Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 163
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
Governor
Commissions and oaths of allegiance of Ministers of the
Crown, 1907-64
This series comprises official oaths (for Ministerial Office), Oaths of
Allegiance to the Monarch and Executive Councillors' oaths. Each is
signed by the Minister and the Governor of the day.
CGS 4553,
[12/2064.22066.1]
Arrangement is roughly chronological by Ministry, commencing
with the 1907-10 Wade Ministry, and ending with the 1964-65
Renshaw Ministry.
[12/2065.1] also contains 1915 papers relating to the
appointment of William Calman Grahame as Minister for
Agriculture; copies of the Government Gazette of 15 March 1915
concerning Ministerial appointments including that of Grahame
and a copy of the draft Commission are included. Some letters
from Ministers tendering resignations from portfolios are also to be
found here.
Attached to the official oath of Robert James Heffron as Premier
and Treasurer, 23 October 1959, in [12/2066.1] are two memos
relating to the death of the Premier and Treasurer J J Cahill on
Thursday 22 October 1959, the first by L J Rose, the Official
Secretary, and the second by F P McRae, the Crown Solicitor,
concerning the effect of the death of the Premier on the carrying
out of the functions of Government.
[12/2064.2] commences with oaths for the 1907-10 Wade Ministry
and ends with those for the 1916-20 Holman Ministry;
[12/2065.1] the 1913-16 Holman Ministry to the 1927-30 Bavin
Ministry; [12/2065.2] the 1930-32 Lang Ministry to the 1941-44
McKell Ministry; and [12/2066.1] the 1944-47 McKell Ministry to
the 1964-65 Renshaw Ministry.
Subject bundles — Legislative Assembly Continuation Bill
1916, 1916-17
CGS 4542,
[12/2031.2]
This bundle comprises papers relating to a Bill to extend
Parliament beyond 22 December 1916 because of a crisis caused
by the conscription referendum etc. Parliament was due to expire
by effluxion of time on 22 December 1916 with elections taking
place no later than 20 January 1917.
As mentioned in a cable to the Secretary of State on 8 November
1916, the Governor had informed his Ministers that it would be his
duty to withhold his assent from any bill suspending the
Constitution instead of reserving it in order to avoid a period of
illegality; that "the political excitement in connection with the
Referendum is abating and is in any case an inadequate reason for
depriving the electors of the right to determine who is to represent
them". Less than a month later, the Legislative Assembly
Continuance Act, 1916, which extended the duration of the
Legislative Assembly for one year, was assented to by the
Governor. This assent was under proviso (c) of Section 1 (1) of the
(Imperial) Australian States Constitution Act of 1907 as per His
Majesty's instructions conveyed to the Governor in a telegraph on
22 November 1916.
State Records Authority of New South Wales
161
