26/03/04

What they omit to mention, of course, is the fact that the Scottish Parliament has become a byword for bureaucracy, waste, parochialism and extravagance, with its accommodation costs alone already topping £400m and still rising, and pretty much the same is true of the one in Wales.

I actually have no objection in principle to regional assemblies, including one here in the North-East, I am just saying that the present breed of local politicians are not up to the job. Should material of the appropriate calibre ever come along, then it would be a different story.

But for the time being, trusting that lot in county hall with more power than they have at present would be a recipe for disaster and if David Taylor-Gooby can't see that then it's him who needs to get out more often, not me. - T Kelly, Crook.

ROYAL MAIL

IN 1949 I would post a letter to London for motorcycle spares on a Monday morning on my way to work, starting time 7.30am passing a postman delivering mail in Byerley Road, Shildon.

Wednesday dinner time I was opening my parcel delivered that morning, letter postage costs two and a half old pennies. Parcels now take seven to ten days.

The recent postal delivery improvement and management arrogance amounts to 'Collect your own mail if you want it early'.

Someone is sabotaging the business or is there a management buy-out in the offing?

First-class postage cost should cease surely. - K Bowes, Shildon.

HEALTH SERVICE

IN the early hours of March 22, I had to call NHS Direct. I was put in contact with a nurse who took all particulars about my health and medication, and then shortly afterwards a doctor was at my home within 20 minutes.

From making my call it would only be half an hour at the most before I was attended to. This to me was most efficient from the nurse to the doctor who gave me a good examination.

Lots of complaints are made about our NHS, but I can't praise their efficiency and dedication enough and through this letter thank them most sincerely. - H Reed, Meadowfield.

FARMING

MY hope that the public would be better informed on current farming practices was immediately destroyed by Mr Kelly's letter (HAS, Mar 20).

His version of modern farming seems to date back over the last 50 years, when government policy was to pay farmers to remove hedges and increase food production to get away from post-war food shortages.

Similarly, it is disturbing that selective use of information from many years back can be used about the decline in some bird species without mentioning that double the number of species have increased.

When good production was considered a priority maybe some farmers did not respect the environment sufficiently, but to call them murderers for supplying the country's needs is hysterical, especially considering the efforts farmers are making to improve standards of food safety and hygiene, animal welfare, and the environment.

Much of British farming's produce is now covered by independently checked farm assurance schemes, which is indicated by "the little red tractor" logo.

British produced food has a huge safety margin to ensure human health is maintained and new pesticides go through more tests than human medicine to get government approval.

Time may prove how short-sighted the policy of exposing British farming to worldwide competition is, with the protection many of these competitors have.

Britain has a reputation as one of the world's healthiest food suppliers. Farmers must hope the public becomes more aware and appreciative of their efforts to maintain this, than our alarmist critics. - JW Heslop, Gainford.

GARDEN TOOLS

I APPEAL to readers of The Northern Echo to make sure that when they acquire garden tools and equipment they come from a reliable source.

We all know people who have had sheds broken into or garden tools, ornaments and accessories stolen. Someone recently took my garden seat from my yard.

Who is worse, the people who steal them in the first place or those who don't care where the items they have come from as long as they get what they want at a cheaper price than buying it from a reputable source?

In my opinion, one is as bad as the other. If I can't afford something I do without and as a single parent struggling to make ends meet, there are lots of things that my family has to do without - Rose Milburn, Easington.

ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS

IN 1990 a professor who had experimented for years on animals noted that there were over 450 methods available to replace animal experiments.

Since then more have been developed. A recent directory of these methods filled 500 pages.

They have been tested and found to provide more valuable information than animal tests. Over 75 per cent of US medical schools, including the top ten, use no animals as better methods exist.

It seems only the least scientifically sophisticated organisations are clinging on to animal use - or those aware of the inaccuracy of animal use offers commercial flexibility. - Michael Edwards, Harrogate.

UNITED STATES

PETE Winstanley (HAS, Ma 15) seeks to discredit the Americans for their support of the Shah of Iran (left), who was the leader most likely to bring decent enlightened rule to Iran.

This the Shah did, opening schools, and hospitals, and in no way could he be considered a tyrant.

Mr Winstanley belittles the Americans, but I would tell him this: they have done a great deal more for England than he has ever done and their thousands of war graves in Europe testify to that. - Allison Connelly, Witton.