Amidst all the Telephone Company's whining about the injustice of their current situation, there is a statement that Bermuda enjoys the lowest basic telephone rate in the western world. I am aware of telephone rates in a number of areas in North America and in every case they are substantially lower than Bermuda's... and invariably local area calls are free.

The Telephone Company, through its monopoly, has given appalling service to the public over the years and has developed a large and non-productive workforce in the process.

We need an outside inquiry to ascertain who is telling the truth -- rather than a Telecommunications Commission which does not know what it is doing, and tries to be all things to all people.

What we really need is true unregulated competition and then BTC would have to either fish or cut bait.

OBSERVER City of Hamilton BTC policies unrealistic February 6, 1999 Dear Sir, The decisions made by Telco's present (mostly Canadian) management seem to have no basis in reality. Their policies seem to have been formulated for use in poor, backward, Third World countries where unemployment (and under-employment) are rampant and employees are used like disposable tools.

Well Alice (and friends), you're not in Canada (Kansas) any more. Workers in Bermuda have the BIU to protect them.

CURTIS D. DAWSON Spanish Point Gazette beware! February 16, 1999 Dear Sir, The barely concealed glee with which your organ has greeted each stage of the dismemberment of the Bermuda Telephone Company by successive Governments may be somewhat premature.

You would be well advised to consider the overall precedents which are now being set as they might also apply to The Royal Gazette , in view of the PLP's well known dislike and distrust of the daily paper.

It also does you no credit to act as a mouthpiece for a certain unnamed Civil Servant whose personal agenda includes the subjugation of Telco. Not to mention the impunity with which that same Civil Servant flouts General Orders by regularly leaking sensitive information to the media.

SHAREHOLDER City of Hamilton Wish list for 1999 February 3, 1999 Dear Sir, I've been debating with myself as to whether I should share my 1999 wish list, but finally decided to do so, hoping that somebody might be able to help in bringing it to pass.

Here it is. I would like to see some sort of reconciliation between the PLP and the NLP to the extent where Mr. Austin Thomas and Mr. Lionel Simmons represent the PLP again in Parliament. I would like to see Mr. Thomas team up with Mr. George Scott in Paget West, and they take those two seats. Then I would like Mr. Simmons to be on board to take over from Mr. Eugene Cox and together with Mr. Dennis Lister, be my Representative, for Sandy's North. Some may argue that I am unreasonable to take these men away from the NLP to bring them back to the PLP, but I am not convinced about that.

My way of looking at it is that, I think that both of these men still have something to offer this country by way of government. If they were to remain with the NLP and the NLP was to indeed form the Government one day, that would be so far down the road that they wouldn't be a part of it then. Time is not on their side. Therefore, the time for them to come on board is now.

By the way, as Peter Faulk would say on "Colombo'', "I have a hunch'' that Ms. Patrice Parris is Parliament material, so take note somebody. I can hardly wait to see her get her seat.

RENDOL JAMES Sandys Parish The true new millennium February 12, 1999 Dear Sir, This submission was prompted to the letter written by M. Smith dated February 1, 1999.

I agree with the letter writer that the proof-reading of The Royal Gazette could be improved. However I do realise that certain errors are bound to occur despite the best intentions of the authors and the proof readers. Very few publications here, or anywhere, are flawless. Certainly The Royal Gazette 's record is better than that of the competition.

There is one topic, however, where I believe The Royal Gazette could improve upon its reporting. That is the subject of the approaching new millennium. The new millennium will begin January 1, 2001. While I can understand that many people are looking forward to celebrating the arrival of 2000, there will still be one more year to wait until the present century ends. As Bermuda's premier source of news I believe The Royal Gazette has a duty to attempt to educate the population on this point, rather than continue to propagate erroneous information.

Instead of our Government spending $1 million to celebrate the incorrect day we could focus our efforts and spending on the correct day. It appears that we could be one of the few locations in the world planning to honour the true new millennium.

STILL COUNTING City of Hamilton UBP must learn February 18, 1999 Dear Sir, Can the UBP be so bereft of candidates that they need to run Maxwell Burgess or Jerome Dill in Paget West? We were told that the UBP needed strength in the Senate -- Maxwell Burgess. Obviously if Jerome Dill was Deputy Leader he was valued by the Party.

I actually have considerable respect for both men's intellect. I stood toe to toe with them as they pursued their Independence dream. In fact, they were co-authors of the Green Paper on Independence -- a flawed paper in every aspect -- but I respect them for standing up for their beliefs.

But this is not about my opinion of either man. The "new'' UBP still has learned nothing. Both men were soundly defeated in the recent election. Why run them in a "safe seat''? If they are so good, run them in a marginal seat in the next election where they can pull undecided voters. But, being a "UBP gadfly'' (your former Editor's description) and not a "back room guru'' of the PLP, I am sure my advice will be ignored.

The other issue is about Parish constituency participation in the various branches. Has UBP Central learned nothing? I sat on both the Warwick West and Warwick East Branches over the past five years. All they really discussed were bake sales and putting up playgrounds on the South Shore -- maybe because they had no real function.

The tragic death of Madeline Joell reminds me of the recent by-election following Dr. John Stubbs' death. Dr. Grant Gibbons, having been badly defeated in a Primary in Smith's South by Trevor Moniz (who according to your past Editor "has nothing to offer'') insinuated himself in Paget East leaving only some few hours for possible challengers to get the necessary ten votes.

He was swept into office and is now considered indispensable: "The only man who can run our economy!'' I do not impugn Dr. Gibbons obvious intellect but will the UBP ever learn? Your constituents want some voice in who represents them. For too long the UBP has put up candidates chosen by UBP Central. I was told some two years ago that I could not run in Warwick because I wasn't black. Who do we say plays "race politics''? Finally, why am I giving the UBP all this advice? If I were asked, I would be honoured to run for the PLP in Paget West. As has been said many times, only the white Community can integrate the PLP. It is high time for this to happen.

Having been told for 30 years that the PLP could not run Bermuda, I and many others think they are doing beautifully. Premier Smith has been, to say the least, magnaminous in victory.

SANDERS FRITH-BROWN Warwick