Several years ago our local pharmacist paid an eye-watering sum for a collection of local historic photos which could easily have left Whanganui. And then she promptly donated them to the museum.
That is the sort of magnanimous gesture that Countdown's capitalist imperative does not encourage.
I am disappointed to see the supermarket chain's move and will continue to patronise my local pharmacy.
I D Ferguson
Great North Rd
Keep it local
The scenarios presented in Nick Pyle's letter (Chronicle, November 1) seem dramatic and, to many folk, probably overstated.
However, I believe the substance of his statements to be a cogent and vitally relevant expression of the concern humanity should derive from the "climate change" phenomenon that is increasingly affecting the future.
Over the past two to three decades, we peasants have been brow beaten into accepting as inviolate the benefits of globalisation.
The most significant factor contributing to humanity's increasing discomfort must be massive global over-population - already, I believe, beyond what an international effort could manage to engineer a "decent and sustainable" lifestyle for every citizen and species on Earth.
Those we have allowed to now control our world's affairs - people and businesses occupied with manufacturing, trade, marketing, finance and/or politics on a global stage - are the logical power brokers to whom the minor players should be able to look to for leadership toward a sustainable life for all.
This will not happen. The globalist mantra of "profit before all else" relies for that profit on expanding markets and, ultimately, the only way to ensure that market when everyone has bought everything they could possibly need, is to create more consumers.
Can you and I do anything? I avoid buying products not grown/manufactured in New Zealand, if possible.
I recycle, re-use, repair and buy secondhand "stuff", which means that most of the income others can derive from my financial activity stays in Whanganui.
John Thurlow
Pitangi
Property values
As any homeowner knows, an increase in their property value is followed by an increase in the rate demands from the local council.
Now, courtesy of a report (Chronicle, November 2), an issuer of increased property valuations for the Whanganui district has, for the first time I am aware of, pointed out that "... the valuation growth is only 'on paper' until the property is sold".
Therefore, council employees please note that any increased value in my property is not effective until the sale of my property and is not triggered by the sale of another property in the same suburb. So I believe there is no justification for the Whanganui District Council to increase the size of their rate demand until a new owner has taken occupancy.
V W Ballance
Westmere
Biased reporting
Chronicle columnist Rachel Rose attempted to discuss some problems in the news media last Saturday.
She rightly pointed to some of the overblown language used and what is often a preponderance of opinion over facts.
She failed to point to the behaviour of many in the media, particularly in the United States, who have replaced journalistic reporting of the news with partisan political campaigning.
When we look at the television news, pick up a newspaper or look at online news, we are not particularly interested in whether the journalists like or dislike the people they are reporting on. We are interested in the facts - the balanced, unbiased reporting of the news.
Okay, we get it - many people in the media do not like US President Donald Trump. We get their dislike stuffed down our throats at every possible opportunity, while the facts of the news are twisted or simply unreported.
K A Benfell
Gonville - Edited
