BEFORE Nick Holt's comments on carping pensioners (Letters, February 8) leave me speechless, let me say that he must be a fair way off being able to put OAP after his name when he speaks of the 50-year era in which he seems to think pensioners have had the opportunity to save money so that they should now be able to live in relative comfort.

Living and being able to save 50 years ago, for most, was not an easy option. I could make a very long list of the reasons which Mr Holt obviously knows nothing about.

But suffice to say that far from living off the "backs of the likes of me," as he so disparagingly puts it, of those who are pensioners now, those who were able to at the time, contributed to any income they may now enjoy - from whatever source, be it the state pension or a works or private pension or both.

In many cases, like myself, they contributed for 30 to 40 years, and while the cost of living may not have been as expensive as at present, that is no criterion as the cost of living is relative to the economics existing at the time.

I might also put Mr Holt wise to the recession of the 1920s and 1930s - when three million were unemployed. And I might add that all recessions since then have been picnics by comparison.

Also, we had a five-year war to contend with, which, I am thankful to say, the subsequent generation haven't had to experience. Regarding his remarks on tax, whether it be income tax or indirect taxes, we all have to pay - yes, even pensioners. And if Mr Holt has a 'heavy' tax to pay, then it is assessed pro-rata on income, but then I wouldn't know about that.

Employees are now being encouraged to provide for their future, which is only what we had to do.

The icing on the cake, we were told, was that we would be taken care of from the cradle to the grave - which, of course, everyone knows has just not materialised as governments have eroded our contributions and used them for other things and would have us believe the kitty is empty.

But that's not the fault of the pensioner. My advice to Mr Holt is to get with it and sort out a few facts before he criticises any pensioner, no matter what it is they are 'carping' about.

E CARR, Redvers Road, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.