TO THE POINT

Nick Bridge’s suggestion (July 27) of using part of The Dell for the Chinese Gardens is a brilliant answer to the vexed question of where it should be sited. Sir Frank and Jack can be left in peace for the continued enjoyment of the community! JANET MACDONALD, Otaki To help restore ratepayers’ confidence that our city’s management is in competent hands, selection criteria for prospective Hutt City Council employees might now include the ability to detect the difference between colour-coded hot and cold water taps, say, at least three out of five times. JIM YOUNG, Belmont As I walked down Lambton Quay today with a brisk northwesterly wind blowing I wondered if Miranda Munro was serious about supposed pollution from buses in Lambton Quay (July 27). Perhaps she was confusing Wellington with Timaru (currently the most polluted city in New Zealand) or even Beijing. I must have walked down Lambton Quay hundreds of times and even on a still day I don’t recollect any significant pollution. Perhaps a better solution than the expensive light rail she suggested is to keep the electric trolley buses until hybrid buses are manufactured that can cope with Wellington’s hills.

ALEX GRAY, Brooklyn

In Buyers wanted for 100s of state

houses (July 28) you say ‘‘National is forging ahead with its ideologically driven plan to hock off thousands of houses . . .’’ Surely you meant ‘‘idiotogically’’ ? DARRELL PHILLIPS, Paremata It does not seem that anyone has yet realised that the government’s lauded predator free funding scheme is a subtle way of privatising DOC function.

BILL AITCHISON, Carterton