Letter: Funding opera

Sir: Whatever the management failings of the Royal Opera House and however unjustifiably extravagant some of its recent productions have been, the Royal Opera and Ballet and the English National Opera are major contributors to London's standing as one of the great musical centres of the world. As such they are substantial contributors to our international tourist industry, despite getting less than half the subsidies that most continental companies receive.

In industry, if the management of a company with an internationally famous products falls down on the job, it is sacked and a new one brought in to restore the company's fortunes. Chris Smith appears to prefer to keep the management and damage the business.

JOHN SAFFORD

Richmond, Surrey