I WRITE to express my delight in hearing from your previous edition, that the £2-a-day parking charge recently introduced in Tavistock has boosted local trade significantly. This is clearly a good strategy that should have a positive impact on the prosperity of the town in the long term. I am, however, rather disturbed by the way that tickets are being sold and dispensed by the new machines. Is it really necessary to have to enter the full registration details of one's vehicle? This requirement has presumably been introduced to prevent those purchasing a ticket from passing it on to other motorists when leaving. My personal view is that this is a rather mean and questionable measure as it deliberately prevents random acts of kindness. Sadly we live in an increasingly avaricious and self-centred society. One's day is only occasionally brightened by, for instance, a complete stranger offering a partially used parking ticket without seeking any sort of remuneration beyond a word of thanks and a smile. As a caring community, should we really be going out of our way to deliberately prevent such acts of goodwill in the cause of financial gain? Pursuing a completely different and almost opposing theme, however, it has been pointed out that many tickets are discarded by their purchasers before they drive away. They can be found lying about contributing to the volume of litter in gutters and hedges. Could the offending litter louts not be traced via the car registration numbers printed on the tickets? Are the police and local authorities sufficiently interested in pursuing such offenders under the 1983 Litter Act to take such action? I simple offer these items as food for thought. Any further comments would be gratefully received. Steve Hipsey Tavistock