Excellent cover
How is it that a small community paper like the Capital Times, whose resources are tiny compared with the metropolitan daily, can cover local musicians’ contribution to the NZ Arts Festival -  including those excellent lunchtime concerts at St Andrew’s on the Terrace?
Keep up the good work
Charlotte Williams, Mt Victoria

Paramount
Re: David Colquhoun’s letter regarding the Paramount Theatre. I have enjoyed films at the Paramount regularly over the last five years, and have never had any reason to be dissatisfied with the service of the staff - they are a helpful, friendly, and incredibly underpaid group of people who are by and large passionate about films.
Every ticket I’ve ever been sold for a film has clearly listed the name of the theatre I should be seated in, and every theatre has its name clearly displayed outside. Every time I’ve been sold a ticket, even though I know most of the staff by name, they hand over the tickets with a friendly explanation of which theatre my film is being screened in.
Paramount is the best kept secret in Courtenay Place, and deserves a much higher level of patronage than the people of Wellington give this historic icon. Perhaps if numbers picked up, the under staffing would be resolved. Film sessions seem to only ever be half full, a sad indication that people are more interested in going to the soulless, styleless Reading Cinema where they are charged more money to sit in less comfortable seats, eat poorer quality ice cream and sit through four times as many adverts before their film begins.
Gabrielle Duggan, Mt Victoria
(abridged)

Water prices rise
 I lived in Auckland at the time Metrowater was set up, and for quite a few years after that. We were assured by council that our rates would not go up after water metering was privatised, we were told our normal rates would come down significantly. The rates did come down for one year by about $10, then after that I had a quarterly bill from Metrowater for approx $250.00. Our house comprised of two adults and three teenagers that showered each day, three toilets and no pool or spa. I resorted to putting large jars in the toilet water cisterns, stopped washing cars and watering the vege patch. Still the water bill would go up each year along with the normal rates. Yet another con job by those who can get away with privatisation. Come on Wellington don’t fall for it!!  
With local elections coming up check to see who does and who doesn’t support privatisation of water and make your vote count.
Linda Sheldon, Johnsonville

Water privatisation
The public’s right to keep indispensable services out of private business’ hands is under attack again. Fresh water is becoming more scarce and more valuable. Private ownership of this essential commodity would just give big business all the money they wanted supplied by us, the public.
Colin Smith, Wellington.

Dead Dad’s Club
We read the Dead Dad’s Club, published in the Capital Times on the 21 April, with interest. Every year approximately 500 people die by suicide. We would like to acknowledge Sarah Harpur’s loss and recognise her use of humour as a coping method. We understand that Sarah Harpur’s show is running as part of the Comedy Festival and therefore is based around humour, however our concern is that the article, may have caused distress to people who do not deal with their loss in the same way. The inclusion of suicide prevention information is always important so we thank you for providing this at the end of the article. Information is available on our website, www.spinz.org.nz and for more general mental health information visit www.mentalhealth.org.nz.
Merryn Statham, director Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand (SPINZ).
(abridged)