QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1819, 4 August 1913, Page 6

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE.

The Hon. R. H. Rhodes, Minister for Publio Health, on Friday had occasion to comment upon tho extent which the practico had grown up iti the House of asking questions of Ministers without notice. Mr. Isitt asked a question as to tlie nature of tho lymph used in Auckland in vaccinating people on tho basis of newspaper extracts reporting ill-health following- upon the operation. To this the Minister was unable to reply on the spur of tho moment, and asked that notice of the question bo given. Mr. Buxton (Temuka) followed with another question about disinfecting goods coming from Svdney, and in replying to him Mr. Rhodes thanked him for his courtesy in having notified him beforehand of his intention to ask this question. When Mr. Isitt gavo notice of his question lie asked if the Minister meant to refer to him by this statement. In reply the Minister said he had not meant to specially refer to Mr. Isitt, but ho was referring to the practice which had grown up 111 recent years of asking these questions without notice. He recollected, lie; said, that during his twelve years of political life as a private member he asked only one question without notice, and information 011 that occasion was refused because he had not told tho Prime Minister beforehand that lie was going to ask the question.