North Dorset Western Gazette from Yeovil, Somerset, England • 22

tarn 4t Juty IMS VIEWPOINT Sunday trading loophole Letters to the Editor WESTERN GAZETTE -SHERBORNE Arming world harming poor Founded in 1737 as the Sherborne Mercury and 1 743 as the Western Flying Post and Yeovil Mercury with its postboy emblem THE Dean and application for the fund-raising shop in Salisbury Cathedral to be granted a certificate so that it can open on Sundays highlights once again the anomalies and confusion surrounding the 1950 Shops Act It was right for councillors on the district housing and health committee to grant the certificate so that the much-used cathedral shop remains within the law But one cannot help recalling that in previous debates on this controversial issue it has been the Church of England among other groups that has strongly opposed the idea of trading on a Sunday The Dean and Chapter made it clear through their solicitors that while fully supporting the legislation forbidding or limiting Sunday trading they felt that by using unpaid voluntary labour their shop was in the of commerce but provided a public service to visitors and was valuable service to the ultimate benefit of the community as a While both sides of the dispute have valid points it must be said that there are probably many other shops and businesses that could claim they provide a valuable service too Already some local authorities have prosecuted a number of local businesses and more will follow undoubtedly Yet there are today many families whose parents both work and for whom Saturday is a normal working day It is a fact that for many husbands and wives the only day they can together go and buy their garden requirements or house-decorating needs is bn a Sunday Undoubtedly too many discover they need something on a Sunday only to find it is on the list of items that cannot be sold on that day The list of anomalies is endless when one looks at what can and what cannot be sold on a Sunday Garages that once sold just petrol now resemble small supermarkets Pubs open virtually as normal At a tourist centre anything goes but not in the small village shops struggling to survive and provide a service to the local community Those who support a ban on Sunday trading rightly point out that there should be a day of rest and workers must be guaranteed at least one day free from work On religious grounds there are strong arguments for keeping Sundays different from the rest of the week The confusion and unfairness extends to a district council obliged by law to prosecute offenders whether or not the councillors and the officers feel it is right It is no good the council deciding not to prosecute however strong public opinion might be in support of them Decause they can be taken to court themselves for failing in their duty The authorities at Salisbury Cathedral do not pay their shop staff but does this automatically make it so very different from any other business? It is a technicality some people consider it is a loophole in the Act which the cathedral authorities have found At the end of the day the cathedral shop is open on a Sunday is selling products and taking money It may be providing a service but the end result for them is the same as any other shop Whether one supports or opposes the Sunday trading laws there can be little doubt that the present arrangement is ludicrous Parliament has failed to grasp the nettle and sort it out There must be another attempt Half measures and the present ridiculous situation cannot go on it will only cause unfairness and confusion as the case of the cathedral shop shows What is good for the goose is good for the gander Either shops can open and sell their goods or they must remain closed When one starts deciding what can be sold and what cannot the end result must be the situation which exists in this country now a situation that can only get more confusing for all concerned NEWS FROM THE PAST by John Lukins SIR The poor of our global family participate in an unequal struggle for development but amongst other hardships a crushingly heavy burden is laid upon them the arms race The world spends £500 billion per annum on weapons the amount doubling between I960 and 1983 This compares with just five per cent of that figure spent on aid projects For instance Aid to Africa by the world in 1985 totalled £23 billion this is less than two military spending! Great Britain plays a role in this skewing of priorities Last year its arms exports totalled £3 billion approximately 75 per cent of Third World governments The poor are affected many ways by these facts pattern of poverty and a similar pattern of war have claimed I8V2 million lives in 140 wars since 1945 About half of the emergency relief given by Oxfam is necessitated by the effects of war Money spent on weapons even if they remain unused kills One military spending could increase Third World food production to provide enough for 500000 families even one spending could feed 2000 malnourished children for one year The elimination of famine cannot be helped by the five visits made by British defence salesmen to sub-Saharan Africa in 1984 Britain has arms deals with countries like Chile and Indonesia Military regimes are encouraged in such a world development is hindered by a lack of democracy All this is in contrast with what could happen to create both a safer and a developed world for ex-President Carter said: peaceful world cannot long exist where one third are rich and two thirds go In Ethiopia a hoe for crops costs £225 £140 buys seeds and fertiliser for one year in an Indian village in Namibia a vegetable garden helps combat malnutrition The arms trade is in direct competition with world development poverty should be the number one enemy in the world A change priorities is needed a Disarmament and Development Fund would be a major first step Arms sales should be reviewed avenues for resolution of conflict fully explored and aid increased True security lies in a world based on justice not on hunger and war ROGER JAMES area campaigns organiser Oxfam area office 62 Cotham Hill Bristol our moral SIR Your correspondent Dr Whitley (Western Gazette 27th June) maintains that by refusing to support wholehearted sanctions against South Africa we are losing our moral position in the world What an extraordinary statement It is immoral to resist the worldwide mania to destroy the only government in that country for many years which has taken successive steps to improve the well being of South Africans as a whole? Is it immoral to refuse to listen to the non-communist opposition who realise that the only beneficiary from sanctions will be the Soviet Union which is organising violence throughout the country as a prelude to a complete takeover of Southern Africa with the gradual extermination of the white population thereafter and the enslavement of the remainder? Is it to cause massive unemployment in this country as a stick to beat the Conservative Party at the next election? Is it to prevent the masses of black Africans from neighbouring Commonwealth countries from coming to South Africa to obtain work and to receive a better education? Do the supporters of sanctions really want to bludgeon the Botha government into submission and replace it with a right-wing regime which will reverse all the reforms already made merely to fall in line with the rest of the alleged noncommunist world much of which would be delighted to see Britain belittled politically and ruuned economically? Of course no-one approves of some of the repressive measures taken by the South African government when it is being battered from all quarters of the earth any more than one dislikes the non-jury trials of IRA terrorists but when governments are in this position they either have to capitulate to force or resist and the South Africans are not inclined to capitulate especially to a powerful adversary who is committed to world domination The pro-sanctions lobby would do well to observe that every single reform initiated by the Botha Government has been met with increased violence and the ANC has repeatedly stated that it will accept nothing short of one-man-one-vote which can be interpreted as an unconditional surrender of white rule Power-sharing in any form is not on their agenda If a foreign power (or powers) were to threaten Britain with sanctions unless it negotiated with the IRA it would quite rightly be told to mind its own business The position in South Africa is not dissimilar and the Pretoria government should be allowed to settle its own problems in its own way It might well be to its advantage to release Nelson Mandela unconditionally if the Kremlin were to allow it which is doubtful but to negotiate with the ANC would be dangerous in the extreme One only has to look at other examples in the past where has sooner or later led to complete surrender Vietnam peace talks went on for months until the United States was forced to give ground and accept a treaty which was wantonly abrogated when the last American had left Saigon Would Dr Whitley care to ask the Vietnamese boat people what they thought of freedom under communism? Would those Matabele folk whose relatives were butchered to death by government irregulars relish their freedom from white oppression? I doubt it The trauma of South Africa will not be resolved until the outside world is made aware of the effect of Soviet attempts to seize the valuable minerals in South Africa and Namibia together with outright control of the Cape route which would cripple the West economically especially here in Britain The British Government is in a difficult position being buffeted by the rest of the world to accept and support communism Its The new Sessions-house at Shaftesbury is entirely completed and is supposed by all who have seen it to be the most convenient for business of any in the county Bournemouth During the past week the weather has been very enjoyable and the steamboats have consequently been well patronised On Wednesday main hope of success is to persuade (and not cajole) the South African government to negotiate with noncommunist leaders including Chief Buthelezi who on the rare occasions when he has been mentioned in the Western media has displayed competent statesmanship and he is no slavish puppet of Pretoria If only the rest of the world would realise that the vast majority of black Africans are far more interested in earning a living for their families and dependants rather than supporting political violence there might be some light in the tunnel There is no such thing as under communism CLIVE BUCKMASTER Kerridge 2 Acreman Street Ceme Abbas In desperate need of reassurance SIR In spite of the best efforts of the United Kingdom Energy Authority and British Nuclear Fuels to convince the general public of the safety of our nuclear industry there is still grave concern about health effects both to employees of the industry and to the public Last week 250 delegates to the second national conference on the health effects of low-level radiation condemned the UK Derived Emergency Reference Levels as being based on out-dated public dose limits of five millisieverts a year The United States Environmental Protection Agency has enforced their limit for a public exposure to 025 msv a year one-twentieth of that in Great Britain The UKAE has revealed that such a revised reduction would damage commercial for the nuclear industry here It would have to close down for instance its old reactor at Winfrith The experimental reactors at Harwell would have in operating Certainly our other ageing Magnox type reactors present enough grave problems The disaster at Chernobyl has made it evident that we in this country are desperately in need of reassurance that no effort is being spared to protect the public against mere financial interest being the guiding principle in the running of the nuclear industry Only thorough investigations and assessments by disinterested scientists and environmentalists and complete openess about the results can begin to dispel public disquiet NANCY ORRELL 27 Wickfield Avenue Christchurch A medicinal wine? SIR Who was Surgeon Major-General Hinton St George? During a recent visit to Australia I came across a bottle of 1980 Cabernet Sauvignon from their Coonawarro Vineyard The label on the bottle said George' Vineyard was established early this century by Surgeon Major-General Hinton St Does anyone know who he was? BOWDITCH 2 Hinton Close Hinton St George Nr Yeovil Dogs and the public Sir Back to the vexatious problems to license dop or not? to raise the fees or Not? To have dog wardens or not? I feel one answer could derive from public realising that the family pet bitch does not need a litter glance down the column analyse the distribution and large cross bred animals needing homes and in every probability six to seven puppies Need I sav more? TONI BENTHAM-GREEN (Mrs) Auxiliary Secretary Sherborne RSPCA Williford House Hermitage Nr Dorchester Esperanto centenary SIR Next year is centenary year and I am preparing a series of articles for the Esperanto press about the history of the language in Britain I would be grateful to hear from any of your readers who have used Esperanto in the past for literary interest for tourism and for others who have learned the international language as a hobby Would your readers please write to me at 140 Holland Park Avenue London Wll 4UF? All letters will of course be acknowledged HILARY CHAPMAN historical advisor Experanto Centenary Committee jv space everything around being unusually calm Crewkerne The Volunteer Challenge Cup Many volunteers not only in Crewkerne but the neighbouring towns and villages will be glad to hear that at the monthly competition at Henley on Tuesday for the company Challenge Cup bugler Holman won the cup which now becomes his property he having won it three times in succession Poole Starlings appear to be unusually numerous on the South Coast this summer being driven southward possibly by the cold weather prevailing on the Northern and Eastern coasts These birds are particularly fond of mulberries and visit the gardens for the fruit in the autumn mulberry trees being very plentiful in gardens in the neighbourhood of Poole Rare chance to see fine chalk gardens WAS the tiny village of South Chard in Somerset responsible for the house church movement which now had nearly 100000 branches and throughout the country? Yes according to Dr Andrew Walker in an absorbing book the iHodder Stoughton £595) which traces the growth of the house churches Dr Walker who views the whole phenomena as an unbiased outsider says that in the 1960s the house church movement Chard and (groups pastored up country up Pastor Wally North) South Chard was founded by Sid Purse as early as the 1940s Sidney Purse was a member of the Open Brethren and when he began to speak in tongues this caused friction within his church So he and his wife who also claimed this experience began to hold meetings in their home By 1956 a church was open adjacent to their house and by the 1960s South Chard was reaching out nationally and internationally training and encouraging others to set up house churches with little evidence of empire Today says Andrew Walker South Chard is a shadow of its former self But the work it pioneered has spread in incredible fashion and with considerable evidence of Split followed split as leaders fell out or battled for supremacy and many top men have either left previous associates or within the main groups George Tarleton now living quietly in the New Forest believes the splits are will because will prevent a really large denomination being Tarleton a one-time house church apostle recognised nationally came out because the movement was losing its initial freedom letter was replacing the Spirit Institutionalsim was setting in A new denomination was being born This was really sad creative praise degenerated into a series of action replays when individuality was being strangled to death by submission when impressing became more important than expressing I knew it was time to leave Tarleton is now in the New Forest His telephone number is exdirectory His address unobtainable he says view of the world has changed" Gas facts revealed HUNDREDS of people took the opportunity to have a look at the hi-tec side of the modem gas industry when they were given conducted tours around Southern service and distribution depot at Weymouth The open day was part of the gas contribution to Industry Year TWO gardens in the beautiful Chalke Valley near Salisbury will be on display this Sunday Both are chalk gardens sometimes regarded as the poor relations to those on rare opportunity to visitors The Alvediston garden owes much to the skill and Swanage The summer season is attracting many visitors to Swanage and a large number of apartments are now filled The season promises on the whole to be a successful one (Extracts from our files on 2nd July 1886) greensand and acid soils but this need not be so as proved by Mr and Mrs Rodney Heath of The Manor Alve-diston and Lord and Lady Congleton at West End Farm Ebbesbourne Wake Opportunity Both are opening their gardens for the regional charity the Wessex Medical School Trust and as they are not normally open to the public Sunday will give a BRIGHTS OF NETTLEBED evening the Empress and Premier made excursions to Brownsea Island and the Lord Elgin to Totland Bay large numbers availing themselves of the opportunity to enjoy a cheap trip Castle Cary On Monday afternoon whilst Mr George Norman was working in a field near Arthur's Bridge his attention was arrested by observing a large quantity of hay suddenly whirled into the air and scattered in all directions The phenomena was confined to a small devotion of its recent owner the Countess of Avon Lord and Lady Congleton have made Ebbesbourne Wake their home since 1959 and are still developing their garden to the north of their 16th century farmhouse The Wessex Medical School Trust is based in Southampton General Hospital and supports the regional medical school serving Dorset Hampshire Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight 9400W Twin Tub SALE PRICE £19990 Features 3100 rpm spn speed variable heat settings wth boil-wash and unique Spiraclean no-tangie wash action 951 OW Auto SALE PRICE £23990 Features economy and quick wash sengs 800 500 rpm spm speeds WOOD ARVING AND FRENCH POLISHING DEMONSTRATIONS BY TWO OF OUR OWN CRAFTSMEN AT OUR SUMMER EXHIBITION ON SATURDAY 5TH JULY The Broughton Manor Collection of fine English Replica furniture is made in our own West Country workshops by a family of craftsmen spanning three generations The designs are taken from original pieces drawings and photographs which have been in our founder's family's possession for more than a century of dealing in fine furniture The BroughtorvMaoor furniture is displayed in our Nettfebed Berkeley Bournemouth Tops ham showrooms alongside over two million pounds stocks of 17th IKth century replica furniture in solid mahogany solid English oak walnut and marquetry by the country's other leading makers including Arthur Brett Titchmarsh and Goodwin and William Tillman MACHINES 9530W Auto SALE PRICE £29990 Features selectable spin (1000500 rpm) economy wash and half-load facilities 8630W 35 cuft 42 cuft SALE PRICE C25490 Features include an energy-saver switch in the freezer Fridge capacities are quoted first COMPETITORS in Zeals First School annual fete fancy dress competition portray cartoon characters They are Alex Frazier James Brown Claire Millington Simon Leadby Adam Leadby Hana Marsh Joseph Todd Melanie Mitchell Richard Todd David Marsh and Anthony Messer The fete organised by the Friends of Zeals School was in aid of the swimming pool fund Below: children eqjoying the frog racing game 189 193 OLD CHRISTCHURCH ROAD BOURNEMOITH DORSET Tel (0202) 293580 This summer Southern Electricity are offering some dazzling prices on these Hotpoint appliances And you get free delivery Pop into your nearest Southern Electricity shop now If you find that any of these Hotpoint appliances can be bought cheaper locally including delivery charges tell us before you buy and we ll match that price The WESTERN GAZETTE offer a highly professional LEAFLET DISTRIBUTION SERVICE Covering most of Dorset Somerset and East Devon on a blanket or highly selective basis 8550W 6 cuft 42 cuft SALE PRICE £29990 Features a drink-chiller energy-saver switch in freezer fast-freeze mains-on and temperature lights twin-compressors association planned 9540W Auto sale price £31 990 Features variable spm selector 1 000 500 rpm) heavy-soil and economy wash facilities and half load option For full information contact: Tapp Publications Manager Western Gazette Yeovil Telephone Yeovil 74551 Existing associations are already for ung dialogues with mjor suppliers and manufacturers to bring bigger and better offers to the local store In addition such associations can represent views and interests to the local authorities One of the first events that has been arranged nationally is the am a village campaign which will include advertising and coupon offers only redeemable in participating village stores The village stores has an important role to play and is only missed when the store closes generally through lack of support With training packages and advice available through the association this is the start of putting the stores back AFTER speeches by Peter Bindon CoSIRA's retail consultant for Somerset and Michael Harding CoSIRA's senior organiser a meeting at Horton Cross Hotel agreed that the establishment of a village association for South Somerset would be both a benefit to the shopkeeper and to the residents of the many villages who still have a village store Some models on display in larger shops only All otters subject to availability delivers better value i i.