with the proposed sale of carvings executed by convicts on hulks in Dockyard waters. In our view, things gathered under the waters need to be saved for all Bermuda. Right now, as Dr. Edward Harris has said: "Government is giving people licences to retrieve Bermuda's heritage and then sell it at a profit.'' The arguments put forward by Dr. Harris, the director of the Maritime Museum, are persuasive. Clearly Bermuda's heritage should not be "sold off'' to the highest bidder. Bermuda needs laws to protect its heritage for Bermudians.

Right now people can get a permit, and legally salvage under water and, if Government does not pay, they can take what they find home and put it on their mantle or in their bathtub or sell it overseas. Yet antique Bermudian furniture and maps cannot be sold outside the Country. As Dr. Harris has said: "The laws aid and abet the transfer of our cultural heritage into private hands.'' It seems to this newspaper that what Government now grants are individual licences to plunder to the detriment of Bermudians in general. Bermuda's heritage should not be for private consumption, nor should it be for sale for private profit. But more than that, underwater sites are being destroyed by treasure hunters, who are not concerned with archaeological preservation or trained in archaeology, for their own fun and their own gain.

Agents for Mr. Chriss Addams have suggested, perhaps to apply a little pressure on Bermuda, that there are offers from both Boston and Australia for the collection. Clearly these artifacts belong first to Bermuda and Government should not be threatened into buying what ought properly to belong to Bermuda.

But Government has placed itself in a position under the law where it has to buy things retrieved from the sea once a licence has been grated to harvest the site. If there is no licence to salvage, the artifacts on the ocean floor belong to Government.

This is not criticism of Mr. Chriss Addams, who has collected these convict labour carvings. Over a long period of time Mr. Addams has done what he was allowed to do under Bermuda's laws. It is the law which is wrong.

We all have to remember that today's Bermudians are only custodians of Bermuda for today and have no right to destroy anything for future Bermudians. We are caretakers and we must be careful and conscientious caretakers or else our children will not forgive us.

We agree with Dr. Harris when he says: "In 1995 Bermuda still has virtually no protection for our archaeological heritage. Why are we continuing to allow this situation to take place in Bermuda?'' To this newspaper the answer seems to be that a number of people with a careless attitude but a great deal of political clout are heavily involved in the treasure hunting. It is to their discredit.