Letters to the Editor: The Mercury Runoff Crisis (August 1954)

Fiction

To the Editor, The recent volatility of the gold standard is becoming untenable. My husband and I spent thirty years saving in bullion, only to find that the new surge in Grade-C transmutation facilities has rendered our life savings practically worthless. When gold can be synthesized from common iron at a cost of three dollars per ounce, it ceases to be a store of value. The Treasury must implement stricter quotas on transmutation permits or we shall all be paupers in gilded houses. Sincerely, Mrs. Beatrice Thorne *** To the Editor, I wish to draw attention to the yellow haze currently settling over Oakhaven Elementary. This sulfuric precipitation is not merely a nuisance; it is a direct result of the runoff from the East Side Alchemical Works. My son returned home yesterday with his shirt bleached white and a pungent scent of vitriol clinging to his hair. The city council claims the scrubbers are functioning, but the acid rain tells a different story. We cannot allow the pursuit of elemental purity to compromise the lungs of our children. Respectfully, Arthur Penhaligon *** To the Editor, Does the Zoning Board intend to enforce the residential ordinances on the 400 block of Maple Street? For three weeks, my neighbor, a Mr. Henderson, has been operating what appears to be an unlicensed lead-to-gold kiln in his garage. The telltale silver-grey sludge is already leaching into the communal storm drain, and the ozone smell is unbearable during the midnight cycles. While Mr. Henderson may fancy himself a pioneer of the craft, his lack of a proper containment vessel is a hazard to the entire neighborhood. Regards, Lawrence Vane