The dairy farmer had his milk collected daily by the Milk Marketing Board (MMB), however inclement the weather or however remote the farm. The farmer was guaranteed payment for all the milk produced without any extra overheads or fear of bad debts. The MMB allocated their collections to the dairies according to their needs, with any surplus milk taken to other milk industries such as cheese makers etc. No milk was wasted and none was imported.
The dairies pasteurised, processed and bottled the fresh milk daily and then supplied their many milkroundsmen.
The milkmen delivered the fresh product to their millions of customers, usually by 8am, with many beginning their rounds in the very early hours of the day.
Empty bottles from previous deliveries were collected for reuse and, at this time, statistics showed the milk bottle had a "life" of around 40 trips – could anything be more environmentally-friendly?
Less than two per cent of bottled milk was homogenised as, unlike today, there was no need to disguise its freshness or provide a sell-by date of over a week and, of course, the milk supplied by the milkman was on credit.
The system was the envy of many other countries so, regrettably, it was ripe for government intervention, who with the welcome assistance of our European colleagues, felt the system was a monopoly and must be improved by greater competition, interference which did the reverse and began the destruction of a great British institution.
Now we have to import milk from Europe and to accept a far inferior product – perhaps this was the intention.
Why fix an industry which isn't broken? Why are politicians who have no knowledge or experience of an industry allowed to wreak havoc in such a way?
Will any politician tell us why they believe destroying such a great service and importing our milk from Europe is of benefit to us?

From: Barrie Frost, Watson's Lane, Reighton, Filey.

Why we don't need Sir Alan helping out

From: Michael Meadowcroft, Waterloo Lane, Leeds.

TOM Richmond was right ("Why Sir Alan doesn't fire me with enthusiasm", Yorkshire Post, June 13).
Leave aside for the a moment the big political issues. If any single event in recent days illustrated Gordon Brown's lack of judgment it is the appointment to a government post of Alan Sugar. How on earth a Labour Prime Minister can imagine that a bullying, insensitive and ultra-sharp business operator is a suitable individual for his team, is quite bizarre.

From: David W Wright, Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

THE forthright and correct column by Tom Richmond (Yorkshire Post, June 13) which features the antics and under-performance of our politicians and the discredited honours system which is well past its
sell-by date, again shows that this country is fast declining into a banana republic and third world status.
How can we claim to be a democracy when unelected peers are appointed to high office without any credentials, experience or expertise, just on the whims of the incumbent Prime Minister of the day?
This ludicrous situation and the meaningless honours system should be halted immediately and the political nepotism consigned to the Dark Ages from whence it came.

Give votes equal weight

From: Michael Swaby, Hainton Avenue, Grimsby.

WHILE her article is most readable, Linda Riordan's advocacy of "first past the post" voting may still leave some unconvinced (Yorkshire Post, June 11).
The mangled Orwellian paraphrase aside, the question of keeping extreme parties out of Parliament is debatable. It would be more accurate to say that FPTP keeps small parties out, irrespective of merit.
In asserting that "it is first preferences that matter, not second, third or fourth choices", Linda Riordan appears to have totally overlooked the undesirable feature of FPTP known as "tactical
voting". Under a fairer system, such as the Alternative Vote, this distortion would vanish.
Although the days are long gone when some people were disfranchised, while others had more than one vote, one further step remains to be taken.
A general election is not a large number of single-member constituency elections that just happen to take place onthe same day, and votes
should not be counted as though it were.
Clearly, it is a national election and, accordingly, each vote should carry equal weight, wherever, by whoever, and for whomever it is cast.
This is my argument for electoral reform.

Scare story on migrants

From: Rob Hardy, Old Lane, Beeston, Leeds.

THE story headlined "Mystery of 10,000 missing overseas students" (Yorkshire Post, June 12) was not really a news story, more a propaganda piece for Migrationwatch UK. This is an organisation that exists solely to spread scare-stories about immigration.
The only balance in the article was a statement from a Sheffield Hallam University, saying (rightly) that there is no evidence that these people ever received a visa, or entered the country, and that if they did, they could be studying elsewhere.
Even accepting that these people are in this country, the reference to the alleged (i.e. unproven) terrorist plot is simply irrelevant. It would be more likely that they came here with the simple aim of finding a better life for themselves and their families, as do most immigrants. There is no mystery. A better title for this piece would have been: "Anti-immigration pressure group in new attempt to spread fear and racism."

Digging for victory

From: Alec Denton, Oxford Avenue, Guiseley.

AS you have supported this campaign in the past, may I use your pages to offer congratulations to Phil Gomersal of Victory Allotments, Rawdon, on finally managing after nearly five years of effort, to persuade Leeds City Council to commence work on the creation of an additional 30 plots on the Victory site.
As a bonus, the Award presented to Phil by the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners for his work in promoting allotment gardening, is thoroughly deserved.
This land was given to the people of Rawdon as thanks for the end of World War One, but it is a sobering thought that, had the present administration been in charge of Leeds in 1940, World War Two would have finished before they managed to create their first "Dig for Victory" plots!
Also, when those on the Left habitually criticise our Royal Family, the creation of an allotment garden at Buckingham Palace shows that the Windsors are in fact, far more in touch with popular sentiment than are our politicians, whether elected or appointed.

We need light relief

From: R Hague, Frank Parkinson Court, Guiseley, Leeds.

I have always thought Leeds City Council was not very high up in the league in the brains department. My thoughts were confirmed this week.
Last year LCC attacked Yeadon with new energy-saving street lighting, with new lamp posts springing up like daffodils.
I now find they are refurbishing (their term) the high street and, lo and behold, new, taller, lamp posts are going up within metres of the existing ones that obviously will at some date be removed.
Can anyone tell me who is responsible for this circus?
As a pensioner next year, I think I will not pay my council tax and have it wasted this way – but will take a holiday in jail if necessary.

Villagers caught beyond their traditional boundary

From: Geoff Bayley, Delph, Saddleworth.

HILARY Holt (Yorkshire Post, June 10), when referring to the area covered by the Regional Development Agency for Yorkshire and Humber, reminds us that there are several parts of Yorkshire which are not at present represented by the Agency.
She omitted to mention the anomaly of Saddleworth which, though being geographically part of the West Riding, is currently for local government purposes, also part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, where the borough council are trying to erase
the identity and culture of six of the seven towns which make up the borough, by attempting to impose a common identity as Oldhamers, a label which we in Saddleworth will never accept.
The future is likely to be even worse. Central government, having lost the referendum for elected regional assemblies, is imposing regional assemblies comprised of appointees.
The next development will probably be the creation of a City Region based on Leeds and a City Region based on Manchester.
It is expected that these two regions will share a common border without a "buffer zone" between. This is likely to eventually become one huge overdeveloped "region of the north"'.
Here in Saddleworth, which is a community of small villages and mainly hill farms, local government and, in particular, planning, is dealt with by Oldham Borough Council. Planning decisions, which may be appropriate for the town of Oldham, would not always be appropriate for a county district. A City Region could make matters worse; big is very seldom better.
There is an urgent need for the Boundary Commission to examine the need for a South Pennines buffer zone between Manchester and Leeds, and the reinforcement of all of the traditional boundary of England's largest county of Yorkshire.