letters to the editor . subways preferred to baths . Sir , - your correspondent S Armitage quotes a figure of nearly 5,000 people drowned in and around Britain in 1960 . I know nothing of the accuracy of these figures , although Saturday &apos;s echo mentions a figure of 4,000 every year . the point I wish to make is that all these casualties did not occur among the non-swimming members of our population . in fact , I venture to suggest it is probable that the greater proportion of these unfortunate people could swim and in fact might not have been drowned had they been non-swimmers . it is so often the swimmer that ventures out , gets into difficulties and is rescued , if there is time . non-swimmers are content to paddle , sun-bathe and splash about generally at the seaside and very rarely I think enter rivers . I do not believe that a sufficiency of baths throughout Britain would make the slightest difference to the numbers that flock to our rivers and coasts during the summer months . it would be an excellent thing if everyone could swim it is true , but not everyone has either the desire or inclination to do so . then again so many people much prefer the sea or river to the baths . having learned to swim in the sea , I am one of the latter , much preferring the fresh sea breeze to the heavy chlorinated odour of the municipal swimming bath . if the council wish to spend our money and gain the thanks of everyone , by benefiting everyone as they should , then let them set about providing the town with the much-needed safe road crossings we so urgently require : these could be subways and so would allow a smooth flow of traffic on our main thoroughfares . one in the Prom would be sufficient to solve that immediate problem , and I would suggest two for the High-street . this would be of real benefit to motorist and pedestrian , and not least for the elderly . it is astonishing that we should have one subway already at Pittville Park - how much more useful it would be under the High-street ! but no doubt it has saved some child &apos;s life being where it is . in the interim period let us have pedestrian crossings with automatic light signals giving cross now instruction . D C Wride . Prestbury-road , Cheltenham . Spurs and the double . Sir , - with only a few weeks of the present soccer season left chief interest in sporting circles is , can Tottenham Hotspurs , undoubtedly the best team in Great Britain today , pull off the league and cup double , last performed in 1897 by those famous cup fighters Aston Villa , and eight years previously in 1889 by Preston North End ? with regard to the league title the &apos;Spurs appear to be in an almost unassailable position ; in fact it will be the surprise of the century , if they fail to finish on top . the only possible danger comes from Sheffield Wednesday . regarding the cup , there must be great excitement going on at Roker Park where next Saturday Tottenham and Sunderland will fight it out in the semi-final . &apos;Spurs have an extremely tough task here . in conclusion , it is interesting to note that Sheffield Utd and Sunderland , both second division , also have possible double chances . Bert Williams , 5 , Albany-road , Tivoli , Cheltenham . chain letter hoax . Sir , - it has been brought to my attention yet again that there are numerous chain letters in circulation in Cheltenham purporting to have the support of the national savings movement and a well-known national bank . I would like to inform your readers , through your columns , that these chain letters are illegal and are , in fact , a complete hoax . they do not have the backing of either the national savings movement or the national bank which is purported to be trustee for the funds . I suggest that the best way of breaking the chain is simply to destroy the letter when it is received . J C Nicholls , Hon Secretary , local national savings committee , manager , trustee savings bank . tribute to the late J W O Pope . Sir , - as a writer of tributes to departed good people of this town , I think our press has paid a great and moving tribute to this tireless citizen . all I can say is that Norwich lost a great man of socialist principles in the name of Keir-Hardie ; Glasgow in the name of Jimmy Maxton ; and now Cheltenham has lost a good man with these same principles . F G Short ( late Secretary I.L party ) , 27 , Bath-parade , Cheltenham . letters to the editor . people want what is reasonable . Sir , - as a member of the spoon-fed generation who regularly reads your letters , I have often been tempted to write in reply to some of the ridiculous complaints that are voiced in your columns . after reading free trader &apos;s latest example , I could refrain no longer . if one follows his argument that only swimmers should pay for a new swimming bath , surely only readers should pay for a library , only walkers for a park , and only music-lovers for a town hall . what the swimmers are asking for is not a free service , as they are quite prepared to meet its annual cost by paying a reasonable entrance fee , but somewhere where they have good facilities for enjoying themselves and for teaching their children to swim ( as , despite free trader &apos;s statement that only swimmers and learners drown , children have been known to fall in the water ) . even if he is wealthy enough not to require any public forms of entertainment or amusement , surely he can not begrudge them to people less fortunate than himself . surely we have only a little while to wait before he suggests that old people should save enough to retire on without needing pensions , and Mrs O&apos;Gorman decides it would be better to do away with the council altogether and let her run Cheltenham . spoon-fed . deterring rates . Sir , - the statement that 5,000 deaths ( since amended to 4,000 ) in and around Britain in 1960 were due to drowning rather fails as an argument for a new super swimming bath when it is estimated that more than half of these people could already swim . no one wanting to learn to swim in Cheltenham is prevented . I hear that there are ten swimming baths in the town , the two municipally-owned ones losing money in the running . other towns seem to manage to build baths reasonably , e.g Worcester &amp;pound;30,000 , Norwich &amp;pound;130,000 . why does Cheltenham need &amp;pound;230,000 , when there is no hope of running it , except at heavy loss ? with the heavy expenditure on new rating , plus a new street costing &amp;pound;1,000,000 , the cost of the pump room , new municipal offices , and so on , the eventual rates are likely to deter people from coming to live in the town , as they would probably be influenced more by excessively high rates than by the fact that there was a luxury swimming bath for use in winter . Alderman Lipson observed that the council is apt to recommend new projects without counting the cost . we are entitled to doubt the assertion that it is not practicable to cover and heat the Sandford bath . has this really been investigated by impartial experts ? ratepayer . fox &apos;s instinct . Sir , - I can tell Mrs Shill why the fox flees the hounds when it does not fear the kill . the answer lies in instinct . a fox is cunning , whether hunting or being hunted , but when pushed out into the open , being a wild animal it naturally seeks refuge in flight . a fox is only afraid when death seems imminent . the English foxhound has made , and still is making , its mark in all five continents , while beagling becomes increasingly popular , especially in the U.S.A . nature-lover . Mondays for shop workers . Sir , - it is all very well for Canuck to suggest that there is no need for closing days at all for shops . apart from the inconvenience of haphazard half-days , has he considered the extra staff required to work this system and maintain efficient service , the small trader being the worst affected ? Saturday afternoon or all day Wednesday closing has been suggested . this is not the complete answer . Saturdays for industrial workers and civil servants . why not Mondays for shop-workers ? flatfeet . letters to the editor . land-workers want fair deal . Sir , - landworkers &apos; wages and conditions should be better , especially the minimum wage , which should be in the &amp;pound;10 10 s region . quite a lot of the workers get about the minimum wage , which is &amp;pound;8 9 s a week , with no overtime allowed . this does not leave much to live on after insurance , tax , rent and so on have been paid . there are no canteen facilities , no free or helped-by-cash transport , and the landworker is out in all winds and weathers . why should the landworker be the Cinderella of jobs ? conditions for factory workers and other trades have greatly improved , so why not for the landworker ? let us see the landworkers &apos; minimum wage and that of all low paid workers more in the region of &amp;pound;10 10 s , bringing them more in line with industrial wages . why should not &amp;pound;10 10 s go tax-free and have 1 s prescriptions , and the same for widows and pensioners ? I have heard it said by younger men who have left the land that if the landworker &apos;s wage was &amp;pound;10 10 s a week they would return to the land . so let us see them get a fair and square deal . they deserve it . landworker &apos;s wife . Glos . Montpellier caryatides . Sir , - I have lived practically all my life in Cheltenham , but not until recently did I discover that the caryatides of Montpellier-walk - the armless walk - were not all cast in the same mould ! most , indeed , are identical , but several have a marked essential difference from the rest ; I wonder if other readers are aware of the nature of this discrepancy ? I may add that my attention was drawn to the above by a friend who hoped to make an easy shilling by offering to bet on it ; he was quite right . Coeur de Lion . devotion to patients . Sir , - my wife was recently admitted to St Paul &apos;s Hospital , for an operation of a serious nature , which was carried out with confidence and extreme skill , to a successful conclusion , and ultimate discharge . in the painstaking care , attention , and devotion to their patients , the sisters and nurses were truly wonderful , and did much to relieve any fears and also assist in every way possible to speed complete recovery . during visits to my wife , I was able to note the human and personal relationship between nurses and patient ; and this , developing into a close understanding , materially assists the ailing and sick along the road to recovery . it is a pity these kindly people , with their quiet , unassuming understanding and professional experience , are not more appreciated , for without these qualities we are indeed lost . may the surgeons ever be directed by divine skill in their operations , and the sisters and nurses retain their refreshing charm and efficiency under the continual strain and shortage of these splendid people . C N Brooks , 76 Milton-road , St Mark &apos;s . policy of masterly inactivity . Sir , - might I respectfully suggest to the Town council that , irrespective of the outcome of the public inquiry now proceeding on the development plan , unless they can come up with some scheme to relieve the appalling traffic congestion , they should adopt a policy of masterly inactivity . in other words , they should carry on as they have been doing for the last 10 years until some bright spark among them ( we hope ) can think up something useful . otherwise there can be no possible excuse for further spending of ratepayers &apos; hard-earned money . J A Whitaker . Alveston House , St Annes-road , Cheltenham . N.H festival record likely . Sir , - as the national hunt festival meeting approaches , it is only natural that the sporting public hope that there will be no change in the unusual mild weather . it is hoped that any late sudden snap will stay away sufficiently long enough for the three-day popular festival . if the spring-like weather continues a new record is likely to be set up for attendances . 