charities need full-time work permits, then we are in for a difficult and expensive time. A huge amount of volunteer work is done in Bermuda by people on work permits or by the wives of men on work permits who do not themselves have jobs. No one should underestimate the value to Bermuda of that work both in terms of the success of our charities and in terms of the financial contribution which that labour represents. As examples, if the hospitals had to pay for the services now provided by the Women's Hospitals Auxiliary, our hospital costs would be much greater than they are now. Without volunteers, many of them non-Bermudian, Bermuda's largest charity, the Bermuda National Trust could not exist.

The Centre for Philanthropy has decided in its wisdom to make it public that it has uncovered the fact that a full-time work permit is required in certain instances for non-Bermudian volunteer assistance. It would seem that there are ample safeguards in place to prevent people from taking jobs from Bermudians, especially poorly-paid jobs with charities. We doubt very seriously if there are charities breaking the Immigration rules and, at worst, there might be a technical breach without intent.

The Centre for Philanthropy, which has often seemed to us to be in search of a useful function, is doubtless well-intentioned but it would probably have been much wiser to let this sleeping dog lie very quietly. Maybe it was only a question of misplaced good intentions.

Whatever the reason, they will now have done three things quite successfully: They will have alarmed those who run local charities, most of them hard-working volunteers.

They will have made non-Bermudian potential volunteers very nervous for fear they might cross the bow on the Department of Immigration or incur the wrath of the PLP's Alex Scott by volunteering.

They will have sent a signal to Immigration that maybe it should be poking about in the affairs of volunteer organisations. Volunteers will find that a hassle.

All of the above is best done without. Today's volunteer organisations already have plenty of stress generated by the constant demands of fund raising.

Charities should not be confused with businesses. It may be that they are often run in a business-like way, but the fact that their work is on a volunteer basis means that they deserve careful handling. Largely they fulfil functions which would have to be paid for out of public funds if the charity did not exist.

It seems to us that the Centre for Philanthropy's idea that volunteer organisations should give the Immigration Department a list of the names and addresses of their non-Bermudian volunteers is an unnecessary burden on charities. It would probably also have the effect of "snowing under'' the Immigration Department.

It would be a great loss to Bermuda if anyone placed the charities in a position where their volunteers felt badly done by. To the credit of everyone local, this is a Country of volunteers, disrupt that and you have a serious problem.

We thought the Centre for Philanthropy was here to help.