the team from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office was copied to the Mid-Ocean News: April 2, 2001 I HEREBY submit my views on the proposed constitutional change in Bermuda. At the end of this submission I have included a brief outline of my political background in order to throw some light on my qualification to make comments on the proposed amendments to Bermuda's Constitution.

I hope that it will further add credence to my knowledge of, and my experiences in, the governing of Bermuda.

In 1968, Responsible Government was introduced to Bermuda. The United Bermuda Party (UBP) was blessed with the leadership of Sir Henry Tucker, an experienced and seasoned politician of many years, an astute businessman, an experienced banker and a leader of men. He wisely had his "Kitchen Cabinet'', about which only a few knew.

In 1998 the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) came into power. It was their first time as the Government; and it was to be expected that they had no knowledge of administering the Public Economy. They need help. Help in financial matters could have come from Bermuda's bankers, financiers and former seasoned politicians, who were willing to help.

After all, Bermuda's welfare is a concern of all Bermudians, irrespective of race. However, the attitude of the PLP Government is such that they would rather go blindly trying to manage the mammoth function of governing and making crucial decisions than take advantage of the expertise and experience of Bermudians who are not of their colour.

There are some facts about Bermuda which you may not know. Bermuda is very much different in racial composition from the British islands to the South. It is not an island of freed African slaves and a small number of former English whites.

The indigenous Bermudians of colour are racially mixed; and they have been so long before emancipation. They are mixed with English blood, African blood and in many instances with American Indian blood. Many are mixed with Portuguese.

Some slaves were brought in from Cuba; and so, from there came a mixture of Spanish and African to Bermuda.

There has been a continued mixture through the years. Bermuda has a Government whose members have expressed a dislike of white people. Perhaps quite by accident, Bermuda has no indigenous Bermudians in its Government.

With the Boundaries Commission controlled by the Premier's final word, and with a smaller number of representatives in the House -- as will result from a "one-man, one-vote'' system -- the PLP will be given a gateway to their most desired dream of a Republic.

From earliest times in our history, Bermuda had 36 members in the Assembly.

That number was only increased to 40 when the Constitution was promulgated in 1968. Everyone knows that over the years, Bermuda's population has increased tremendously. For example, in 1911 the census reported 19,000 people. In 1990, the number had increased to 60,553. With this ever increasing population and the complexities of our modern-day living, it would follow that responsibilities in Government would be increased proportionately.

I believe that it would be retrogressive to decrease the numbers in Parliament, when responsibilities are greater -- with broadened and more complex portfolios. With fewer members in the House to carry out this increasing workload, visits to constituents -- an important and integral part of the democratic system -- would be severely compromised.

The composition of Bermuda's workforce cannot be overlooked. With a reduced Parliament it follows that full-time Ministers would be a necessity. The cost would be phenomenal. To make such changes with a failing economy and a debt-ridden country is a pathway to disaster. With full-time Ministers, which would be a necessity in Government, what happens to the livelihood of the dismissed Ministers? Will full-time Ministers be guaranteed full pensions for life in a country in which the pensions for the elderly are miserly, and in which a Government cannot provide free prescriptions for the poor elderly? In a country that appears rich but cannot provide sufficient police to protect its people? I do not think that the Government has given practical thought to the consequences of the fanciful proposal of "one-man, one-vote''. Also, I reinforce that having the Boundaries Commission under the power of the Premier should not be a part of a Constitution that belongs to the people of Bermuda and not to the Government in power.

I implore you to consider first and foremost the people of Bermuda, whose ancestors of all colours built and made Bermuda what it is today. Most of all, the democratic process should be ever present and evident in our deliberations.

It is therefore my opinion that the preferred method of constitutional change must be by way of a referendum. It is the people's country. And it is the people's future.

GLORIA J. MCPHEE, OBE A serious error March 23, 2001 IN today's edition of your paper there is a front page article on the planting of mangroves at the eastern end of Crow Lane Harbour, in which there is a serious error, or several, which it is perplexing to imagine how anyone could have made. Your reporter has been poorly informed.

It is stated that the house now known as "Moonray Manor is more than one hundred years old. In the past it was a school for the children of the British garrison stationed in Prospect, Pembroke.'' This much enlarged building is indeed more than "one hundred years old'', having been built in 1836. Prospect is in Devonshire, not Pembroke, but the most extraordinary error is that it was a school for "the children of the British garrison''.

This was the Lane School, built in 1836 on the portion of the Pembroke/Devonshire Glebe overlooking Bond's Bay. This was the first or second school (Paget Glebe was the other one at the time), provided by the English Missionary Society, SPG (Society for the Propagation of the Gospel), through the efforts of Archdeacon Spencer.

The Hon. Aubrey George Spencer was Bermuda's first Archdeacon, and was responsible for the provision of some 13 such schools, the purpose for which was to provide a Christian education for the newly emancipated slaves. This particular school was also used as a Chapel and a Sunday School in which Miss Ann Butterfield Hinson, founder of Pembroke Sunday School, used to teach on Sunday afternoons.

The Lane School was an excellent institution and its first teacher, Mr.

Agustus Swan who taught there for at least its first ten years is always associated with it.

Today, Archdeacon Spencer is seldom given credit for the great work that he did. Later he became the Bishop of Newfoundland, of which diocese Bermuda was a part and Bishop Spencer School was named in his memory. Unfortunately, this school was closed and Spencer's contribution has been forgotten.

JOYCE D. HALL Pembroke Brilliant Opinion April 9, 2001 TIM Hodgson -- you've done it again and I thank you so very much for a brilliantly written Opinion ( Mid-Ocean News , April 6).

Not only did you have the courage to say what you said, you (and your paper) also had the courage to actually print this on the front page. A farce indeed.

From where I was sitting I was even able to view some of Mr. Ian Hendry's so called "note taking''. Connect the dots -- that might have been a better way to describe his "note taking'' (doodling?). Talk about a "done deal''! Sadly (and ironically), the more of us who actually showed up (in the mistaken belief that we were actually being LISTENED to) only served as more fodder for their cannon and their continued insistence on the "transparency and openness'' of this so called process. The whole charade was as open and transparent as Jennifer Smith's actions to date.

I fear you may be right Mr. Hodgson. This is only the beginning.

PHILIPPA METSCHNABEL Southampton Gloria McPhee: Appeal