ACCORDING to a former oil man, increasing demand for fuel, partly due to industrialising nations, will push up demand for oil from the present 29 billion barrels a year to 43 billion barrels by 2025. He says that there is no way the oil industry can produce this amount! Also, we have to realise that a large proportion of our oil comes from unstable nations. It is imperative, therefore, that we put alternative transport arrangements in place as a matter of urgency. Given that a horse can pull only one ton on the road but eight tons on rail, it is puzzling why in this congested country we put most of our transport resources onto the least efficient method, and why Mr Kirkpatrick (Letters May 25) persists in supporting ever increasing car usage. Even if he enjoys driving into Plymouth there are those who are not able to do so, or do not want the hassle. Restoring the Tavistock-Plymouth rail link makes sense. A cross-country train of 300 passengers could take some 200 people or four to five buses off the road. Is a subsidy for the common good as unreasonable as he suggests, or is Mr Kirkpatrick really saying that the rest of us should accept being held in bondage to the selfish, polluting, road congesting car worshippers? Terence Scarborough 1 Uplands Tavistock
