I am hopeful that Minister Paula Cox reads your paper -- particularly the comments by Sir John Swan and the letter to yourself from Mr. Williams.

There is no question from whence comes our income -- we export nothing but memories or perhaps our reputation. The "exempt'' companies are here at their convenience/pleasure, not ours.

At least, they are our partners, or our guests. We cannot allow the PLP and a few of their rabid "intellects'' to be confused about who butters our bread.

Put simply, the hundreds of millions of dollars they put on the table trickles, no cascades in torrents, down through the community. The tourism well is drying up -- whether it was the UBP's fault or the BIU's fault (for accelerating prices which made Bermuda non-competitive) or a combination of factors, is academic.

The Immigration Department creates a horrendous bureaucratic nightmare, as I even know from my own experience, although on a one-on-one base I find the individual civil servants courteous and helpful. But in fairness they thread a precarious tight rope -- trying to support the aspirations of Bermudians yet cater to the needs of the exempt companies.

A problem arises when too many Bermudians, remember I call them the lost tribe of Atlantis, think they can demand a salary that they don't deserve and I command this issue is further exacerbated by our race conflict.

The Black community has a paranoia, a suspicion and an anger that for too long they have been overlooked for less qualified white or non-Bermudians. Remember Hamilton in the 1950's -- there was not one black person in the Banks or stores -- not one! But the need to address this cannot be taken out on the exempt companies -- they will simply leave if we drag them into this fight.

So what is the answer -- patience, reality and most of all education for those who can perform competitively. The exempt company workforce is head-hunted from the vast intellectual and experienced resource of the European and North-American continent -- some 500 million people or ten thousand times our population. Many of them have gained years of experience in this bigger arena.

Yes there are perhaps a thousand Bermudians with the intellectual capacity to do some of these jobs but they need the experience. Cynically, I often say that to get this experience they need to take a job from someone else in another country. But having got this job, how many Bermudians are willing to leave their island home for five, ten or fifteen years -- to earn the right to `command' a salary to which they feel entitled? Robert Stewart called the PLP a socialist government -- I agree with him. A socialist, read in the Mid Ocean Editorial, is someone who wants to share, but brings nothing to the table. So to the PLP I say bring your young to the table with positive work ethics, with experience and with education.

This is not a quick fix Ms Paula Cox -- you need to embark on a twenty-year plan, and included in this plan there should not be unrealistic agenda set by your party.

I support an education strategy with a view to addressing the racial imbalance -- remember, my wife and I have been sending a black child to my alma mater, Warwick Academy for eight years. I suggest that some of the PLP activists support Berkeley Institute or some other school. And even more important, deal with the poorly, or even totally inadequately-parented children that our society continues to produce.

How can a fifteen-year-old girl support a child, educate herself and contribute to the human resource needed to support our exempt companies? Unless it is to perform a menial manual job.

As usual, every problem in Bermuda has a racial overtone or undertone (undercurrent). Most of our problems are social, not racial but we (not including myself, of course) are confused.

The PLP promised to operate in the full "sunshine of public scrutiny''. I have been calling Ms Paula Cox (as well as Terry Lister, Dame Lois Browne Evans and Dr. Ewart Brown) for six months to try to at least be a voice of concern and reason. My only forum or platform is your column, Mr. Editor. I will send this by registered letter to Ms Paula Cox as well in case she avoids the messenger.

SANDERS FRITH-BROWNE Warwick In the wrong direction February 2, 2000 Dear Sir, I feel compelled to write my first letter to you to express my concerns and sadness at the direction our elected Immigration Officials are taking us.

I am a Bermudian woman who has been in the local work force for 20 years. For most of those years, I have been employed by a total of five International companies, the last of which I'm still with and have been for five years this March. The investment that these companies made in me during my years with them is without comparison, and truly quite astounding. I was given, and continue to receive, in-house, local and overseas training at no cost to myself whatsoever. These companies go above and beyond expectations when it comes to benefits and training. I have worked very hard and have attained a title and career that I am very proud of and extremely happy in.

I would like to digress slightly to comment on STW Fixed Income Management, and William Williams, for whom I worked briefly in 1994. When he decided to relocate STW to Bermuda, he sent people from his California offices, to interview Bermudians. Five of us were taken to Santa Barbara for training by the people we were replacing, for nine weeks, airline tickets, lodging and rental cars fully paid for. It was an amazing opportunity for all of us, and we all are the richer for it. I actually left STW months later for a wonderful opportunity with the company I am with now. STW wished me all the best. I have the utmost respect for Mr. Williams and what he has done and continues to do for Bermuda and Bermudians. It truly saddens me to think that he and others like him will eventually be forced to leave Bermuda to maintain their current level of operation.

I currently work for an investment firm that employs 45 staff, 37 of which are Bermudians. Again, the commitment is here, as it is with many other International companies. Many of us here are very thankful for the opportunities available to us, and are very proud of our positions and work extremely hard to maintain them. I personally feel very threatened by the current state of affairs and the direction in which they are going. My sons are tenth generation Bermudian, and should have the same opportunities available in their future as their parents have been fortunate enough to have.

I can sadly see, as Mr. Williams states, that there will be a slow exodus of International companies from Bermuda if these work permit policies are upheld, and we will lose what we have worked so hard to hold on to, and our children will never be given the chance.

MRS. SHAWN L. HOLLIS Smith's Parish It's time to wake up February 1, 2000 Dear Sir, Each week I purchase the Mid Ocean News in order to read Tim Hodgson's Opinion. Although no expert, I think they are beautifully written, amazingly insightful and gets right to the very heart of the matter. I wonder though if anyone is listening! Where are the 45% of the voters who voted UBP -- are you listening and why are you not speaking up -- why are you leaving it to a few people who have the courage to speak out?! I am quite sure that the actions by the PLP Government are not what the PLP supporters had in mind when they voted PLP! Surely not a champagne and first class life-style while the rest of us have two or three jobs just to make ends meet? Surely not evey rule and legislation possible which must be conformed to ("at our peril'') as small business in Bermuda struggles to survive.

Remember Bermuda, bad things happen when good people do nothing. Perhaps the "bad things'' are already happening. Will we wake up one day only to discover that our beautiful Bermuda is no longer prosperous, no longer attractive to the outside world and no longer able to attract either tourists or international business? Because I own a small business I regretfully must resort to a pen name.

EXTREMELY WORRIED Southampton Some key facts on towers February 3, 2000 Dear Sir, Readers may be interested in the following cellular tower information. Dr.

Henry Lai, of the University of Washington has concluded that long-term exposure to low levels of cellular tower radiation is the same as high levels for a short time.

The public is exposed to low level long term radiation while the cell tower workers have time limits in place for short-term high exposure. Is that fair? 2. Schools in the UK are now warning parents of the dangers of letting children use cellular phones.

3. Toronto Board of Health recommended that the exposure limits from cellular towers should be kept 100 times lower than the Canadian Federal Guidelines.

4. Italy for example already has guidelines 100 times lower than FCC limits.

Anyone interested in finding out more information CARE (Community Against Radiation Emissions) will be showing a short documentary on health hazards from cellular towers. Admission is free. It will be on Wednesday February 9, at 7.30 pm held at Christ Church Hall in Warwick. Everyone is welcome.

CARE SUPPORTER Warwick