What do you think of the building grading system? It has been revealed that some graded buildings will still be demolished despite the fact that they are regarded as having heritage value ('Four historic buildings face demolition risk', April 11). Graded buildings in Hong Kong are not protected by law. Only 'buildings declared as monuments enjoy legal protection from demolition'. What exactly is the point of declaring that certain buildings have heritage value worth preservation for the sake of the city, but then not granting them protection under the law? There is a growing trend for smart developers to target such graded buildings. They see these buildings as opportunities for lucrative negotiations with the government, usually at a time when public pressure is forcing officials to improve their protection efforts. If the current law is not effective, surely our legislators should seek to amend it. Is it not negligence on the part of the government and our lawmakers, if some of our precious heritage is eventually destroyed? We do not want to see a repeat of the Star Ferry pier and 'Wedding Card' Street sagas. The government must make progress with regard to its heritage protection policies and the process must be transparent. H. C. Bee, Kowloon Tong How can the use of electric cars be promoted? Ueli Tschupp-Lambert resorts to exaggeration in an attempt to make Discovery Bay a testing ground for electric vehicles (Talkback, April 10). The writer claims that golf carts, used by a very small minority, are extreme pollutants ('I can't wait for the day when I am not encased in a plume of black smoke every time one of these machines is started up next to me'). This is far from the truth. I do not possess a golf cart because I do not agree with adding any type of vehicle to Discovery Bay's relatively clear roads. I walk or use a bus. However, I appreciate that a golf cart can be useful to a family with young children. At least they are slow, use very little fuel and help to give a sense of identity to Discovery Bay. The argument that electric cars should be introduced to Hong Kong to replace petrol-driven cars is difficult to refute, so long as this is done in those parts of the city where cars are accepted as the norm. However, it is not up to the government to introduce them; it is up to private enterprise, which will no doubt do so when it becomes financially viable. Nor is it up to the government, or any other body, to use Discovery Bay as a testing ground for this type of car. Apart from having only two seats - thereby being impractical to most of those who use golf carts - they are much faster and hence more dangerous. The quality of life here will be spoilt unimaginably for people with children every time their offspring step out of the door unaccompanied - whereas children can step out at present without fear. Yes, make Hong Kong a modern city; yes, replace petrol-driven cars with electric vehicles in the not-too-distant future; no, don't introduce more car-like vehicles to Discovery Bay. Instead of making pointless comments about golf carts, why not work at getting the polluting buses replaced by electrically powered ones? Chris Stubbs, Discovery Bay Is the rise in the cost of textbooks justified? The cost of textbooks goes up every year. Parents are sick and tired of the Education Bureau's attitude regarding this problem. Despite repeated complaints about the methods used by publishing companies to get schools to choose their books, parents are left with no choice but to buy them and publishers show no willingness to cut prices. As a parent of two children of school-going age, it angers me when I see a textbook that has only 12 pages and a front and back cover. This makes no economic sense and is also environmentally unfriendly. Having learning material where, for example, Primary Six students have to apply stickers means these books cannot be reused. This is a waste of resources, inflates the cost and is unnecessary. English Schools Foundation students do not have to buy so many textbooks and seem to be happier in their learning environment. Surely it is only right that local pupils also be entitled to a healthy learning environment with fewer textbooks. Year after year the Education Bureau does nothing, instead of facing up to the problem and taking real action. I am sure that if the bureau had the will to take action, it could do so, even with the new academic system. Paul Yip, Pok Fu Lam The cost of textbooks under the new senior academic structure has risen, with some publishers nearly doubling the prices for certain subjects. The increases are due to curriculum changes. However, during this difficult economic period, the higher cost of textbooks will increase parents' financial burden. Schools emphasise the importance of giving a rounded education, and do not just concentrate on academic performance. As a consequence, parents already have to spend a lot of money on their children's extra-curricular activities. Now they face more financial pressure because of the textbook price increases. The birth rate is declining as more young couples consider the amount of money they would need to bring up a child. Given the importance of young people to our future, the government should be willing to offer financial assistance to parents. Zhi Cheng, Sha Tin
