Let us forget rum for visitors arriving at our airport and use the money instead to eliminate the $1 charge we currently make for the use of baggage carts. In ridding the arrival system of those detestable cart-dispensing slot machines, its greatest source of preventable aggravation will also be removed.

The machines accept only an American dollar note or a Bermuda dollar coin. The European visitor will almost certainly arrive with neither as will many American and local travellers and there is nowhere to obtain them once the machine is reached.

Even with the correct money the machines are not trouble free and although I travel only twice a year I have witnessed several lengthy frustrating stoppages. Once, the machine only partially released a cart and became jammed solid. On another occasion it repeatedly ejected every dollar bill fed to it -- like `Candid Camera' without a happy ending. Another time the machine having discharged its last cart, remained empty for another 15 minutes. The additional delay waiting for a cart seemed to be the final straw and tempers were fraying. The presence of neat rows of parked carts nearby, securely chained and locked, further inflamed matters.

Having spent a reported $20 million to make the Airport more tourist friendly, as well as about $100 per arrival on promotion, it seems bureaucratic madness to try to recover less than an average of 50 cents per passenger for what modern airports and supermarkets provide, and what our visitors expect to receive, free.

Cart charges spoil our tourist's important first impressions of Bermuda with no compensating benefit.

DELIVERANCE St. George's Turbulence everywhere January 14, 1999 Dear Sir, Great to see British Airways giving us a London flight price to $599. Pity there were not more BA specials for Bermuda in 1998 and sorry if I am a kill joy for quoting some BA current offer return fares out of London but here goes -- London return to...Alanta $311, to Miami $338, to Dallas $387 and finally San Francisco $371.

Now all these destinations are much further from London than Bermuda and San Francisco almost double the distance yet that flight is $371 against $599, so how much of a `offer fare' is Bermuda really receiving? As for American Airlines recently reported customer services woes, I can only recount my experience from early November, when due to high winds they cancelled the Friday morning flight and brought it forward to Thursday evening. Despite two separate assurances from AA in Bermuda that ground staff in New York would either book or at least help with overnight hotel accommodation, on arrival at New York at about 11.15 p.m. there was not one AA ground staff in sight, nowhere. There was no help at all to find hotels or give any advice whatsoever. There was one long line of people (I felt really sorry for parents with small kids) for a phone to a central hotel reservations service and a complete lottery as to when a pick up hotel coach came past the terminal. If AA had been honest in Bermuda and had said sorry, we have no one to help in New York, I would have cancelled my trip to the UK and travelled at some other date. All AA will say when I contacted them is `we did a great job in getting the plane away'.

I could write about Delta's cattle service between Bermuda and Atlanta with its sandwich in a brown bag excuse for a meal and flight costs that rival BA's, but that's too long a story.

Please, Government, take on the airlines. It will be a tough one but one of the biggest tourism problems is the cost of getting here -- we read it in letters to this paper and repeatedly when talking to people abroad.

FREQUENT FLYER Southampton Cannot be cured January 17, 1999 Dear Sir, In reference to the recent article on child molester/murderer Chesterfield Johnson: I admire Prison Fellowship's chairman Charles Vaucrosson's Christian faith and, as a Christian myself, believe in forgiveness and the power of prayer.

However, it is stretching belief to absurdity to state that: "Chesterfield Johnson is now a Christian man and has been for over a year. Any true Christian will tell you that means he is a new man.'' Has Mr. Vaucrosson ever heard of Jerry Falwell, Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker or Jimmy Swaggert? These born-again Christian ministers have admitted to everything from prostitution to pornography, having become wealthy thanks to the gullibility of their congregations. Some are serving, or have served, prison sentences. Sorry, Mr.

Vaucrosson, becoming a Christian does not necessarily mean all is suddenly sweetness and light.

My blood ran cold when I read that "Mr. Johnson has currently been freely travelling around Bermuda for a number of months, as part of a pre-release programme and has yet to break any of our laws.'' As any competent psychiatrist will tell you, child molesters cannot be cured. They can be treated, yes, but, as several interviews I've seen with incarcerated child molesters/murderers confirm: They do not lose the desire to commit these crimes. The inmates I mentioned admit this for themselves.

I cannot suggest strongly enough that Mr. Johnson's movements be monitored for life and that our prison system do some serious research into cases of child molestation and/or murder in jurisdiction which have learned how to deal with them.

FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED Pembroke Mother Seton's statue January 19, 1999 Dear Sir, One hundred and nine years ago in 1890, the sisters of Charity began their spiritual commitment to the Bermuda community. The Sisters's tireless dedication has positively affected all races, colours, creeds and social backgrounds in our Island home.

Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the Order of the Sisters of Charity 150 years ago and the sisters here and in North America are planning their Sesquicentennial celebration beginning in Lent, 1999. A statue of St.

Elizabeth Ann Seton along with a Bermuda boy and girl student has been commissioned and will be erected in St. Theresa's Cathedral. Bishop Robert Kurtz also desires to present the Sisters of Charity with a gift of gratitude for the support of the retired Sisters. As he wrote in a letter to the Alumni, "these women have given their best years to serving the Church without any retirement benefits''. Any excess funds from the statue fund will be given to the Bishop for this gift of gratitude.

If you wish to contribute, your donation should be made payable to MSA Seton Statue Fund, P.O. Box HM 1004, Hamilton HM DX. Please take time to reflect on the lives of those Sisters who remain close to your hearts. If you have memories to share or photos to lend us, we would appreciate them. It is our hope to compile a local memory bank as part of the celebration.

TRUDI PUGH For the MSA Seton Statue Fund Rising above the rhetoric January 13, 1999 Dear Sir, As the 1998 pre-election rhetoric of both parties pointed out, race and racism are still issues that need addressing in Bermuda.

The controversy over the Delaey Robinson ad that was placed in The Royal Gazette last October by "true believers in Pam and her team'' is an indication to this reader that the "true believers'' still don't get it.

Having said that, it is also quite clear that the UBP and PLP have members in their ranks that continue to cling to racist ideology, to the detriment of their respective political parties as well as to Bermuda.

As long as racist comments pepper "polite'' dinner conversation in "polite'' Bermudian homes, as long as racist thoughts occupy your mind even for an instant, and as long as even one person's racist beliefs manifest themselves in an action such as the printing of the D. Robinson political advertisement, this Island will suffer for it.

We can rise above the rhetoric of the "true believers'' wherever they are and use our own lives as an example of them and to others in our community: An example that says "yes there are alternatives to racism''. By manifesting the affirmative in your everyday life, who knows, you may be helping by positive example the "true believers'' in your family.

VIEW FROM UNDER THE BUTTONWOOD City of Hamilton Right on, Gary! January 11, 1999 Dear Sir, Thank you Gary Pitman -- Shadow Environment Minister, for reminding the Government of its commitment to Bermudianisation, of its commitment to the Bermudian people! Thank you Gary! DR. CLARK GODWIN City of Hamilton Bermuda boycott January 14, 1999 Dear Sir, I recently returned from a trip to Vancouver and have finally caught up with the backlog of newspapers awaiting my return.

The "boycott'' issue captured my notice -- this news item aired in B.C.

followed immediately by an interview with Mrs. Middleton stating that although they (close family, I presume) appreciated the sentiments of friends and family, in fact they did not agree with the boycott of Bermuda.

No mention of this interview has been made. I think the people of Bermuda should hear this interview saying that although their justice system is less than perfect, the family who has lost a precious daughter holds them no malice.

CHARMA YUILL Warwick No special privileges January 12, 1999 Dear Sir, I wish to respond to the letter dated January 5, from `Perplexed'' in Devonshire.

"Perplexed'' believed that all Members of Parliament were not issued with a returning resident card at the Immigration desk.

As a new Member of Parliament, I have not been advised of any special privileges afforded to travelling MPs. I have travelled several times since being elected and I complete the same forms and go through the same procedures that I did prior to being elected.

MADELINE F. JOELL Member of Parliament Paget West