letters In Brief

Sir: Duff Hart-Davis (Country Matters, 17 October) may feel that townspeople dislike the "hirsute, unkempt look" of set-aside farmland, but some of us appreciate that it provides a refuge for the invertebrates that cannot survive modern farming practices. If the invertebrates come back, so will the small mammals and birds that are so sadly missing from our modern, squeaky-clean, monoculture countryside.

W J PARTRIDGE

Redditch, Worcestershire

Sir: You note (leading article, 15 October) that the "spirit" zone in the Millennium Dome was "saved" by being funded by a Hindu businessman and not by a Christian body. In the light of the Church's three-year preparation for the Jubilee celebration of the 2000th anniversary (give or take four or six years) of the Incarnation, many Christians are putting their money and their energy into the cancellation of Third World debt. People created in the image of God are more valuable than buildings.

Sister MAURA

O'CARROLL SND

London SE1

Sir: In most companies, the majority of shares are held by pension funds, unit trusts and so on. The success or failure of the Neill committee's proposal that shareholders should vote on companies' political contributions will depend on how these shares are to vote. If the fund managers are allowed to wield the vote without consulting their pensioners or unit- holders, there will be virtually no change from the present system that allows a few people in the City to use other peoples' money to support their political predilections.

ERNEST RUDD

York