Regarding recent reports that `Visitor numbers keep falling' and `air visitors drop 7.56 percent March.' The gut statistic you need to report is not arrivals, but rather the bed nights occupied, the all-important combination of arrivals and days of stay, which in March dropped a whopping 18.54 percent, from roughly 165,000 to 134,00 bed nights this year.

Reserving this bad news for the bottom of the last page, the Tourism Board's monthly Bermuda in Perspective front page editorial scrapes the bottom of the statistical barrel for scraps of good news (house keeping cottages were actually up) while Mr Allen persists in promoting a product no one wants at the price he is trying to sell it.

Why does he not instead take the $37 millions of our dollars he is wasting on advertising, joyriding, and taking the Gombeys to Spain, and give every tourist that arrives at the airport a $100 bill and a free taxi ride to the hotel? That would get the attention of CNN.

$100 EACH St. Georges Location is everything June 4, 2000 Dear Sir, I am totally in favour of finding a new and suitable home for the Department of Tourism, and am prepared to donate $10,000 provided I get a personal hand-written letter from John Deuss.

My first preferences would be to locate the ministry in a filing cabinet in the basement of the Government archives, as it has been a monumental failure for at least 10 years. It should be disbanded and put into voluntary liquidation forthwith.

My second preference would be (to house the ministry) in a tent in the new eco-village at Daniel's Head -- as the flies and the heat would encourage some new and original thinking.

The only problem with that suggestion is that it would be too far from the airport and would interfere with David Allen's perpetual quest to retain his platinum frequent flyer card.

Perhaps it would be closer to the airport, at St. David's where PLP MP Arthur Pitcher could start immediate construction without having to wait for a building permit.

ROBERT STEWART Flatts Bermuda's (in)difference June 7, 2000 Dear Sir, As a frequent visitor to Bermuda, I would like to express my observations on the current status of tourism.

Since we have good friend who lives in Bermuda, we will continue to visit; however, the hospitality of your service industry has declined rapidly.

Upon arrival, the taxi driver was rude almost to the point of being hostile.

Upon our return to the airport for departure, we used another taxi service, which was even worse.

The native Bermudian wait staff we encountered all had an attitude of indifference, but the foreign staff were courteous and enjoyable.

This says something about what needs to be done to improve the atmosphere for tourists visiting Bermuda. If it does not change soon, fewer and fewer people will choose to vacation here.

It is our hope that those in charge of tourism would spend more time promoting good attitudes. The natural beauty of Bermuda should not be spoiled by those people who leave a bad impression on visitors.

MAC OGBURN Columbia, S.C.

A dog-gone shame June 3, 2000 Dear Sir, With reference to the Dogs Act 1978 revisions and amendments debate in the House of Assembly on Friday, June 2, please allow me space in your column to voice the concerns of many Bermudians and animal organisations.

Firstly, we find it hard to digest the fact that Government would propose such changes to give the Dog Wardens even more power to confiscate dogs when they cannot effectively enforce the legislation that currently exists.

Secondly, it is common knowledge throughout the community that the Dog Wardens in many cases do not confiscate a dog that should be taken, because of the lack of kennel space at their facility. The facility currently has the capacity of holding 12 dogs; this could be filled in one day if the Dog Wardens were to carry out their duties as they should.

The facility that they currently occupy is deplorable. The dogs are being kept in cages that are approximately three-feet wide by six-feet long, they do not get walked or exercised at all, they get fed once a day, sometimes it will be 8 a.m. today and not until 8 p.m. tomorrow.

They are not even removed from their cages so that the faeces and urine can be washed out, if the dogs get in the way, they get sprayed by the hose as well.

Some of these dogs are in these kennels for six to eight months pending court cases and never get taken out of the kennels for the entire time. All of the windows are boarded up and the place is in almost complete darkness 24 hours a day.

The stench from the faeces and urine is believed to be almost unbearable during the summer months because the building is closed up all of the time and they have no extractor fans, ceiling fans or air conditioning to help move the air. Just imagine the smell and heat in that building after 18 hours of being closed up! Maybe you Mr. Hodgson, the Government Vet and the Dog Wardens would like to be locked up in these kennels for six months, to see how you like it! Mr. Hodgson, please explain to the taxpayers of Bermuda how you could allow your Veterinarian and Dog Wardens to subject seized or stray animals to conditions which are obviously inhumane and cruel. It is general conversation that even you, on a site visit to the kennel, were not pleased with what you saw and smelled.

The kennels are repeatedly being broken into and dogs stolen. What type of security system does this place have? It has been reported that the Dog Wardens are reluctant to take pitbulls to their kennels for fear that they will be stolen. I ask, how can they do their jobs efficiently under conditions like this? This Department is absolutely hopeless and inefficient. Mr. Hodgson, I invite you to try and call your Veterinarian or the Dog Wardens. I will guarantee you that you will get a voice mail and if you leave a message, you will be very lucky if they ever call you back! It was also very disturbing to hear that none of the Island's veterinarians, any of the local dog clubs, or even the SPCA, whom your officers work with daily, was consulted.

You read out a list of names that you say you consulted with; well sorry Mr.

Hodgson, you can fool some of the people but you cannot fool all of the people. The list of names were people who were responsible for putting together the Animal Control Act back in 1994 and 1995, which if you took the time to read, does not even address dogs because the committee felt it unnecessary as there was already the Dogs Act in place. So please do not misinform the people of Bermuda.

Sir, the entire Dog Warden section needs to be reviewed immediately, starting from the Director right down to the wardens. The public are already aware that the current pitbull problems that exist in our community are a result of the Wardens negligence, so lets get things sorted out before making any revisions to the current legislation! THE TRUTH Paget The world's his oyster Dear Sir, I am writing to you, to inform you that my husband, a Bermudian has been appointed manager of a hotel, on Cape Cod. His name is Robert L. Seaman, the hotel is Inn on Onset Bay.

My husband has worked in the hotel and restaurant industry for a very long time, and just to show other young Bermudians learning the industry that it has finally paid off, and it will pay off, maybe not in Bermuda, but somewhere in the world.

My husband often talks about people in Bermuda that influence him in the hotel industry, people like Mr. Ira Phillip Jr. was manager of the Hamiltonian Hotel (where Robert worked as assistant restaurant manager) Mr. Perry Robinson of Elbow Beach Hotel (where Robert worked as room service), cocktail and night club waiter, Mr. Joe Tee, Toby Dillas, Mr. Wally Petitpas, Mrs. Barbara Neish, Mr. Dennis Wainwright of the old Bermudiana Hotel where Robert got his start in the hotel industry.

He also talks and tells me stories about making guests' stays the best they ever had, and some co-workers that encourage him to pursue on: Anthony J.D.

Butterfield, Norman Pogson, Wallace Fonte' Davis, Danny `Champagne' Gilbert, Margaret Abbaddi, Peter Smy, Mr. Earl Bailey who gave Robert his first job after returning from living in the UK for 14 years, Miss Devoy, Miss Fox, Mrs.

Beverley Russell, all of the Belmont Hotel and Mr. Nicholas and Frank Schmitt of Chauncery Wine Bar and Restaurant, and Mr. George of Port of Call Restaurant Mr. Editor, my husband always talk about a former teacher and his friend that had the greatest influence in his hotel career plus one other friend of his mother. First Mr. Sinclair Blakeney and Mr. Elliot Williams, Mr. (or Uncle) Cal Rowling.

Sir, since marrying my husband and knowing his family and friends in Bermuda and listening to him tell our seven-year-old son, I am proud to not only to love Robert as a husband, and father but love him as my friend.

I hope you find the time to print this in your newspaper not because we have so many friends in Bermuda, but, because of other young Bermudians in the hotel industry.

LESLIE SEAMAN Locals to the rescue June 8, 2000 Dear Sir, Monday, June 5 at approximately 3 p.m., I believe in Southampton, my mature house guest was travelling east when a car in front went to turn into a school area to the right. Mr. George Smith tried to pass on the inside and hit the kerb falling and breaking his arm.

A truck behind stopped and I wish to thank the driver and his companion for their kind assistance and concern and thanks also to the lady who stopped offering to call for the ambulance.

Mr. Smith stated he was impressed with the efficiency and kindness shown by the hospital staff and in particular he sends thanks to the fire and Somerset Police departments. Their service was something he found most impressive.

This is the first mishap Mr. Smith has experienced in the 20 years he has been visiting Bermuda and he is now safely back home in the US.

JENNY MELLO Smith's