IN REPLY to Peter Johnston's recent fanciful anti-smacking letter, attempting to dismiss the sensible and logical views of G Pollitt, Brian Derbyshire and many other knowledgable correspondents to the Bolton Evening News who support a return to a more disciplined approach in combating current serious youthful misbehaviour.

I cannot believe Mr Johnston seriously advocates it sensible to spend more than £1million locally to combat truancy (unless of course he is one of the social workers on the receiving end of the cash). Full attendance at school up to the 1950s was assured by the headmaster's 30p cane.

He also fails to understand that, at both home and school, corporal punishment can be applied over a wide range of severity to suit the crime. I can only believe the caning applied to himself, which failed to alter his behaviour, must have been quite wild for some trivial offence.

I can assure him, from my experience in the 1940s, our headmaster would have been most definitely able to alter his behaviour, whatever the crime!

In the era of Manchester Chief Constable Jerome Caminada, which Mr Johnston quotes, I think he will find the chief was greatly assisted in his perceived success at reducing crime in the 1890s by a substantial number of birchings applied to youthful offenders. This was a far greater deterrent than any form of "police cunning and skilled use of resources" as quoted.

At the last NOP survey, the use of corporal punishment was supported by over 85 per cent of parents (and of course it is only parents' opinions that matter on this subject).

No matter how many times the anti-discipline brigade repeat their glaring untruths, "It didn't work then and it won't work now" scenario -- everybody over the age of 30 knows quite well that it did.

Perhaps in his wisdom Mr Johnston would like to explain why, when caning was abolished in Bolton community boys' homes, they immediately became unmanageable and out of control, causing their quick demise.

All we hear now is that there is nowhere to send young delinquents. No wonder people are sadly looking at another political party to solve the problems.

The naive and irresponsible do-gooders, without any solutions of their own to offer, are driving this country to destruction.

Surely it is not too late to "reinstate the mythological golden age" quoted by, and sneered at, by Mr Johnston in his letter?

G Granville

Bolton