Local talent: Letters, 9 January

The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Here you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.

 Letter of the Week:

On the very wet day on New Year's Eve, I visited Tauranga's best kept secret.

The place I refer to is The Cargo Shed in Dive Crescent.

I was very impressed with the wonderful craft by very clever local artists. Beautiful paintings and photography, the spinners and weavers with beautiful scarves and jerseys, a lady who has photographed local scenes and mounted on post cards and fridge magnets, a wonderful stand of jewellery made by a very talented young lady, beautiful crochet work by another lady.

I was most impressed with wood work made by a very talented man, plus many more stands.

Needless to say I have started my Christmas shopping for 2012.

All very modestly priced.

A friend told me about this place as I have never seen it advertised in any of our local publications.

I thought holidaymakers would have liked somewhere under cover to visit on a wet day. However it certainly wasn't a busy day on that day.

Some of the buses from the cruise ships stop there, but I think it is an ideal place to take visitors to town over the summer months.

Let's support our local talent.

J Higginson, Papamoa

Big bill for food

How many people know about the Food Bill which is being rushed through urgently?

This has been kept very quiet yet it has been in motion since before the elections and yet it wasn't mentioned once during the electioneering.

Why the silence?

This bill is going to take away yet more freedom of choice from people and the more sinister aspects of it by disallowing the saving of our own seeds and having no choice but to buy the GM seeds of Monsanto.

It is going to have great impact on farmers markets, heritage seeds and plants, small stall holders and small growers.

It comes under the guise of "Food Safety", (weird how we survived this far without these laws isn't it?). This is another example of control and the taking away of our rights, choices and being responsible for our own consequences.

The penalty of getting caught selling a bit of produce to someone willing to buy it is draconian.

A Google search under "NZ Food Bill" will educate those who have no idea of what is about to become law if this isn't opposed.

We already have health inspectors doing a fine job, so no excuse there.

A Taylor, Tauranga

Warning system

In Interlaken, Switzerland they have sudden terrible storms that tear down the valleys bringing torrents of rain and gale force winds. As a consequence, to keep the boat and yachts safe on the lake, they have set up a flashing light system - green, orange and red, and overlapping sirens all around the lake shore to warn the unsuspecting to immediately get back to a safe harbour.

There is no reason why we couldn't do this on both the inner harbour and the coastline.

It wouldn't take an Einstein to set it up within a week.

It's not rocket science, it works.

D Anderson, Matua