Labour Patty Policy

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31677, 13 May 1968, Page 12

Labour Patty Policy

Sir, —I thank you for pub listing my letter and for ob taining Mr Kirk’s reply. However examination of the instances he cites and reference to Hansard and the reports of the Electoral Commission in the Appendices suggest that all the cases cited were changes consequent upon a change of boundaries, where a seat either had the boundaries changed and was renamed or there was an amalgamation or redistribution. It is not easy for the layman who does not have ready access to reports to follow these changes Since there appears to be one transfer in the offing—Lyttelton will lose its present M.P. and Sydenham will be contested by a sitting M.P.—I wonder if Mr Kirk would be kind enough to instance other cases where there was no boundary change, and sitting Labour M.P.s contested other seats. Mr Kirk implies that there is abundant precedent for this, but, search as 1 may, I am unable to find Instances of this situation.—Yours, etc., FORGETFUL. May 2, 1968. [The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) replies; “If ‘Forgetful’ wasn't, he or she would know that there are to

be substantial boundary changes in 1969. Neither Hansard nor the report of the Representation Commission is the appropriate place to record the administrative decisions of any party. Nor is it correct to Say that there is to be no change in electoral boundaries in either Lyttelton or Sydenham. I will be very happy to provide further information in. addition to that already supplied any time ‘Forgetful’ likes to remember to get in touch with me.”)