12.Correspondence with leading Australian politicians and judges, 1914-1920
- Containers:
- Box 5
- Component identifier:
- Series
- Content Summary:
- These letters covering the period 1914-1920 are often not in chronological order or are in reverse order. Typed copies have been made of some of the letters Novar received. Novar's correspondence with Sir Samuel Griffith, Chief Justice of the High Court, covers the period August 1914- August 1920 and deals with their personal relations and family matters, arbitration and strikes, the position of the judiciary in Australia compared with England, relationship between Australian and British law, Griffith's opinion of the legal position of Caucus, Griffith's advice about the double dissolution request of August 1914 and on the Government's power temporarily to reconstitute Parliament. Correspondence with WA Watt, June 1917- March 1920 covers their personal relations, general political events, the honours system and Novar's official duties. Correspondence with Andrew Fisher, September 1914- May 1918, incorporates letters from WM Hughes written in 1915 deals with federal politics generally, recruiting, the conduct of the War, relations with New Zealand, Japanese territorial gains in the pacific and wartime finance. Correspondence with George Reid, October 1914 -February 1916, includes Reid's advice in 1914 on the position of Governor-General in Australian politics, advice about the double dissolution request of 1914, personal matters and comfort of the troops. With Sir Joseph Cook, July 1914- December 1917, coverage is the war, recruiting and conscription and federal politics. Correspondence with Sir Edmund Barton, High Court, May 1914- January 1920, covers personal matters, Barton's visit to Britain in 1915, the war, British-Australian relations, the honours system, the seating of Dominion judges on the Privy Council, and Barton's aspiration to be Chief Justice. With Senator ED Millen, October 1917- August 1919, the subjects are political matters and Novar's tours of Australia. Comprises Items 3676-4130.
- Immediate source of acquisition:
- The papers were received in 1961 from Mr A.B.L. Munro Ferguson and the Trustees of the late Viscount Novar. Thirty photographs copied from the Novar albums in the possession of Mr Munro Ferguson were added to the collection in 1985. Subsequent additions include five illuminated manuscripts purchased from a dealer in 1990 and transcripts of extracts from Novar's diaries donated by Professor John Poynter in 1997. Six volumes of diaries, on long-term loan from Mr Ronald Munro Ferguson (great nephew of Lord Novar), were added to the collection on 12 January 2004. The diaries were kept by Lord Novar while he was Governor General of Australia between 1915 and 1920.
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: