A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Cootamundra on 28 July 1906 because of the resignation of William Holman (Labour). John Norton blamed Holman for a series of articles in The Worker commenting on Norton's unnatural silence over the land scandals involving Paddy Crick and William Willis.[1][2] Norton made a personal attack on Holman in parliament, challenging him to resign and both would contest Holman's seat of Cootamundra.[1][3]
The Surry Hills by-election was held the previous week. John Norton was a candidate, however he was defeated and withdrew from the contest for Cootamundra.[4] H. V. Evatt argues that the most likely explanation for Norton's attack was to remove Labour's best debater at a critical time.[3][5]
Dates edit
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 5 July 1906 | William Holman resigned.[6] |
| 6 July 1906 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[7] |
| 17 July 1906 | Nominations |
| 28 July 1906 | Polling day |
| 14 August 1906 | Return of writ |
Result edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | William Holman (re-elected) | 2,296 | 57.8 | 0.0 | |
| Farmers and Settlers | John Fitzpatrick | 1,663 | 41.9 | ||
| Independent | John Norton | 13 | 0.3 | ||
| Total formal votes | 3,972 | 98.2 | -1.0 | ||
| Informal votes | 72 | 1.8 | +1.0 | ||
| Turnout | 4,044 | 58.5 [a] | -6.0 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ Estimate based on an electoral roll of 6,916 at the 1904 election.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b Cannon, Michael. "Norton, John (1858-1916)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "The silence of John Norton". The Worker. 11 January 1906. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Trove.
"Stand up, John Norton". The Worker. 22 February 1906. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Trove.
"John Norton goes a-scabbing". The Worker. 17 March 1910. p. 12. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Trove. - ^ a b c Green, Antony. "1906 Cootamundra by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "The Cootamundra election". Gundagai Times and Tumut, Adelong and Murrumbidgee District Advertiser. 24 July 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ Evatt, H. V. (1954). Australian Labour Leader: The Story of W.A. Holman and the Labour Movement. Angus and Robertson. pp. 131–144. ISBN 0207140413.
- ^ "Mr William Arthur Holman (1871–1934)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- ^ "Writ of election: Cootamundra". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 189. 6 July 1906. p. 3896. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ Green, Antony. "1904 Cootamundra". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 December 2019.