IF the rules aren't profitable, change them! (Packet, September 19). It was just the last four lines of this piece by The Skipper that brought back a memory to my old mind - a little sketch that used to be performed by Rob Wilton, probably best remembered by others for his opening lines to yet another of his acts and I quote, the day war broke out, my missus said to me: "What are you going to do about it?"

However, returning to The Skipper's article apropos councillors' travelling expenses, ie 50p per mile and thus conducive to taking the longest routes, it was just this bit that made me smile as this was similar to Rob Wilton's attitude when - as head fireman of a rural fire station - he received an urgent telephone call about a fire, on a nice summer's day, and he decided not to take the shortest/quickest route, but rather the prettier one!

Peter Mahoney, Reawla Lane, Reawla, Hayle