The intelligence of Launceston and regional customers is not being given due consideration by the Launceston council, its aldermen and Chamber of Commerce.

On a recent visit to Launceston’s refurbished Kmart, blind Freddy would understand why the CBD is losing patronage.

Kmart is addressing people’s requirements, namely free parking and a variety of merchandise to meet their needs.

The capital expenditure expended at Kmart is to be commended and customers are supporting the initiative that has been made by its directors.

The last Jewish traders in the city the late Messrs Harry Joseph and Sim Crawcour, the latter being a former alderman, always recognised Launceston was a big country town and reliant on its greater Launceston and country municipalities.

This seems to be lost on our current civic leaders and the need to attract customers to the CBD.

The chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce would be aware the sales revenue of Kmart goes out of the state, a small amount is retained by local suppliers and in wages to staff.

The chamber in my time did not always agree with the council or port authority, but stood up for the needs of its members and general public.

Brian P. Khan, Bridport.

A QUICK look through the list of unpaid fines amazes me that company names have not been attended to by the department.

From Melbourne addresses to those in England, they are readily recognisable, even without the town/city name shown, which should be held by the department and published if the state government is serious in recovering these outstanding debts.

With the amount of data now readily available through the state and commonwealth areas, I fail to see how and why so many of these names cannot be located.

Is it yet again a case of the department not having access to much of the data, and failing to issue legal documents in order to recover these huge outstanding amounts?

How about retaining the services of a bounty hunter, provide that person with the correct and full authority and pay a percentage of any successfully recovered debt to the person of 15 per cent. 

The state department officers yet again show they are unable to recover these debts.

F. Deane, Evandale.

MIKE Seward’s in-depth analysis of the negative aspects the Tamar Lake proposal may have on the Tamar Estuary, if the project goes ahead, are succinct and much appreciated (Letters, The Examiner, April 17). 

The “lake" proposal has been floating around for quite some time now and subject to considerable debate and discussion, with some for and some against, but the simplest most effective strategy to solving the Tamar’s current environmental dilemma, in addition to modernising Launceston’s archaic and totally inadequate sewage infrastructure, is to restore, or simulate, historic natural South Esk River flows through the Cataract Gorge into the river’s upper reaches.

These historic Gorge flows have been seriously curtailed for well over 60 years and the lack of a good natural river flow is the single biggest contributor to the tragic demise of the Tamar.

Significantly increasing Gorge flow could easily be achieved, while still generating hydro power, with the installation of a modern high tech state of the art turbine utilising the flow valves located at the base of Trevallyn Dam resulting in a win-win for everyone including Hydro Tasmania.

Jim Collier, Legana.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull feels that for political rather than moralistic reasons the banking royal commission should have been established much earlier.

This will be of great comfort to those who have either been cheated during this delay or their plight extended.

A. Carter, Mowbray.

IT IS a far flung hope to one day see just a little unity and cooperation between our elected members in our Parliament.

Surely as unity as Launceston independent MLC Rosemary Armitage (Letters, The Examiner, April 23) suggests the benefits that could be achieved are endless.

Please just listen to what the voters of Tasmania are saying. Stop all this “crisis crisis”, it’s just getting us nowhere.

Throw your differences aside and work together for the state. Tasmanians just might start saying we have the best and hardest working politicians in the country.

David Parker, West Launceston.

LEAVE the Elphin Road and Lyttleton Street as it is. 

Just reduce the speed limit along Elphin Road and put in speed humps.

As for Invermay, construct a third bridge across the North Esk possibly connecting St John Street to Holbrook Street.

A roadway joining Lindsay and Foster streets around the Bunnings complex. Get it right the first time or it will be more complicated.

K. Nunn, Newnham.

AMERICAN Playboy magazine just published a telling interview with Planned Parenthood chief executive officer Cecile Richards. 

She defends her rabid pro-abortion position by saying "there is no specific moment when human life begins". 

Doesn't this tell us that each and every abortion could well be the deliberate taking of an innocent life and doesn't PP Australia follow in lock step?

Jack Sonnemann, Lucaston.