Letters

WE decorate the outside of our house each Christmas and this year we decided to ask for donations for the Butterwick Hospice. Visqueen (where my husband works) donated the first sum of £100, followed by Bodycote with £25. It was followed by donations from family, friends and neighbours.

Word soon got round and people came from all over the area. There was a constant stream of traffic. It is all thanks to everyone involved that we raised a grand total of £1,036.66. Many, many thanks. - Judy and Tony Bennett, Billingham.

ARMY NOISE

HAVE the health and safety regulators gone completely off their heads?

The recent audit by the Ministry of Defence which shows the British Army as being too noisy (Echo, Dec 22) is a staggering piece of idiocy.

How on earth can troops across a parade ground hear their orders unless the officer shouts? How can guns be fired quietly? How can a military band play softly all the time?

Anyone joining the Army knows they are in for a dangerous, tough life. They wouldn't expect to be issued with carpet slippers and ear defenders to protect them against loud noises.

Health and safety rules are all well and good, but a large dose of common sense must also be included with the rules. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

FOX HUNTING

MT Caton (HAS, Jan 3) thinks foxes are vermin. What an interesting observation from a member of the human race.

Homo sapiens, a misnomer if ever there was one, has been murdering, pillaging, looting, burning, etc since time immemorial. So far as I am aware, foxes do not kill their own kind. If foxes are vermin what words can describe so-called "thinking man".

Mr Caton implies there is an element of jealousy in the desire of countless millions of our citizens to ban fox hunting.

We should defer to our betters, seems to be his attitude. The upper class on the horses and the peasants following on foot.

The huge majority in our country do not like cruelty to wild creatures and to compare it to killing humanely for food is utterly fatuous.

Foxes, even if there is a ban, will always be killed by so-called Christian society but at least we will be spared the degrading spectacle of "humans" hunting down wild creatures for fun.

They shame themselves and our country. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

I CAN'T help but notice the obvious pro-hunting bias in your reporting on the sportsmanship, tradition and splendour of the Boxing Day meeting of fox hunters (Echo, Dec 27).

Hunting with dogs is self-evidently cruel, to all but the very dim.

Nationally, foxes do not cause significant problems to agriculture, generally helping by keeping control of the rabbit population. When control is necessary, shooting by marksmen is considered the most common, efficient and humane method.

As a supposed nation of animal lovers, Britain should lead the world in animal welfare.

But how can we preach to others when hunting continues to undermine our ability to do so? - D Noble, Darlington.

MUCH as I am in favour of the fox being allowed to lead a quiet life and I do believe that they must inevitably endure suffering as a result of pursuit, it seems to me that it is only previous annihilation (by mankind) of the native wolf which has granted the fox his hitherto leisurely lifestyle. In other words, pursuit in itself is not an unnatural activity (as indeed our fox might try to explain to his rabbit).

This, however, is in complete contrast to the ridiculous archaic, ceremonial (if not ritualistic) bloodthirsty pastime of fox hunting by sentient human beings with dogs trained to hunt and kill.

I am, however, a man obsessed by the search both for solutions and/or compromises in every walk of life. I am also consequently renowned as a man of simple (if not simplistic) solutions.

Can we not simply insist that all the hounds be muzzled and thus ensure that the gallant huntsmen can continue to enjoy their so-called sport without a vicious finale of bloodletting?

I am, of course, assuming that their horses have remained vegetarian of diet! - Edwin Green, Darlington.

BARRIE Caton (HAS, Jan 3) uses the same phrase as other writers who support fox hunting: "The Government should get on with more important matters."

They quote these words to get minds away from the main issue.

Fox hunting is of course a cruel, barbaric act played out by Tory countryside toffs who revel in seeing 20 or so hounds ravage and tear to pieces a little fox.

As the majority of people are against this atrocious deed, the Government should now put a total ban on fox hunting as it is a "very important matter". - J L Thompson, Crook.

CAR REPAIRS

I MUST take issue with your article (Echo, Jan 5) "Fast-fit car repairers branded a quick con", at least so far as Kwik-Fit is concerned.

I took my car to Kwik-Fit, Northallerton, with an exhaust problem which I anticipated could be expensive. On putting the car on a ramp, they told me that it could be fixed at an estimated price of £69 which I felt I had no alternative but to accept, and that the car would be ready in 40 minutes.

When I returned, the car was waiting for collection and I was told that they had made a mistake in their estimate. The total cost, including VAT, had worked out at only £25 which, needless to say, I gratefully paid.

This is the first time I have used this branch of Kwik-Fit, and it will certainly not be the last. - AM Bradfield, Northallerton.