22 JULY 1955, Page 15

Sik,—I have noticed, with dismay, an increas- ing tendency towards

venom and bitterness in Your excellent paper of late. Not only is this Unworthy of your standards and traditions, but must inevitably be accompanied by a deterioration in considered judgement and, in- deed, by some minor distortion of fact.

The conclusions you reach on the difficult and controversial subject of hanging may be correct, but the premise contained in the open- ing paragraph is monstrously untrue and can only serve to insult and discredit the many good and humane people who disagree with You on this subject.—Yours faithfully,

U. W. WALL Knightwood Crescent, New Malden, Surrey