3 MAY 1975, Page 3

Subsidising arts

Sir: A fortnight ago you were good enough to publish a letter of mine in which I requested justification for public patronage of certain fields of the arts, coinpelled upon us via the Treasury and the Arts Council. I had hoped that this week's issue might contain some sort of reply into which I could get my teeth. Instead, the only reference to the functions of the Council was contained in your leader, which was based on the conventional assumption that the Council is somehow part of the natural order of things.

1 will therefore rephrase my question into a statement: the transfer of any part of my tax to the Arts Council is misappropriation of funds which I could have used for journeys into realms of gold of my own choice.

I. C. Snell

28 Bishopric Court, Bishopric, Horsham.