Dear Sir, "Lest our feet stray from the places our God, where we met Thee, Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, true to our native land.'' James Weldon Johnson.

Oftimes, I have been told, "Muriel, maybe if you kept quiet you would get a job. Perhaps, if you stop fighting the system, you will get a job.'' Fellow Bermudians, I have accepted the fact that I may never get a job in Bermuda. Consequently, getting a job is secondary. I have joined the ranks with my ancestors and some of you who have realised there is a tremendous price to pay when you choose to fight for freedom, justice and equality for all Bermudians, all women and all blacks and equal educational opportunities for all of Bermuda's children.

During the 1980s I heard a message by Dr. David Gibbs entitled, "Preference or Conviction.'' Dr. Gibbs, the president of the Christian Law Association, stated that when one has a conviction about something; family, friends, money, threat of a law suit, jail and not even death would stop one from holding tenaciously to his or her convictions.

This message greatly impacted my life and has helped me to focus on issues rather than personalities. As a result, it is my firm belief that the issue, at the Bermuda College, with respect to the renewal of the contract of a non-Bermudian, Dr. Donald Peters, and the hiring of a born and bred Bermudian, Dr. Larita Alford, who has tried unsuccessfully, on three occasions, to be employed at the Bermuda College so that she can give something back to the society that produced her, is Bermudianisation.

Bermudianisation knows no race, no creed, no colour, no economic status, no gender, no class, and no religious affiliation. If you claim to be a Bermudian, then, the decision that will be made by the Board of Governors affects all Bermudians. To remain silent is acceptance. Our Bermuda National Anthem says: "We go from heart to heart and strength to strength, the privilege is mine to sing, `Hail to Bermuda,' Because this island's mine.'' On November 9, 1998, on Bermuda's date with destiny, we, the people of Bermuda elected a Government that promised to be of the people, by the people, and for all of the Bermudian people. A vote for the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party was a vote for democracy. The platform of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party promised us the following: 1. A Progressive Labour Party Government will put Bermuda first, as we have always put Bermudians first.

2. A Progressive Labour Party Government is committed to the mobilization of the talent of every Bermudian.

3. We will work towards accountability and transparency in all areas of governance and where our Government will operate in the sunshine of public scrutiny.

4. The Premier stated, "I give you my word that every undertaking in this Platform is a pledge to the Bermudian people.'' 5. We will ensure that qualified Bermudians come first in the job market.

6. We will make Bermuda work better for all Bermudians.

7. "...Yet there remains a widely held belief, within the community, that Bermudians are not able to realise their full potential or to get a fair deal in their own country.'' THIS MUST CHANGE.

8. We will work assiduously to remove areas of gender discrimination.

9. Our policy is that a Bermudian, when qualified, must be the preferred applicant, when all other considerations are equal.

10. We will move swiftly to institute relevant measures to ensure equal opportunity and fair practices in the workplace in Bermuda.

11. We are ever conscious of our enduring obligation to right the structural wrongs that continue to deny the majority of Bermudians the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Fellow Bermudians, the ball is in your court. We cannot remain silent like in the past. We must hold this government accountable for its decisions. Make your voices heard. Do we truly want a new Bermuda? Make it happen. It will not happen simply because you want it and the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party promised it. Do we really want a new Bermuda that will be a model democracy and a place of equality, safety, peace, prosperity and justice for all? Let us unite our forces and fight together to preserve the unique characteristic of our greatness -- we, the Bermudian people.

DR. MURIEL M. WADE-SMITH Smith's Parish Stop all the graffiti June 4, 1999 Dear Sir, I've just got off the phone calling both talk-show stations, because I'm so annoyed at what's happening around our Island at this time. So I'm asking Mr.

Editor for this medium to further "Get the word out'', in the hope that something will be done and done soon.

For quite some time now, someone has been going around vandalising everything in sight with what appears to be their "signatures''. The new litter bins around the city are their usual targets, but I've noticed other places lately like the wall surrounding BAA field, the bus shelter on North Shore Road below Government House, the Lane next to the Green Lantern Restaurant, and the south exit of Washington Lane. I'm sure there are other places around that I haven't seen as well.

Mr. Editor, this graffiti is very distinct and is easily recognisable. Someone knows who is doing this and should report the perpetrator. If this person is found he/she should be punished by being made to "clean it up in'' broad daylight as this might prove to be a deterrent in the future.

Also if this person feels the need to, "display their artistic ability then he/she should be given a space on the wooden panels on Reid Street extension that was pictured in this morning's Royal Gazette .

CONCERNED Smith's Parish Why are rentals so high? June 7, 1999 Dear Sir.

Every day there are articles in the paper relating to the cost of housing in Bermuda. At the high end of the market, we have exorbitant amounts being charged for executive class housing. The pressure at this end of the market affects all of the market resulting in higher rents for all of Bermuda. Why are our executive rentals so high? In any market there is a supply and a demand for goods. If demand goes up and supply is restricted (as in the Bermuda housing market) this will tend to drive the price of the goods up. This is known as an efficient market.

However, one underlying principle in the efficient market is that the buyer and seller of the goods will reap all the risks or returns relating to that sale. Based on each party's needs they will negotiate a price that is in their best interest. Often in the Bermuda market this is not the case. For example, an employee will be brought to the Island and be told that he will be provided with $10,000 per month to compensate him for the high cost of housing in Bermuda. The problem is that in many cases the housing allowance is only paid to the employee once proof has been received that he is paying that amount in rent, (the proof being the signed lease).

What is the effect of this arrangement? We have lost the assumption that both the buyer and the seller of the goods will reap the risks and rewards of the contract. In this case it is the buyer of the goods who no longer risks anything in the negotiation of the price of his/her housing (as long as he/she stays below $10,000). This results in an inefficient market, where only the supplier is concerned about the price and the rewards of the contract.

What is the effect of this inefficient market? The employee goes to see two properties owned by Landlord A and Landlord B. Property A is on the market for $8,000 and Property B for $10,000. Both are lovely estates with a pool and large lawn. However Property B is situated quite near to a main road, while Property A is quite secluded. With a comparable pool and lawn, in an efficient market economy the prospective tenant would likely select Property A. With our arrangement, however, he may select Property B. Why? There will be a perception that the $10,000 property should be better than the $8,000 property. What are the costs to the prospective tenant? There is no financial cost whatsoever as the employer will pay the additional $2,000 on receipt of the signed lease. He made an incorrect decision because he was not responsible for the risks (costs) of the contract. Landlord A's Real Estate agent wisely advises the owner: "You have a very lovely property, the only problem is that you aren't charging enough for it.'' The new price for Property A? $10,000 per month.

Meanwhile, the employee who so casually threw money around in his/her housing negotiations, is spotted haggling over the price of a second-hand Yamaha 80 in an attempt to get the price down from $300 to $250. What's the difference? The $50 saved goes into his/her pocket.

This market inefficiency could be eliminated if legislation was drawn up banning this type of housing allowance arrangement. The employer would instead pay the employee an allowance of $10,000 per month regardless of what he pays in rent. What would the effect be? The employee might rent Property A (for $8,000), or he/she may cram their family into that 2 bedroom apartment for $2,500 per month and pocket the difference. The bottom line would be that by reintroducing an efficient market economy the price for executive rentals would drop, and ultimately the housing allowances paid by the companies would follow. This downward pressure would eventually affect even the lower priced housing on the island.

FED UP WITH BERMUDA'S RENTS Hamilton Parish