Peter Cooper, the NSW campaigner for the Wilderness Society, claims in Red gums' survival depends on national parks (Country News, November 2) that more than 99 per cent of submissions to the Natural Resources Commission's assessment of the Murray River red gum forests were in favour of creating national parks.

Many of these submissions may be almost meaningless if they have been written by, perhaps well meaning, but uninformed or misinformed people who have little or no experience in the management of red gum forests.

Creating national parks is not necessarily the best way of managing these forests and poorly funded and managed state parks in Barmah have not protected anything.

Extra flooding and proper management may improve the health of these forests but simply renaming them will not.

G. Barwick

Numurkah

Hereditary monarchy suggested

I believe that an Australian monarchy as proposed by Dr Harry Melkonian (Sydney Morning Herald, November 14) would be a satisfactory way to conclude the divisive debate about an Australian head of state.

We have an Australian head of state already but that apparently does not satisfy the republicans.

However, nothing could establish Australia's constitutional independence more than a hereditary monarchy.

The Norwegian example of an elected hereditary monarchy quoted by Dr Melkonian would be a satisfactory process.

Australia needs the stability of a hereditary head of state and World War II demonstrated the value of a hereditary monarch in the case of Norway and Holland when they were overrun by Hitler's armies.

The governments of both countries came to England and with the defeat of Hitler they returned to their homeland and resumed government as before.

It is notable too that when Poland was threatened with extinction by the events of World War II, the Polish Commander in Chief General Sikorski negotiated for a British prince to become King of Poland to ensure the continuation of the Polish Government in exile as the Norwegians and Dutch had done.

The general and the British prince were both killed in separate air crashes.

Australia is a young country with a long way to go to consolidate our right to occupy the Australian continent.

We would be well advised to examine every option that would strengthen our claim to our Australian home land.

Kevin O'Neill

Tocumwal

Irrigation should be a state matter

Northern Victorian Irrigators is now openly supporting negotiations for water control at the national level.

Unfortunately, NVI did not propose any action themselves but asked other irrigators to respond to national submissions.

NVI once again is promoting the National Irrigators Council at a cost in the order of $30 000 a year.

It is obvious with its extremely small member base they no longer have the finances to join.

Seventy-five per cent of the members voted with their feet to leave the NVI as soon as the NVI supported Brumby's workings in the foodbowl.

Irrigators should remember that although national organisations can make some decisions on water issues, the water in the rivers is controlled by the states for the benefit of their residents.

Therefore, irrigation remains a state issue and irrigators need to coerce the state to act in their interest.

You mentioned that Bruce Bassed has achieved nothing material for irrigators which is a far safer result than the NVI committee, who by siding with the State Government, are running the irrigation industry in northern Victoria into the ground.

Bruce Bassed

Colbinabbin