SIR - Listening to the news recently, I was surprised to hear that smacking a disobedient child was illegal. What nonsense.

In the Thirties, Forties and Fifties, insolence from a child called for a severe reprimand, or a smack on a bare leg.

Spare the rod and spoil the child is still the right way to bring up children. A child who grows up with the idea that he or she can do as they like will probably be in the hands of the police and even jail before long.

Discipline is a must, especially in these times. If one wants their child to grow up insolent, abusive and violent, don't smack them.

On the other hand, if one wants their child to be obedient, thoughtful to others, smack them at the time of their disobedience and not half an hour later.

Even animals chastise their offspring with a little nip of pain to teach them to behave.

Bill Hudson, Woodvale Close, Tyersal

SIR - May I take this opportunity to thank all the generous people who helped us to raise £402.24 at our recent street collection in Bradford.

We could not do this without them, and our gratitude is boundless, also to the collectors who toiled all day until they could stand not one moment longer.

Our next meeting takes place on Tuesday, May 13, at 2pm in the CVS offices at 25 Sunbridge Road. Everyone is welcome. Please come along and see how you can help. If anyone would like further information about the work of the Arthritis Research Campaign, please do not hesitate to call me on (01943) 872067 at any time.

Miss Elizabeth M Holbrook, Bradford branch secretary, ARC, Bradford Road, Menston.

SIR - We at the local forum who witnessed with great interest the previous differences of opinion on your Letters page regarding the blood sports situation will be watching with great interest again the response to Trevor Williams Berry's letter of May 3 regarding "fish feel pain" to see what the sad plonkers of the Interference Party have to say in reply.

It will surely take some deep thinking for the IP (as he called it) to get out of this one.

Please keep it going as it is the topic of conversation at our meetings as was the previous one regarding "Hunting with dogs." Well done T&A.

Alan Benson, St Paul's Avenue, Bradford 6.

SIR - I would like to point out that Cliffe Street, Keighley (next to Devonshire Park) has poles fitted in one part of the street so that vehicles do not mount the pavement next to the park where children are playing.

However, some motorists have taken no note of this and now access the pavement from the top or bottom entrances of the street. If these motorists had any sense then they would not race up and down a pavement where children enter the park.

Shahzad Hussain, Cliffe Street, Keighley.

SIR - The news that Bradford's Odeon cinema is back up for sale is, I suppose, sort of good news - that's if it is sold at auction.

Ideally, many people would like to see the building restored and converted into a new concert venue, but I really don't think that will happen.

But what I urge the new owners to do is at least save the two landmark domes, which could be incorporated into a new building, with a nice glass frontage perhaps?

Fingers crossed that the building is sold, and the site tastefully redeveloped into something that will complement the Alhambra and West End.

Jack MacPherson, Killinghall Road, Bradford 3.

SIR - After recent pressure on the Government by the BMA to ban smoking in all public places and the ludicrous health warnings on tobacco and cigarette packets (which will shortly need to be as large as cornflake boxes), let me say this to the health Nazis: if smoking and drinking and eating what I like knock 15 years off my life, I will be eternally grateful for sparing me the ultimate misery of impotent and ugly old age!

Alan Holdsworth, Chippendale Court, Menston.