I write further to Dennis Mould’s letter of May 28.

When I was a boy in the 1930s, public conveniences had coin operated doors. You put a penny (1d) in the slot and the door unlocked to let you in.

There were 240 pennies (pence) to the pound, which has since then been hugely degraded by inflation. A penny of that time would be something in excess of 50 pence in today's money. It was a valuable piece of bronze, while today's new penny is a little bit of copper plated iron that you can pick up with a magnet, and nobody wants.

I have looked on the internet and see that coin operated locks were introduced in 1890. I have no idea of the total measure of inflation since then. It seems clear to me that it would not be unreasonable to have to put one of our new 1-pound coins in a slot for access. Urinals could remain free. If people paid to use the toilet, we could have more of them.

We need to get away from the present-day nonsense of everything being paid for by the tax payer. Taxes are very expensive to collect, and civil servants are expensive distributors of largesse.

The market price of service needs to rule.

Car parking is another example. Weymouth is a popular little peninsula with tourism an important trade. Residents have to be prepared to occupy parking spaces long enough to do a bit of business and then make way for a holiday maker, ready and willing to pay a market price for a parking space. Residents gain from tourist’s payment.

R Bratt
Old Castle Road,
Weymouth