The Governor and Lady Waddington will attend the 12.30 p.m. service at which students from Gilbert Institute and Mount Saint Agnes will provide the music.

This year's theme is "Sport in the Commonwealth.'' In her Commonwealth Day message, the Queen said that sport played an important part in the development of both nations and individuals.

Today is Commonwealth Day and The Royal Gazette publishes Berkeley Institute student Joy Renee-Marie Parris' essay which was highly commended in the Commonwealth Essay Competition held earlier this year.

How can wealthy countries best help developing nations to establish viable and socially-balanced economies? By Joy Renee-Marie Parris The Oxford dictionary defines wealth as "riches; large possessions; opulence; living rich; abundance; a profusion; a great quantity or display.'' While not disagreeing with the definition -- it is a useful starting point -- I would add that one of the wealthier nations today -- the United States -- is also the greatest debtor nation and as such, its position of moral and political authority has weakened. So, it cannot really afford to help all the nations of the world back on their feet, until its own economic "house'' is in order.

With a young, dynamic new 42nd President his agenda is going to require sacrifice and cooperation within the United States and with its global economic communities. Unlike its strong position after World War II the United States now needs a domestic "Marshall Plan'' to (in the first instance) help solve its own economic and social problems; amongst the most pressing are racism, crime, the homeless, health care, education and the environment.

Today the wealthiest nations in the western world, are Japan and Germany, neither one of which has a monopoly on solutions to social problems. The Germans must "balance'' the rise of neo-Nazism and incidents of hatred for foreigners who live in their cities, with the economic strain of East/West unification. The Japanese have no need for a defence budget, yet their aggressive efforts to dominate world economies have made them a nation with a high suicide rate and reportedly an extreme desire to prove their nationalism by buying into the world's markets. It would seem trade wars over protectionism or free markets are threatening world stability.

Perhaps, then, in order to examine the question not on the basis of economic powers, but by practical application, a small country like mine -- Bermuda -- may be able to offer some ideas in assisting developing countries to establish viable and socially balanced economies, while keeping clearly in mind Bermuda too has many economic social and political issues in need of solutions.

Bermuda is perhaps unique in that it has no manufacturing and no exports, although some years ago potatoes, tomatoes, lilies and onions were regularly shipped to the United States.

Currently, most of Bermuda's foreign exchange comes from tourism, exempted companies and from the United States and Canadian Bases. Due to the worldwide recession, at the present time the world's economy is in disarray and as a result few tourists are arriving in Bermuda; the Canadian Base is going to close, the United States is going to close, the United States Base has had huge cutbacks and may eventually close. As a result of the above many Bermudians for the first time after years of over-employment, are facing unemployment -- the prospects of shops closing, with cutbacks in government services and strained labour relations.

It will as a developing country if it becomes independent, need help from the world's communities. One major reason why it is difficult to get help is because there are many highly paid non-Bermudian workers as well as many very highly paid professionals, such as lawyers and doctors whose salaries are averaged with all wage-earners resulting in the average salaries of workers in Bermuda as some of the highest salaries in the world. By statistics, Bermuda is one of the wealthy countries. In Bermuda, however, Bermudians need help to develop a viable economy in addition to tourism and exempt companies. Two very important areas for development are two of the oldest fishing and farming.

Bermuda has a 200-mile economic and fishing zone which encompasses thousands of square miles where millions of dollars worth of highly prized tuna, wahoo, sharks, dolphins, swordfish, squid, deep sea crabs and shrimp can be found.

Also, the other significant area that can be developed is farming. Most nations grow most of their products during the summer. In Bermuda we grow mostly in the winter and very little in the summer.

Presently in Bermuda the Bermudian Government abides by the United Nations Declaration that says if a nation has a 200-mile fishing zone they must either use it or make use of it available to other nations to use. This zone is leased to Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese long line (F) vessels. If it is viable for Japanese and Taiwanese vessels to travel thousands of miles to fish in Bermuda it is certainly viable to fish for the same resource.

There are many large and well equipped surplus fishing vessels in America and Canada that can be used. Our Government or the fishermen do not have the capital necessary to purchase such vessels. Joint ventures can be established with American and Canadian fishermen with mutual benefits to both. Other boats can be purchased if loans can be secured from the United Nations or from United States and Canadian governments.

The advantages of such industries are: 1: Many Bermudians will find full employment; 2: Persons who have little training or future may want to earn a living from the sea, and go on to become good productive citizens; 3: A cannery could be established for tuna; 4: Unfrozen higher priced fish can be shipped to United States or Japan; 5: A tannery for shark fins; 6: Jewellery from shark by-products (vertebrae teeth); 7: Pet food from fish by-products, and it will help in exports and decrease imports.

Since all of this will be new to Bermuda some foreign exports can teach Bermudians the appropriate techniques. Bermuda, like most communities of developing nations needs the technology to effect social and economic growth.

Each nation has some resource of materials which it can develop thereby creating a stable economy. The operative word is "balanced'' as it must then grapple with issues of environmental concerns, matters of national debt, and repayment, with who will profit? We have seen world governments dominated by dictatorships of various styles and exploitation of a country's wealth, its potential leaders destroyed or exiled and profits in the hands of the few. While technology may solve the basic "know how'' problem, it will not solve those issues of man's in-humanity to man. No nation can do that for any other except itself.

The case could be made that the countries with the technological skill have the greatest wealth; wealth not necessarily measured in gold bullion. It also could be argued that the wealth of a country could be judged as the "common wealth'' of the people of a country -- the degree to which democratise principles, a shared sense of value for human dignity, expression and welfare are priorities. The world's awakening to the tragedies in Eastern Europe and East Africa are "balanced'' by human rights violations in the United States, Central and South America and Western Europe.

When we sing "We Are The World'' we ignore categories or labels like "developing'' and "wealthy'' -- the haves and have nots. The artificial boundaries which separate people we must work to eliminate. Therefore, looking beyond matters of skin colour, national costume and economic states, to see the smiling faces of children -- tomorrow's world -- in Somalia, in Scotland, in Spain and in South Africa. On those occasions when the world comes together as one -- the Olympics, through the United Nations agencies, or through music -- the world "will be a better place for you and me.'' That can only happen if there is a global sense of shared commitment, the foundation of which is economies which are socially-balanced.

Joy Renee-Marie Parris.