Beeching not to blame for cuts

I READ the article about Yorkshire’s forgotten railways by Sheena Hastings with interest (Yorkshire Post, October 28) but was disappointed that like many you failed to attribute the “cuts” to the correct authority which was successive governments not Beeching.

In fact, Beeching (then a director of ICI) was commissioned by the Macmillan government to prepare a report on how to stem the massive losses to the taxpayer of uneconomic lines.

The actual cuts to the then nationalised railways were actioned by government, but this historical fact seems to be ignored. Why? Is it more convenient to blame Beeching than government?

You also failed to acknowledge that many lines have been kept open by the valiant efforts of dedicated enthusiasts.

As a shareholder in the Wensleydale railway which would be viable if it could reach Hawes and be connected to Northallerton, I am disappointed that it was not supported by the last government when money was more plentiful than now. It continues to struggle.

I would also take issue with Paul Atterbury’s frankly facile comparison between railway infrastructure and wind farms!

The correct comparison is with motorways (means of transport) and the cooling towers of power stations (electricity generation).

French lesson over parking

From: Douglas Telfer, Kings Road, Harrogate.

I HAVE just returned from a trip to the South of France. Can someone explain to me why – while English parking meters never give change – the French equivalent allow overpayment if you don’t have enough small coins, and allocate a correspondingly longer parking period? Is French technology superior, or are our local authorities simply greedy?

Let’s copy China

From: Miss J Hopper, Hazel Heads, Baildon, West Yorkshire.

YOU report (Yorkshire Post, October 27) that China is to “pull the plug” on reality TV and talent shows citing them as vulgar. Please could we have some of that over here.