Party News: Erith Labour Party declines debate

After having accepted a challenge to debate with our Dartford Branch the question “Which Party Should the Working Class Support?” the Erith Labour Party cooled off and finally ignored further efforts to make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime the Editor of the Erith Observer and Kentish Times had been asked to act as chairman at the debate. He declined, but expressed his interest in the debate and asked our Dartford Branch to keep him informed.

When it became clear that the Erith Labour Party was determined not to debate, our Dartford Branch sent to the Erith Observer an announcement to be paid for at the usual rates and a letter to the Editor, both dealing with the Erith Labour Party’s refusal to debate.

The announcement and the payment for it were accepted by the Erith office of the Observer, but a few days later they were returned from the head office at Sidcup in a letter signed by the Director of the Kentish District Times Co., Ltd., in which he gave the curious reason that “We see no reason why the Labour Party should debate a motion, and still less reason why we should publish their refusal to do so.”

It is all very odd. We wonder what the members of the Erith Labour Party think about it.