indictment of the current system of dog control.

No amount of well-meaning legislation such as the recently passed Dogs Act will rectify it.

Some people may question why people should worry about the care and control of dogs when human beings are faced with severe problems as well.

But there has been a rise in the number of potentially dangerous breeds on the Island and standards of dog rearing are on the decline; those are reasons enough.

In the wrong hands, a breed like the Pit bull terrier or the Rottweiler is a dangerous weapon, and there is no question that the dog wardens have their hands full simply rounding up dogs which pose a threat to public safety.

At the same time, dogs in the care of the Dog Warden should receive good care and attention. That is not happening now in the dog kennels.

Whether this is because the wardens are overburdened or because they are incompetent is irrelevant.

The risk is that in the event that the dogs are released and not put down, they will be more dangerous when they emerge than when they went in.

Part of the problem stems from the glacial pace of prosecution in the courts.

Dogs are seized from their owners as part of an investigation, but the case may not come to court for months, or even years, after the incident took place.

If the wardens need more staff, then this is one area where Government should spend the money to ensure the dogs are properly exercised and cared for. At the same time, the physical conditions in the kennels need to be improved.

And Government must address the slow pace of prosecutions -- a problem which applies to humans and canines. Justice delayed is justice denied for man and for man's best friend.

TWA FLOP EDT TWA flop There were hopes that the new TWA direct air route from St. Louis to Bermuda would help tourism arrivals and open new markets for the Island.

So far, there has been little evidence of either happening. The number of passengers using the flight has been dismal.

One one occasion, just six passengers were on the flight while the best performance saw only 50 seats taken on the 145-seat aircraft.

It is hard to see how more could have been done to launch the flight: $1.1 million has been spent on promoting the flight along with the second Delta flight out of Atlanta and road trips were also made to the Midwestern hub.

The good news is that neither TWA nor Tourism has given up on the flight and will now redouble its efforts to promote the flight. It also has to be said that it will take time to develop any new market.

Nonetheless, it may well be that Bermuda's traditional problems of high prices and a mediocre product must be solved before any new (or old) markets can be exploited. The midwestern tourist, with choices ranging from Mexico to Hawaii and Latin America to the Caribbean, will think twice about visiting Bermuda if other destinations can offer better value for money.