That bill keeps a staggering 88 Government-paid-for GP cars on the roads.

That's without including the cost to the taxpayer of purchasing the cars.

Yesterday's newspaper carried a list of eight cabinet ministers who have the luxury of a car paid for by the taxpayer. To his credit, the Finance Minister Dr. David Saul is not on the list. He prefers to run but he must have to agree for the rest to drive and ride. Yesterday's newspaper also included a list of the Government departments which have cars available to their Permanent Secretaries or their civil servants.

Cars are a very special problem in Bermuda and we are staggered that Government would not understand that it cannot have one rule for itself and another rule for the public. Government already tried that with human rights legislation. There is very strong feeling, even among top supporters of the Government, about the growing number of GP cars on the roads, especially during a recession.

Government cars are not just a cash issue, although that issue goes deep enough. Government cars involve the environmental issue of more and more cars on the roads. But, more than that, Government cars involve the moral issue of Government providing for its Ministers, its civil servants and its workers facilities which it denies to other Bermudians by the correct enforcement of the one car per household rule. That smells.

We have no problem with the Premier having an official car because he must represent Bermuda well, keep up an image and cope with foreign visitors who cannot be carted around on a bus.

We understand that some civil servants need a car because they are required to be on the road all the time. Health visitors are a good example.

However we see no reason why Cabinet Ministers cannot use their own cars just as the rest of the people have to do. We doubt if very many Cabinet ministers have more "running around'' the Country to do than most Bermudians who are restricted to one car per household.

Government will reply that it cannot expect people to do their job if they do not have transportation. That is no defence because every business in Bermuda which is not totally office-bound could use the same argument. We all make do with one car and there is no reason that Government cannot.

Government's leader in the Senate, Senator Michael Winfield has said Government is looking at reducing the cars and has said: "We are extremely serious about cutting costs.'' We certainly hope so. Before Government leaves 88 GP cars on the road and cuts the ferry service for economy, thus increasing road traffic, we hope it will cut the GP cars. We expect Government will do the honourable thing and cut GP cars before it cuts any social services.