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In this issue \ Secret s of open government if they keep quiet about 64 Thing s that go pump in th e night by Graham Searle and when 41 Chrysle r buy s Leiceste r by Gerald Foley is it 47 Ope n government or open contempt ? by Robert Alle n Cultur e matters most two articles illustrating this important theme: 50 Technolog y v . nature by Henryk Skolimowski technology is more a modern metaphysics than a mess of machines 56 China' s wa y with wast e by Orville Schell the culture factor makes all the difference to pollution problems Plu s 61 Is ecology elitist? by David Pearce 43 Bio-Strath may be good for you by Peter Bunyard 47 Comment Environmental legal aid Will vegetarians inherit the earth ? Polychickens 49 Gremlin 66 Down to earth Rat-a-tat-tat, open up, it's VAT ! 68 Demo-technology Alternative heating trial nears completion 69 Towards a unified science Subjective classifications 71 Friends of the Earth 72 Books 75 Letters 79 Coming events 55 In our next issue Editor: E. R. D. Goldsmith; Deputy Editor: Robert Allen; Managing Editor: Michael Allaby; Associate editors: Peter Bunyard, John Davoll, Jimoh Omo Fadaka, Gerald Foley, Lawrence D. Hills, Brian Johnson, S. G. Lawrence, Jean Liedloff, Andrew MacKillop, Charles Maclean, John Papworth, Graham Searle, Robert Waller. Editorial copy and enquiries should be sent to The Editor, The Ecologist, "Catesby", Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall. Telephone Wadebridge 2996/7. Advertising enquiries should be sent to 69 Kew Green, Richmond, Surrey. Telephone 01 -948 0690. Published by Ecosystems Ltd., registered office " Catesby", Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall, and distributed by the Hachette Group, Continental Publishers and Distributors Ltd., 4 Regent Place, London W1 R 6BH ; Telephone: 01 -734 5259; Telegrams: Alibrairi London W1 ; Telex 25114. Subscriptions to: The Ecologist, "Catesby", Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall. Printed by The Garden City Press Ltd., Pixmore Avenue, Letchworth, Hertfordshire SG6 US. © The Ecologist, February 1973 / Chrysler buys Leicester, from page 41 tural use, that the runways were 118 feet deep in solid concrete, that Chryslers would bring work to the area or that there was no other use for the large hangar. Al l are untrue. A smell not entirely of compost I t is when we move up the scale of local government that the air begins to smell not entirely of rural compost. The Lutterworth Rural District Council for reasons close to its collective chest is thoroughly, indeed sycophantically in favour of the Chrysler scheme. This may be a case of simple loyalty to those few farmers who stand to gain from the vehicle testing proposals because they will be allowed to rent some of the land not needed at advantageous rents. Or indeed i t may be some more metaphysical perception of the community's long-term interest. And the higher we go the deeper the mystery. Leicestershire County Council rejected an earlier application by Chrysler to rent the airfield for the same purpose, on the reasonable grounds that the proposal would contravene the County Plan, introduce industry into a rural area, and cause undue traffic in the surrounding villages. When the proposal was to buy the land these objections vanished. But a man who wanted to use the hangar as a hosiery factory—Leicestershire has a long tradition in the craft—and thereby create local jobs, and restore the rest of the land including the runways to agricultural use—this can be done at a profit by selling the broken concrete for road aggregate—had his application turned down. The grounds for the rejection were that it was contrary to the county development plan, would introduce industry into a rural area and cause undue traffic in the adjoining villages. Right at the top is the Ministry of Defence. Their normal policy when disposing of land surplus to their requirements is to do so by tender or public auction, except in circumstances where i t is clearly in the interests of the public not to do so. Their interpretation of the public interest is hard to follow. No other use appears to have been considered. Other applications to be allowed to tender were turned down. What is good for Chryslers is good for Bruntingthorpe. Even the price cannot be divulged.

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In this issue

\

Secret s of open government if they keep quiet about 64 Thing s that go pump in th e night by Graham Searle and when 41 Chrysle r buy s Leiceste r by Gerald Foley is it 47 Ope n government or open contempt ?

by Robert Alle n

Cultur e matters most two articles illustrating this important theme: 50 Technolog y v . nature by Henryk Skolimowski technology is more a modern metaphysics than a mess of machines

56 China' s wa y with wast e by Orville Schell the culture factor makes all the difference to pollution problems

Plu s 61 Is ecology elitist? by David Pearce 43 Bio-Strath may be good for you by Peter Bunyard 47 Comment Environmental legal aid Will vegetarians inherit the earth ? Polychickens 49 Gremlin 66 Down to earth Rat-a-tat-tat, open up, it's VAT ! 68 Demo-technology Alternative heating trial nears completion 69 Towards a unified science Subjective classifications 71 Friends of the Earth 72 Books 75 Letters 79 Coming events 55 In our next issue

Editor: E. R. D. Goldsmith; Deputy Editor: Robert Allen; Managing Editor: Michael Allaby; Associate editors: Peter Bunyard, John Davoll, Jimoh Omo Fadaka, Gerald Foley, Lawrence D. Hills, Brian Johnson, S. G. Lawrence, Jean Liedloff, Andrew MacKillop, Charles Maclean, John Papworth, Graham Searle, Robert Waller. Editorial copy and enquiries should be sent to The Editor, The Ecologist, "Catesby", Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall. Telephone Wadebridge 2996/7. Advertising enquiries should be sent to 69 Kew Green, Richmond, Surrey. Telephone 01 -948 0690. Published by Ecosystems Ltd., registered office " Catesby", Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall, and distributed by the Hachette Group, Continental Publishers and Distributors Ltd., 4 Regent Place, London W1 R 6BH ; Telephone: 01 -734 5259; Telegrams: Alibrairi London W1 ; Telex 25114. Subscriptions to: The Ecologist, "Catesby", Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall. Printed by The Garden City Press Ltd., Pixmore Avenue, Letchworth, Hertfordshire SG6 US.

© The Ecologist, February 1973

/

Chrysler buys Leicester, from page 41 tural use, that the runways were 118 feet deep in solid concrete, that Chryslers would bring work to the area or that there was no other use for the large hangar. Al l are untrue.

A smell not entirely of compost I t is when we move up the scale of local government that the air begins to smell not entirely of rural compost. The Lutterworth Rural District Council for reasons close to its collective chest is thoroughly, indeed sycophantically in favour of the Chrysler scheme. This may be a case of simple loyalty to those few farmers who stand to gain from the vehicle testing proposals because they will be allowed to rent some of the land not needed at advantageous rents. Or indeed i t may be some more metaphysical perception of the community's long-term interest.

And the higher we go the deeper the mystery. Leicestershire County Council rejected an earlier application by Chrysler to rent the airfield for the same purpose, on the reasonable grounds that the proposal would contravene the County Plan, introduce industry into a rural area, and cause undue traffic in the surrounding villages. When the proposal was to buy the land these objections vanished. But a man who wanted to use the hangar as a hosiery factory—Leicestershire has a long tradition in the craft—and thereby create local jobs, and restore the rest of the land including the runways to agricultural use—this can be done at a profit by selling the broken concrete for road aggregate—had his application turned down. The grounds for the rejection were that it was contrary to the county development plan, would introduce industry into a rural area and cause undue traffic in the adjoining villages.

Right at the top is the Ministry of Defence. Their normal policy when disposing of land surplus to their requirements is to do so by tender or public auction, except in circumstances where i t is clearly in the interests of the public not to do so. Their interpretation of the public interest is hard to follow. No other use appears to have been considered. Other applications to be allowed to tender were turned down. What is good for Chryslers is good for Bruntingthorpe. Even the price cannot be divulged.

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