THE unusual story of the mouse 'processed' in a bank's money-dispensing machine (LET, March 23), reminded me of a mouse I had in my workshop.

My lathe had a red push button for 'ON' and a green one for 'OFF,' at the front of a four inch square metal box.

One morning, I pressed the 'ON' button and got a strong electric shock through my thumb. On looking down, I saw that I had put my thumb on a mouse's tail so I switched off the machine to investigate.

At that time, switch boxes had 'knock-out' discs about the size of a penny in various places for easy installation of wiring.

One of these was missing from just above the 'ON' button and the mouse had found the hole and by the time its feet had touched the live connections, it was well inside the box. With only its tail hung out across the 'ON' button.

This had conducted the current through its body to my thumb.

I pulled it out by its tail and held it up to inspect it. Its legs were stretched out in front of it as straight as possible. It's feet half-closed and its mouth wide open as if in a horrific scream.

What made it worse for the poor creature was that being an industrial installation, the voltage was 440 volts -- twice that of domestic voltage of 230 volts.

ALBERT J MORRIS, Clement View, Nelson.