LIBERAL WITH INTERVALS
Ht,—In the paragraphs under the heading of "A Spectator's Notebook" your issue of the 5th inst. I see one on the representation of the rnstaple or N.W. Division of Devonshire. This speaks of the " long iberal tradition" of the constituency.
Permit me to point out that this was broken in 1922, when I was eturned at a Conservative, and continued to represent the constituency xcept for the part of 1924 when the Labour Party were in office) until 1935, when I retired and did not seek election. I was returned at four out of five of the elections 1922 to 1931, and Barnstaple was represented by a Conservative in twelve of the thirteen years 1922-1935.
I do not gather from " Janus's " note that he claims that it is repre- sented by a Liberal in this Parliament. I should like to make it clear that the N.W. Devon Conservative Association, of which I am President, would dispute the right of the Liberal Party to nominate the Government candidate should the appeal to the country at the next election (or at a by-election) be on a Coalition basis.—Yours faithfully, BASIL PETO. Gatehouse, Iford, Bradford-on-Avon.
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