Monday's Letters: Stop skirting around the subject of immigration

WHAT a brave and honest letter by John A Martin (Yorkshire Post, April 7) relating rising crime to irresponsible immigration. It is time that honest numbers of immigrants were provided as this small island is far too overcrowded and road journeys are a misery these days.

When new east European countries joined us, we were allowed to take a seven-year moratorium so that immigrants could not have access straight away to labour markets. Sensible countries like France, Germany and

many others took this up but not Tony Blair, which was a grave mistake.

Britain is losing its identity in many areas. It is so tiring to hear how delightful it is to be multi-cultural. As I have said before, many northerners do not even care for southerners!

Seriously, though, it is time our politicians met immigration issues head on. They all skirt round the subject because they are afraid of being called racist. This is nonsense, we are desperately overcrowded.

We are getting a reputation of being the three Bs – broken Britain, benefit Britain and bankrupt Britain. We need strong assertive leaders, not a weak inefficient Brown who is forever changing his mind and apologising.

From: Ian Hirst, Guiseley.

I READ that Gordon Brown (Yorkshire Post, April 1) wants the big three parties to get together on the massive immigration issue, and again re-arrange the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Don't these politicians realise what all voters know? Our country is creaking to a halt.

We've no money in the Treasury to fund the extra housing that immigration needs, or the funds for our hospitals and schools which are bulging at the seams with the new people coming here.

Now, if that's racist, I suppose I must apologise to you all.

From: G Ellison, Hawthorne Avenue, Sheffield.

THE excuse for migrant labour to do the low paid jobs the indigenous won't do is well past its sell by date.

Britain has always suffered a lack of jobs, not workers, as unemployment has always been very high when we had full industry, now sadly gone, and I suppose, has been a way of keeping wages low and inflation with more on benefits.

Proud record of a family brewery

From: JM Appleyard, Thornhill Road, Rastrick, Brighouse.

WITH regard to the letter "History of a brewery" (Yorkshire Post, April 3), I also have fond memories of Hammonds United Breweries Ltd and the acquisition of Seth Senior & Sons Highfield Brewery, Shepley, near Huddersfield.

In Shepley, quite apart from the mills, the quarries, the tailors' shops, the dressmakers, the milliners, the bakeries

and the food shops there was also Seth Senior & Sons Ltd brewers.

Seth Senior was a stone mason and lived in one of the cottages in the block which is now the Sovereign Inn at Shepley. The story goes that he borrowed a sovereign to start brewing in his own cottage, went from strength to strength and founded the business

in 1829.

He was eventually joined in partnership by his two sons, Reuben and James.

You can understand why the trademark was "Sovereign Ales" and they

won many prizes, both at home and abroad. They had their own bore hole, their own gasworks and maltings, and their own private railway siding.

The bore hole and water, I do believe, is now the source of water for Ice Valley Mineral Water of Shepley. They had their own farm and regularly supplied Shepley Co-op Butchers with beasts, etc.

Seniors owned vast acres of moorland including a shooting lodge at Goodbent which used to be utilised by the late Duke

of Gloucester.

My late grandfather John Charles also used to look after the dray horses and sometimes go out on deliveries. I still have a pair of my late grandfather's draw knives.

There used to be a carving of Seth Senior on an archway in the Sovereign block. This disappeared some time ago. His grave is understood to be in Cumberworth churchyard.

Following the death of Reuben, his two sons, Henry and Thomas, became

partners. In 1910, the firm was registered as a limited company. The first directors were James Senior (chairman, died 1915), Henry Senior (second chairman, died 1926), Thomas Senior (died 1916), Edward Senior, Seth Senior-Wood (died 1929).

The brewery continued to thrive and develop and in 1929 produced its famous Century Ale, not to mention Senior's Stingo and

Sovereign Ales that were appreciated far beyond the bounds of Shepley.

On November 23, 1946, a takeover by Hammonds Brewery of Lockwood was announced. This was virtually the end of the brewery and of the Senior family in Shepley.

Unreliable evidence

From: Ken Duckworth, Littlebeck Drive, Gilstead, Bingley.

HOW can we judge the quality and integrity of our politicians? One way will be to follow the Chilcot Inquiry on Iraq (Ted Bromund, Yorkshire Post, April 5).

Being well prepared and having plenty of notice that he was going to give evidence, Gordon Brown stated that year on year the Armed Forces of this country had received increases in funding in real terms.

When challenged by the fact that leaders of the Armed Forces had said budgets were cut, along with senior civil servants, he said they were wrong.

Soon afterwards he admitted that indeed budgets had been cut "in one or two years". In fact, they had been cut in real terms for four consecutive years.

This inquiry has been established to uncover the truth. How could he, as the former Chancellor with the purse strings, and now as Prime Minister, get such important and vital information wrong ?

Values of Christianity

From: Keith G Bowers, Sunnyfield Avenue, Morecambe, Lancs.

IT was good to read of Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary, showing character and integrity (Yorkshire Post, April 5).

Those who serve bed and breakfast in their own homes should not be forced to go against their own biblical standards by those of a

different persuasion.

The Conservative Party received its name by those desiring to conserve good things. Just over 100 years

ago, an Indian Prince asked Queen Victoria the secret of Britain's greatness (this

small land had worldwide influence and the largest Empire of all time).

After some thought, the Queen replied: "The Bible – our greatest possession." In her reign, the Ten Commandments were central in national affairs.

May our new Government have more honest, God-fearing members who appreciate our Christian heritage.

Private charges that make me ashamed of dentistry

From: GF Partington, Asgate Avenue, Chesterfield.

I HAVE noticed that your newspaper has expressed interest in dentistry recently.

Firstly, most dentists in general practice, unless they are vocational trainees or are working as assistants, are self-employed. So they are unable to go on strike except for a very short period.

However, under the old contract, they were allowed to withdraw their services on certain non-profitable items of service, albeit it was unethical to do so. The new contract imposed by Tony Blair in 2005 is entirely different. As I retired in 2003 , I cannot comment on the current state of affairs. However, the horror stories I hear from friends and colleagues about private charges embarrass me and make me feel ashamed.

Prior to 1951, dentistry was entirely free at the point of entry. However, the cost was rising each year so the Government had to reduce the fees per item of service (read treatment for this) and unfortunately had to introduce charges for dentures and, again in 1969, a further increase for dentures and a new one for fillings.

Later, more charges were introduced gradually to finance the cost and they have been with us ever since rising to a maximum of nearly 400 about the time I retired.

William Waldegrave, the then Health Minister, reduced our fees by 10 per cent in 1992 because the annual cost of dentistry was 1.2bn and increasing. That then spurred a lot of dentists to reduce their NHS commitment and start to do private, mainly cosmetic dentistry.

There are dental practices that still do NHS work but whether they can accept new patients depends on their local Primary Care Trust and the nature of their new contract.

Regarding Jayne Dowle's article (Yorkshire Post, April 8), I suspect she approaches one of the dental hospitals if surgery is required for her front tooth, otherwise I am sure there are dentists out there who would be happy to do a root-filling more cheaply, but not a crown and a re-root treatment for the same fee as there would be a laboratory charge for the latter.