IMMIGRATION: AS politicians and businessmen know, every immigrant is a potential tax-payer and consumer, and should therefore be welcomed as a contributor to Britain's future economic growth and prosperity, and to the support of our growing army of pensioners.

So economic survival depends on endless population growth, a process which is clearly unsustainable, especially in a country of high population density like ours. Pressure on resources, such as space, is already raising problems, and these will inevitably increase with human numbers, posing the question: how big should our population be?

Leaving aside all views on race and ethnic origin, many people believe that it is too big already, and their fears are fuelled by the growing public suspicion that government has no grip on the situation, and immigration, legal and otherwise, is out of control.

By the time of the next general election, this will probably have replaced law and order as the dominant issue facing the rival parties. - Bob Jarratt, Caldwell.

WEAR VALLEY COUNCIL

I NOTE with interest your article 'Councillors vote for £40 pay increase' re Wear Valley District Council.

The Royal British Legion has been running a campaign to have war pensions fully disregarded for Council Tax purposes.

I have supported this campaign and have written to the council on many occasions on the matter.

Only two councils do not give more than the statutory £10 in the UK, one of these is Wear Valley. Most war pensioners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive the full concession.

When New Labour came into office, Tony Blair gave a speech stating "New Labour would make it a fairer country for all". Which country was he talking about? - E Roe, Bishop Auckland.

SO hard on the heels of Durham County Council's inflation busting increase in allowances for councillors comes Wear Valley.

The hypocrisy of doing this at a time when the council is asking its building workers to take a pay cut is astounding. The report (Echo, Sept 20) wrongly stated that the new basic payment of £4,508 would still be less than neighbouring councils.

In fact, of its neighbours, only Sedgefield pays more. Derwentside pays £4,276 and Teesdale pays only £2,718.

Strangely enough, Teesdale is the only one of the five councils mentioned that is not controlled by the Labour Party.

I wonder if, by any chance, the two matters are related? - Councillor Richard Bell, Eggleston.

LIONS

CAN you believe it. Even the king of the beasts is nearing extinction, so is it any wonder that conservationists despair over the planet?

There are now only 23,000 left compared to an estimated 200,000 in the early 1980s. As a consequence, the whole ecosystem on the Afro plains is in danger. You'll be familiar with the reason for this tragedy. Once again, it's mankind.

We cannot allow the grim destruction to continue unabated. How about an emergency fund to help predators in distress? Stronger anti-poaching patrols across Africa to protect the predator? Infra-red cameras to guard important predator habitat? And free compensation schemes to help farmers who have lost livestock?

World governments have millions to spend. We have to make sure that a tough new wildlife law gets introduced, soon. We may never have another chance to save these disappearing species.

The planet would certainly be a sadder place without them. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

EUROPE

T CONLON (HAS Sept 24) says that we cannot compete financially with the rest of the world.

So how does he explain that the UK has the fourth largest economy in the world? We are the largest foreign investor in the US. The UK has £1,900bn invested across the globe. We receive 40 per cent of the US and Japan's EU investment. I'd say we are competing very well without the straitjacket of the euro imposed upon us.

Of course, when we leave the EU and have the same freedoms as Norway and Switzerland (both of whom trade more per capita with the EU than we do, and have free trade agreements with the EU), we'll be able to compete far more freely in the 'big bad world' outside the EU.

It's the Anglo-American economic model of lower regulation and taxes, as well as our historical global trading links, that gives us economic success, not having 1960s style political and economic ideals imposed upon us. - Jamie Mash, UK Independence Party, Northallerton.

IRAQ

SOMETIMES when I wake up in the middle of the night I get up and watch the TV - it is amazing what is reported during the night and not during the daytime.

An American woman went to Iraq as a peace activist and after a massive bombing of Baghdad she came across a man who had just lost his wife and six children.

She tried to comfort the poor chap but somehow the US authorities found out what she was doing - now wait for the unbelievable outcome - she is to be prosecuted for giving succour to the enemy. Is it little wonder the Americans are hated by many Middle East countries?

I am sure the average US citizen will be appalled at this outrage but this Bush administration is really beneath contempt. - H Pender, Darlington.