I was totally disgusted at the photograph on the front page of today's Royal Gazette (Friday, November 19). The smiling face of the man who commited that terrible act mocks the victim and every law-abiding citizen on the island.

The victim will no doubt suffer for a long time with what has happened while he makes the front page for everyone to see. Surely there was another story that could have used the space taken up by the picture? A.M. SIMMONS Sandys Parish Who placed that ad? November 18, 1999 Dear Sir, Dusty Hind's initiative to publicly apologise to Delaey Robinson has reawakened the sordid issue to me.

Obviously this travesty of insensitivity was not on your watch but on that of David White. Or is that unfair criticism? Under what scrutiny does an advertisement have to pass? Who in The Royal Gazette makes a decision to print or not to print? For instance if I place an ad for a handyman I have been told that I must say handy-person -- so there is a scrutiny process in place, or at least guidelines.

But that ad -- when I opened the paper -- I gasped in astonishment that anyone could have placed it and not predicted the reaction from the black community.

My first cynical thought was that the PLP had placed it to create a backlash.

I don't think Dusty Hind should take the heat for a tasteless desperate ad.

But that is not the subject of this letter. How did your paper allow it to be printed? Does this not adequately demonstrate the total lack of insight to the feelings of the black community? And further show the depth of the gulf between the black and white community? This all might seem strange from me but I take on black activist overstatement as well as white oblivion.

SANDERS FRITH BROWN Warwick Editor's Note: Advertisements are scrutinised by the Editor for decisions on taste and legality. The Delaey Robinson advertisement, while it was sure to be controversial, was not judged to be libellous, nor was it illegal under the Human Rights Act. "The Friends of Pam'' were entitled to comment on the possibility of Mr. Robinson being Finance Minister and if they wished to question his appearance and especially his dreadlocks, then they had that right. In the event, the ad received the judgment it probably deserved -- a resounding rejection in the court of public opinion.

No one questions the right of a person to say something which is sure to be popular -- it is the right to say something which is unpopular or controversial without being defamatory that defines freedom of speech. A newspaper which determined what stories or advertisments are placed purely on the basis of how a particular part of the community would react would be doing a disservice to its readers.

Regiment serves Island November 23, 1999 Dear Sir, On behalf of the Bermuda Regiment, I would like to respond to the missive by Patrick S. Trott who is calling for support to abolish conscription.

Obviously, Mr. Trott is missing many relevant points which he, and all of Bermuda, should consider before making such irrational suggestions. Mr. Trott referred to the spate of soldiers who recently appeared in Magistrates' Court and on this flimsy evidence, offered the statement "these men are possibly the tip of the iceberg''. I am not certain what percentage of an iceberg's mass is above the surface, but these men represent barely one percent of the Bermuda Regiment's total strength. This hardly qualifies as the "tip of the iceberg''. Furthermore, for Mr. Trott's edification, soldiers appearing in Magistrates' Court do not incur a criminal record for military offences.

Whilst we accept that many of our soldiers would prefer not to be in the Regiment, the vast majority of them abide by our disciplinary standards and actually prove to be exemplary soldiers and citizens. Moreover, it is grossly unfair for Mr. Trott to assert that "there are Bermudian men being forced to do something that is detrimental to their well being.'' One only needs to look at the numerous Junior and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, and Commissioned Officers in our ranks to see that the Regiment provides an environment that produces men and women who are leaders. These individuals develop qualities such as strength of character, integrity, respect and commitment and further, most of these persons are voluntarily serving beyond their mandatory period of service.

There are countless people who, upon reflection, readily admit that their experience in the Regiment, albeit against their volition, had a very positive effect on them and helped to "keep them on the straight and narrow''. The contribution that the Regiment makes to this country in terms of offering discipline, life skills and structure to men who would not otherwise receive this is immeasurable. In today's society, we daily see the ramifications of the myriad of social problems afflicting this country such as lack of discipline and respect in our youth. It is an indisputable fact that the vast majority of our soldiers benefit immensely from serving in the Bermuda Regiment, and ultimately, so does the entire country. To discard this fact is to flirt with lunacy.

No right thinking, well-informed person would deny the Regiment is a very necessary component of Bermudian society, particularly in the current social state in which we find ourselves. If one is going to call for the abolition of conscription, then perhaps they could offer an alternative method of inducting men and women into the Regiment, without diminishing its numbers. As long as this country wants to have its young men taught discipline and respect and, until some bright spark offers an alternative, this country has no choice but to conscript.

MAJOR E.J. LAMBE, ED Adjutant The Bermuda Regiment Book is off the mark November 17, 1999 The following letter was sent to Mr. Michael Ingram, care of the Island Press and copied to The Royal Gazette .

Dear Mr. Ingram, "Moods of Bermuda'' is a beautiful publication, gloriously capturing the spirit of the Island and its people. I am proud to have been a contributor.

However, what it didn't portray was that we are a community of complainers, in a kindly way that is, and I am one of its chief gadflies.

One of my perennial peeves is that the islands are forever being said to be located `off the coast of North Carolina'. This is not so, as a glance at a map will reveal. The point is, what is meant by that phrase? Lacking the additional detail that would pinpoint its exact position, one would assume the islands location to be due east of North Carolina. But due east of what part of that state? The fact of the matter is that Bermuda lies 570 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) which places it on the same latitude as Savannah, Georgia. So why is the reference point of Bermuda associated with Cape Hatteras and not Savannah? The answer is that Cape Hatteras is the closest point of land to Bermuda, whereas Savannah, although due west of Bermuda, is 1,000 miles away.

This error has been repeated so many times in so many publications about and by Bermudians, so no blame should be attached to your researchers. But one publication that has got it right is the Heritage Dictionary of the English language. Even our Tourism Department is guilty, in fact more guilty that anyone else.

As Jams Thurber wrote "You could look it up'' (in any Atlas!) As a New Orleans resident (ex-Columbia, Georgia) once asked me, "how can Bermuda have the climate it experiences when it lies off the North Carolina coast''. Surely, from a tourism viewpoint we should be promoting the Savannah Angle.

PETER J. WILLCOCKS City of Hamilton P.S. Readers of The Royal Gazette could be excused for thinking Bermuda to be further south than it is. The daily weather map seems to show that Bermuda and Jacksonville are on the same latitude whereas in reality the Florida city is 30 degrees North and Bermuda 32.20.

Retailers need help now November 16, 1999 Dear Sir, The Government's monthly statistics on the performance of the retail sector in Bermuda are very misleading due to the inclusion of automotive and gasoline sales.

Most months, the statistics show a healthy overall growth curve -- until one looks a bit deeper. For years, the large retailers have faced a consistent decline, which is hidden by the burgeoning sales of cars and gasoline on the Island.

A more honest approach would be to separate automotive-related sales into a "transportation'' index, thus showing the true health of the mainstream retail industry on the Island.

Successive Governments have ignored the needs of the retailers -- and they are crying out for assistance. The department stores and other retailers are a key component of our community -- as employers, taxpayers and providers of the Island's everyday needs. They need the same tax relief and rebuilding incentives that have been granted to the tourism sector on the Island.

The creation of a more accurate retail index will highlight the hardships faced by retailers here -- and the risks posed to Bermudian jobs if the Government does not act soon.

LOOK HARD AT THE NUMBERS Warwick