PRIME MINISTER PROTESTS

Southland Times, Issue 24545, 20 September 1941, Page 8

PRIME MINISTER PROTESTS

Nature Of Question In House (Special) WELLINGTON, Sept. 19. A strong protest against the nature of a question of which Mr F. W. Doidge (Nat., Tauranga) was giving notice was made by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) in the House of Representatives today. Mr Doidge was asked by the Speaker (the Hon. W. E. Barnard) not to proceed further with his question, which therefore remained uncompleted. Mr Doidge gave notice to ask Mr Fraser whether, in view of the recently declared intention of the Government concerning the publication of anonymous letters in the newspapers, he would note the following facts: (1) That there had been a volume of newspaper correspondence on the Social Security Amendment Bill; (2) that those who opposed the Bill as a coercive measure had in the main signed their names to their letters; (3) that those vho wrote in support of the Bill and in denunciation of the doctors who opposed coercion were for the most part anonymous; and (4) that those who had bitterly attacked Archdeacon Bullock because of his outspoken sermon on the issues involved had all been anonymous. At this stage Mr Fraser rose to his feet and called: “Mr Speaker.” Mr Doidge continued reading, but could not be heard. Mr Fraser then called: “Point of order,” s-d was given the floor.

“This is a question obviously of _ a propaganda nature,” he said in asking whether ’Mr Doidge was in order in asking such a question. “Is it not a gross abuse of the Standing Orders of the House?” There were cries of assent from the Government benches.

Mr Doidge, also rising to a point of order, explained that he was asking a question. If the Prime Minister had allowed him to proceed he would have heard the question contained in the part he had not been allowed to read. The Speaker said that he had had only a moment in which to see the question before entering the House. Since a point of order had been raised by Mr Fraser he was bound to say that the question was rather of a propaganda sort. He thought in the circumstances that it would be his duty to ask Mr Doidge to forbear from proceeding further with the question in that form.