardiner continued to serve in the party but persistently upheld Labor policies. Following a period of rebuilding his political status, he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in March 1917 after the previous speaker,

Bertie Johnston Edward Bertram Johnston (11 January 1880 – 6 September 1942), known as Bertie Johnston, was the Western Australian Legislative Assembly member for Williams-Narrogin from 1911 to 1928, and a Senator from 1929 until 1942. His resignation fr ...

, resigned. Gardiner's deafness was a disadvantage, and he was reappointed as colonial treasurer in June when the Lefroy Ministry was appointed.

National Country Party

During 1916 and early 1917, progress was made by the eastern states' country parties to form a national party. A proposed coalition of the Western Australian Country Party with the Liberal Party and

National Labor Party The National Labor Party was formed by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes in 1916, following the 1916 Labor split on the issue of World War I conscription in Australia. Hughes had taken over as leader of the Australian Labor Party and Pr ...

in May 1917 was followed through by Gardiner. He led the Country Party into the Lefroy coalition government, which comprised Liberal, Country Party and National Labor representatives. Gardiner was elected unopposed in the general elections in September, representing the

National Country Party The National Party of Australia, also known as The Nationals or The Nats, is an Australian political party. Traditionally representing graziers, farmers, and regional voters generally, it began as the Australian Country Party in 1920 at a fe ...

. In January and February 1919, Gardiner was stranded in

for several weeks, owing to the

Spanish flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

and a seamen's strike. The acting Western Australian premier, Hal Colebatch, had implemented quarantine restrictions, which caused a great amount of friction with Gardiner. Gardiner resigned as treasurer on 1 April 1919, although he remained in the Legislative Assembly as a backbencher. He finally resigned from parliament on 12 March 1921. In 1922 Gardiner was interviewed at the Honorary Royal Commission into the effect of the Federal compact upon the finances and industries of Western Australia. During 1924 he was appointed as an advisor to the Commonwealth Royal Commission on the finances of Western Australia, as affected by Federation. Following a three-year illness brought on by a stroke, he died on 27 October 1928 and was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

.''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'', 30 October 1928.

Notes

References

*Gardiner D. 2001, 'James Gardiner: Politics, Cricket and Land Sales', ''Early Days'', vol. 12, part 1, pp. 47–59. *Gardiner D. 2001, ''Fireworks: The Life of James Gardiner'', Westralian Publishers, Perth. . *Gardiner D. 2018, ''Fireworks: The Honourable James Gardiner'', 2nd ed., Xmplar, Brisbane. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, James 1861 births 1928 deaths Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia New Zealand emigrants to Australia Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Treasurers of Western Australia Australian auctioneers