THE loss of 400 jobs at GlaxoSmithKline's Ulverston plant seems to be largely because the company can have a key antibiotic

produced cheaper in Asia.

Perhaps it is time to hit back at all this sub-contracting overseas.

Why not turn the soon-to-be defunct giant vats at the Ulverston factory into a massive curry powder-producing plant and cut the price on our own supermarket shelves.

It is a sad time for those workers who are to get the chop and it annoys me that it is always the poor souls on the coal face who are painted out of the picture.

I doubt that many of those in the company's head office in London will be suddenly summoned before the boss to be told that public relations and middle management jobs are all being transferred to India where, according to a programme about global economy on the television the other night, there are thousands of Indian English graduates prepared to work for around £10 a week.

Many years ago Harry Knowles, chief executive of Furness Enterprise, put somebody firmly in their place when they suggested that efforts should be made to persuade big firms to set up branches in Furness.

That was not really the way to go, he said.

The trick was to persuade firms to set up their head offices in the area.

His reasoning was that branches are easy to shut when the economic squeeze goes on, but when the firm is in the area where the boss plays golf and his kids go to school, better economic reasons always seem to appear to maintain the status quo.

When you look at what takeovers have done to K-Shoes, Provincial Insurance and now Glaxo, there is a lot to be said for his argument.

GOD BLESS POSTMEN:"LIVING at Oakbeck, Hoo Lane, Windermere I was surprised to receive a Highgate pedestrianisation questionnaire which purported to be

intended for residents of Kendal," writes Mike M (pictured below).

"Even more surprising, however, was the fact that the house name used (Zenith-Nadir) was a figment of my imagination relating to an intended building plot close by, which although registered some years ago still remains a car park.

"Congratulations, therefore, to CN Research for their rather over enthusiastic thoroughness - no wonder their fees are so high.

"And God bless postmen; they have an uncanny understanding of the whereabouts of non-existent houses, even when just sent to 'the occupier'.

The photo shows Mike 'at home' at his Zenith-Nadir plot, deliberating over the CN research questionnaire.

BROUGHT TO BOOK:I WAS a little concerned by Cumbria County Council's explanation of "work still to do" in its large advertisement in last week's Trading Places supplement issued with the Gazette.

Under "Traffic queues in Stricklandgate" it said: "To encourage more drivers to turn right into Library Road the operation of traffic signals at the Town Hall have been amended." It seems to me that the only way drivers can perform that manoeuvre would be to use the extended traffic light time to belt down Lowther Street, Blackhall Road and Sandes Avenue then ignore the one-way rule on Stricklandgate and weave through oncoming traffic to get to Library Road.

INSIDE OUT:LAST week's car pull, where teams of 12 raced in a time trial to haul a car from Ambleside to the top of Kirkstone Pass, was won by a squad from Lancaster Farms.

Unless I am much mistaken, Lancaster Farms is the Young Offenders Institution, in which case they should have been disqualified as a large number of the inmates there have professional experience at legging it at speed with somebody else's car in tow.

TRAVEL OMEN:VIRGIN Trains has named a high-speed train after Donald Campbell.

In view of the incident on Coniston way back in 1967 it may be wise not to buy a return ticket.

Email dennis.aris@kendal.newsquest.co.uk