Letters: Save our chimney

I have today made my own observations of the old Wilfords mill chimney, apart from the base which is not accessible to me. Using binoculars and a video camera, I have made a face-by-face survey of the stack, and have found no trace of cracks, no sign of mis-alignment or other dangerous problems.

There certainly is a need for considerable pointing work to be done, and in some cases for bricks to be replaced. The topmost part of the stack appears to be in very good order, and indeed I am informed that a large portion of the upper part was re-pointed about six or seven years ago.

Coun Langthorne is misleading the people of Brompton in his statement that the chimney must come down, I wonder why? He is not representing the views of the people. There are those who want it preserved, like me; there are those who are not bothered, but I doubt anyone in Brompton would say it must come down.

As I understand it there is only one surveyors' report which was commissioned by the owners, but not made public. On what grounds does he make his assertions, has he seen the report?

When news leaked out that the owners were considering demolition, the children of the village approached a member of the village design statement team, and asked if they could help by starting a petition.

It is rumoured that all that site on which the chimney, its buildings and the businesses in the yard stand, is to be used to build more houses. That does not mean the chimney should go, it could easily be incorporated into amenity buildings, and in any event the site should be used for light industry to provide jobs.

The chimney is a well-known and loved landmark of Brompton, and no doubt each villager could give their own particular reason for leaving it for them to view. May I appeal to the owners to think again.

C D KIRK

Brompton,

Northallerton.

Let us decide

Sir, - To many Stockton residents the internal workings of the European Union in Brussels and Strasbourg are of little consequence. Yet unelected bureaucrats in Europe are working on plans for a "European Constitution" that would have huge implications for local government.

Laws and regulations ranging from transport to social policy, from the environment to law and order, would be decided by distant pen-pushers in a foreign country, rather than by elected representatives in Britain. Local councils like ours would be jumping to the demands of European diktats.

British politicians may not rate highly in the popularity stakes - but at least voters can kick out those who fail to deliver, which they cannot do with those who run the European Union.

Given the Government believes in holding referendums on other constitutional changes - from an elected mayor for Hartlepool to regional assemblies for the North-East, why shouldn't voters also be given a voice on these major constitutional upheavals ?

It seems that Tony Blair's New Labour only lets the people decide when it thinks it will win!

JAMES WHARTON

Chairman, Stockton North Conservative Association

Macmillan House,

Russell Street,

Stockton-on-Tees.

Euro destiny

Sir, - May I offer a footnote to the two commendable letters (D&S, May 30) by Diana Wallis MEP and Russell Smith, injecting some reality into the EU constitution debate.

The enlargement of the European Union from the ten to the 25 member countries next year, the prime reason for drawing up the constitution, will create the biggest market place in the world and we shall stand outside its gates at our economic peril.

Closer integration with the rest of Europe will not spell the end to our sovereignty or traditional British values. The Government is already committed to calling a referendum on the euro and it cannot be expected to call a referendum in each and every case to do with Europe.

What is feasible in the small countries such as Denmark and Ireland is a mammoth administrative and costly task in the large countries of the EU.

The Tory smokescreen thrown over this issue and its financial backers has roots in their fear of single currency; non-variable interest rates would clip the wings of the money-lenders and the common form of contract law would slim down the legal fat cats.

With them or without them, Europe will march on to its destiny.

OLLY ANDRLA

Press officer,

Richmond Labour Party.

Quality of life

Sir, - On Monday, June 16, there will be a Richmond area committee meeting of North Yorkshire County Council at which traffic calming measures for various roads in the vicinity of Quarry Road, Richmond, will be discussed.

These measures are being considered as one way of dealing with some of the traffic generated by the Gallowfields Trading Estate.

There is no attempt being made to calm traffic in Green Howards Road (and every effort is being made to direct traffic into Green Howards Road to save the residents of Quarry Road and its tributaries).

When are the councils going to tackle the enormous problem of a completely inadequate road serving a busy and developing trading estate? Every time councillors had the opportunity to prepare for what is now happening they chose to ignore it.

I hope that every councillor and officer who makes a decision about any aspect of developing the trading estate further has looked at the roads in question - don't forget that upgrading Green Howards Road can have no effect without upgrading Gallowgate (Barrack Hill) - then perhaps Maison Dieu, Darlington Road (past all those schools!), Dundas Street and Station Road.

I hope that they have looked at towns in which trading estates have been developed sensibly, not taking the "heavy stuff" as near to the centre as it is in Richmond or through residential areas. It should surely be obligatory for anyone voting on these matters to have a site visit - preferably from 8am-9.30, 4.30-6pm, and at some time in between.

One councillor described the people who were objecting to the further development as being narrow minded for causing loss of business on the expanding estate.

I wonder if that person has seen the types of lorries that bring goods along these residential roads? There are two very difficult bends and if one day one of the enormous articulated lorries "loses its revs" on Barrack Hill as it turns left on to Green Howards Road, negotiating parked cars just on the bend, minds may well be changed.

Please will our representatives think very carefully about what they are doing? The quality of life is being affected very greatly, and not just on my road and Quarry Road.

PAT CARTER

Green Howards Road,

Richmond.

What's in it?

Sir, - In reply to Roger A Fisken's letter (D&S, May 30), as a layman, I know little or nothing about the MMR vaccine; however, I have been led to believe the following are commonly used as vaccine fillers.

I wonder which, if any, are used in MMR and or what other fillers are used? I also wonder what effect they might have when injected into a small person, perhaps Mr Fisken would be kind enough to enlighten us?

Aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, ammonium sulphate and amphotericin B. Animal tissues: pig blood, horse blood, rabbit brain, dog kidney, monkey kidney, chick embryo, chicken egg, duck egg, calf (bovine) serum, betapropiolactone and foetal bovine serum.

Formaldehyde, formalin, gelatin, glycerol, human diploid cells (originating from human aborted foetal tissue), hydrolized gelatin, monosodium glutamate, neomycin, neomycin sulphate, phenol red indicator, phenoxyethanol (antifreeze), potassium diphosphate, potassium monophosphate, polymyxin B, polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, porcine (pig) pancreatic hydrolysate of casein, residual MRC5 proteins, sorbitol, sucrose, thiomersal (49.6pc mercury), tri(n)butylphosphate and Vero cells, a continuous line of monkey kidney cells washed in sheep red blood cells.

(Source: Health Wars by Phillip Day, published by Credence Publications ISBN 0-9535012-7-2).

RIK DENT

Low Street,

Little Fencote