Sixty years ago today

Sixty years ago today, residents of Labrador cast a ballot for only the third time in history, in the second and deciding round of the 1948 referendum.

The previous two had been the June referendum, in which continuing Commission of Government was eliminated as an option, and the 1946 National Convention election, in which Labrador sent Confederation supporter Rev. Lester Burry as its representative.

During more than a century of responsible government in Newfoundland, the elected government of Newfoundland never saw fit to extend the democratic franchise to Labrador.

By some quirk of administrative history, the poll-by-poll results for the referendum in Labrador have survived. For the interests of posterity, they are reproduced below in modified form from the table published in Them Days 10(2), 1984.

                  Confederation     Responsible
                   with Canada       Government

L'anse au Clair          74             0
Forteau                  91             6
L'anse Amour             17             6
L'anse au Loup           60            14
Capstan Island           32             1
West St Modeste          55            10
Pinware                  46             9
Red Bay                  76             3
Barge Bay                29             0
Henley Harbour           61             6
Cape Charles             51             7
Battle Harbour           35            32
Indian Cove              36             0
Trap Cove                63             1
St. Mary's River         20             1
Fox Harbour              64             1
Port Hope Simpson        49            10
William's Harbour        24             6
George's Cove            49            16
Square Islands           17            11
Frenchman's Island       28            14
Batteau                  35            10
Black Tickle             21            43
Spotted Islands          57             5
Indian Tickle            21            17
Grady                    14            14
Cape North               12             6
Pack's Harbour           21             5
Cartwright               67             0
Independent              63             5
Old Man's Cove           19             2
Fox Point                15             0
Separation Point         30             1
West Bay                 15             0
Rigolet                  61             1
North West River        155             1
Mud Lake                 13             0
Goose Airport (Can.)     55            12
Goose Airport (US)       63           114
Hamilton River           91            13
Cape Harrison            23             0
Aillik                   38             5
Three Rapids             17             0
Davis Inlet              23             1
Voisey's Bay             19             0
Nain                     64             1
Queen's Lakes            59             3
Hebron                   86             7
Nutak                    58             7
Saglek                   30             2

Not only did Labrador vote overwhelmingly for Confederation — it had the highest Confederation with Canada vote in the June round; the fifth-highest in the second — all but three polling divisions voted for the Confederation option.

One poll was tied.

Not only that, but there were only nine polls where the Responsible Government side got more than 25% of the vote.

Not only that, but in 28 of the 50 polls, Responsible Government got less than 10%.

And not only that, but in fully a fifth of the polls, the RGL got blanked.