Sir : . d , t is very easy for Miss Lakeman
to 18Parage the alternative vote by 44°,,_tiog an extreme illustration. -".noriy Wedgwood Benn also did so on JUne 9, 1964, when moving the i,el,ection of a Bill under the ten-minute Lite, which would have allowed the
alternative vote by local option. Nevertheless the Bill was supported by three members who are now vicepresidents of the Electoral Reform Society. The truth is that the alternative vote has considerable merit as an interim second-best. It could be given immediate effect by a one-chance Bill without the necessity for boundary changes. It would also accustom the electors to the working of preferential voting without the baffling innovation of multi-member constituences. As a writer in the Electoral Reform Society's bulletin of January, 1964, well said: "The alternative vote is in fact a single transferable vote in a singlemember constituency, and it should become easier to adopt multi-member constituencies once this step is taken."
M. B. Daniels 134 Bradshaw Road, Bradshaw, Bolton.
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