Saturday's Letters: University reforms pose threat to engineering

The response of a group of engineers prove that there is a significant percentage of people who are ideologically opposed to tuition fees. For whatever reason they simply have a fundamental objection to them on any level. Quite how that is squared with the economic position the country finds itself in is anybody's guess. Only time will tell if Browne has been successful and his recommendations go any way towards answering one of the most difficult conundrums of our time.

Closer to home there are already concerns that the review of tuition fees will adversely affect the number of students taking engineering at universities. For many years the great and the good of the profession have combined voices to bemoan the fact that not enough take the subject at degree level.

Worryingly, engineering is deemed a more expensive subject than other subjects as it requires equipment, materials and back-up staff. So the fear is that engineering courses will be among the first to have their fees pushed sharply upwards and that could well shrink the talent available.

At the moment a skills shortage might not be seen as an issue, but engineering may well suffer if the tough times arrive again.

From: Dr K Swann, Summerdale, Gomersal, Cleckheaton.

Humber ports need vital investment

From: Duncan Anderson, Mill Lane, East Halton, Immingham.

THE Con-Dem's argument that they will support businesses' attempts to revitalise the economy and create jobs has been exposed as a huge lie (Yorkshire Post, October 27).

The Humber ports are the largest ports complexes in the UK with them handling the largest tonnage and the second largest value of goods after Heathrow.

A lot of businesses were looking to invest tens of millions of pounds in the Humber ports creating tens of thousands of new, permanent, full-time jobs. But this investment was reliant upon Government investing in the infrastructure as both railways and roads are officially

"bottle necked".

Hull docks needs improvements to the A63 and A164 to improve its links with the national roads network.

Immingham docks urgently needs improvements to the A160, A1173, A15 (Scunthorpe to Lincoln) and the plan to put a third rail line into Immingham docks, which has been started, needs to be completed.

Instead, the Con-Dem's transport policy seems to be about persuading more motorists to use the roads. This seems to be an early attempt at seeking popularism by prostituting themselves to the driving, voting public.

This policy has absolutely nothing to do with working with businesses to create jobs and prosperity.

From: Quentin Deakin, Newark Road, Crossflatts, Bingley.

THE Tory-Liberal contention that cuts are the only way out of the financial crisis is a myth.

There is an alternative: tax the rich much more and invest the money in creating the two million jobs we need for full employment (two and half million unemployed but only half a million vacancies at the moment).

People in work feed the economy. Go for 90p in the pound income tax for the tens of thousands of multi-millionaires like Lord Sugar and Wayne Rooney and 70p for the million millionaires. Introduce a property and land tax to obtain the enormous wealth Britain's "old rich" have locked up in assets. Finally, clamp down on the tax evaders and avoiders.

If the greedy bankers decide to leave the country, good riddance. Any number of honest men and women could do a better job. Perhaps they could take the Tory coalition with them. In their place we'd need a braver government than Ed Miliband's promises to be. Step in the Greens.

Bitter taste over sugar

From: V Platt, Hereford Road, Harrogate.

I WENT into my local Waitrose recently to do the usual weekly shop. One of the items I was looking for was white sugar.

Now then! Trying to be patriotic I try to buy Yorkshire, English and British products in that order; I discovered that English sugar was no longer available - it had been discontinued.

I took up the matter with the store manager who said he would investigate. Some time later he received the answer: the decision to drop English sugar had not been a board decision but the decision of the sugar buyer on the basis that African sugar is better and cheaper than English and this was better for Waitrose (in other words, more profit could be made by buying African sugar).

Now, I'm all for supporting fair trade initiatives but not at the expense of our own people. The manager advised me that the policy would be reviewed in the spring.

I would ask shoppers to be more observant when buying, but in that appeal I think I'm flogging a dead horse as the great British public just pick up the nearest thing and drop it into their trolley. Sometimes I think it must be me, so why should I bother?

Locos ran on grease

From: Gerald Myers, Moorway, Tranmere Park, Guiseley.

FURTHER to the most interesting article by Chris Benfield on Esholt sewage treatment works (Yorkshire Post, October 14) and the equally informative comments by your correspondent Graham Hall (October 22); might I add that, from 1933 to 1957, the works operated a standard gauge railway system covering 22 miles of track, reducing to six and a half miles thereafter.

Over the years, a variety of 0-4-0ST steam locomotives from several manufacturers were employed; notable among which were No.1435 Nellie, built by Hudswell Clarke in 1922 and No1888 Elizabeth in 1958, one of the last steam locomotives to leave the famous Leeds works.

Both were equipped to burn grease scoured from raw wool in the scores of local mills; and, later, extracted from the effluent at Esholt, the grease being kept workable overnight by steam from the locos.

Now in retirement, Nellie which, incidentally, in its younger days was driven by my late father-in-law Charles (Charlie) Evans, is on display at Bradford Industrial Museum and Elizabeth at its Leeds counterpart at Armley Mills.

Learning the lessons of the art of survival

From: Ken Hartford, Durham Mews, Butt Lane, Beverley.

THE letter by David Craggs (Yorkshire Post, October 18) seems to suggest that he could perfectly manage his own life by himself if he was allowed to.

I'm not so sure. I lost both my parents by the age of seven and had it not been for two of my three brothers remaining, I'm sure I could not have coped.

The elder of these two arranged (and paid) for me to be in an orphanage through which I received a first class training for life as an adult.

Three and a half years in the Army from 18 onwards taught me a great deal more and a total of 56 homes and 35 paid jobs subsequently have taken me, so far, to the age of 84.

It hasn't been easy, but at almost every stage of that life I have learned something about how to survive.

Admittedly, long survival isn't necessarily the answer to good health and happiness, but the variation in experience certainly has helped me to recognise that co-operative living with both sexes, all ages and people of all races, tribes, countries and continents can and do survive through almost unimaginable experiences.

The Chilean miners have demonstrated that very clearly. We all need to recognise that that sort of thing is what 21st century life is all about. Survival of the fittest (not just physically, but spiritually perhaps?).

The odd Hail Mary might help.

Festival idea for city

From: Nigel F Boddy, Fife Road, Darlington.

I HAVE just returned from a holiday in Italy near Perugia. Perugia holds an annual chocolate fair which attracts many exhibitors and visitors to the city. It is always held at this time of year.

I wondered if York had considered holding such an event? The city still has very strong links with the industry. The possibility to generate business at a time of year when the tourist season is coming to an end should be welcomed by the city council.

Waiting room is closed

From: John Rossington, Bond Street, Dewsbury.

THE waiting room on platform one of Dewsbury railway station has been locked for more than three months now. TransPennine Trains have put up a notice saying: "Due to health and safety reasons this waiting room is closed." Surely the notice should read: "This waiting room needs maintenance work which we cannot be bothered to do."

However, why be straightforward when a politically correct euphemism is available?

Troubled times on the throne

From: Rev PN Hayward, Allonby, Maryport, Cumbria.

IN his conversation with your correspondent Chris Bond, the historian Dr David Starkey (Yorkshire Post, October 19) asserts that when Richard II was forced off the throne in 1399, it was the first time since the Norman Conquest that an English king had been dethroned and deposed.

In fact, this also happened 72 years earlier to Richard's great-grandfather, Edward II, in January 1327. He was succeeded by his 15-year-old son, who was crowned on February 1.

In the following September, the deposed king was savagely murdered in Berkeley Castle – a fate which awaited Richard in 1400 at Pontefract Castle.

Turbine costs

From: Michael Hinch, East Causeway, Leeds.

I HOPE the proposed Humber offshore wind turbines prove to be more efficient than the ones by the reservoir above Addingham.

It would be extremely interesting to know the cost of the initial installation, plus the maintenance to date set against the electricity they produce.