THE letter from a widower hiding behind the pseudonym of 'Organised Pensioner' filled me with amazement and disgust.

Such pomposity, such arrogant disdain of the conditions in which less fortunate pensioners have to organise their meagre finances. The apparently complete ignorance about the world beyond his own is beyond belief.

There must be thousands of aged pensioners who have never possessed a cheque book or held an account in a bank. Their bank, Mr Organised Pensioner, has always been the Post Office.

The local post office in rural areas is quite often the lifeblood of the community and essential to their everyday financial transactions, not merely for collecting pensions.

If this very self-satisfied person were to spend a little time in his post office to observe and take notice of the varied facilities available he would realise that there are many people who, because they are unable to find large amounts of money on demand, spread their payments to gas, electric and water companies and who pay their TV licence by the purchase of savings stamps as and when they collect their pension.

Another service which is vital to those whose job it is to collect money is the Giro banking system, which makes it possible for them to deposit the day's takings in safety rather than be obliged to depend on the security of their own homes.

In short, for large sections of the community the local post office is a valuable establishment in spite of the misguided ideas of some politicians.

Organised Pensioner's outlook on life could be well defined by an old Army saying which, for the sake of propriety, I have transposed as follows: "I careth not for thy situation Jack, mine own is eminently suitable."

J F Blackburn, Timperley (full address supplied).

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.