"PROPAGANDA"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 70, 19 September 1941, Page 6

"PROPAGANDA"

QUESTION IN HOUSE

MR. DOIDGE AND MR. FRASER

LETTERS TO PRESS

A point of order raised by the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) in the House of Representatives today, when Mr. F. W. Doidge (National, Tauranga) was reading a notice of question Jo Mr. Fraser dealing with newspaper correspondence, was upheld by the Speaker (Mr. Barnard), who asked the member not to proceed further with the question in the form in which he had drawn it. ;

Mr. Fraser contended that the question was obviously of a propaganda nature and was not seeking information. Was it in order and could it be allowed? he asked. Was it not a gross abuse of the standing orders of the ■House?, ■■■-v; ■■ ■■■■-■ ■■■■■■ ■' ■• ■■'•■ "■%■

Mr. Doidge protested that he had not finished his question. If he were allowed to proceed, it would,be found that he was- asking the Prime Minister a question. r

The Speaker,said he saw the question only " about a minute before he came into, the House. There had been very little opportunity pf considering it,' although he had made one suggestion to the member for Tauranga, which he understood he had complied with. He was bound to say, now that the OPrime Minister had raised the point, that the question was rather of a propaganda sort.. Under the circumstances it would be his duty to ask Mr. Doidge to forbear proceeding further with the question. in its presentform. '"'■;■

THE QUESTION. ■Mr. Doidge at once complied "with the Speaker's ruling. The question, up to the stage where the point of order was raised, was as follows: — . Whether in view of the recentlydeclared intentions of the Government concerning the publication of anonymous letters in the columns of newspapers, the Prime Minister will take note of these facts: (1) That there has been a volume of newspaper correspondence on the Social Security Amendment Bill. (2) That those who oppose the Bill as a. coercive measure have in the main signed their names to such correspondence. (3) That those who write in support of the Bill and in denunciation of the doctors, who oppose coercion, are, for the most part, anonymous. (4) That those who have bitterly attacked the Yen. Archdeacon Bullock because of his outspoken _~ sermon on the issues involved have ' all been anonymous.