I am very pleased to report to you and your readers that the Committee of 25's Fund-Raising & Tag Day on August 18, raised $15,078.

This tremendous response reflects the humanitarian spirit guiding the Bermudian public. It was made possible by the hours of services given so freely by so many volunteers. Special thanks must be given to: Taggers, including Mrs. Kay Latter and the Junior Arm at Saltus Junior School.

Members of the Junior Service league, Kiwanis, Lions, Lionesses, Rotary as well as Friends from St. Brendan's, Hope Homes, Diabetic Association and the LCCA.

The ladies who helped to organize collections from the outlying districts. The Accounting firms for providing staff to assist with the cash count. The stores who allowed the use of their shop fronts. The businesses, large and small, who permitted their staff to collect on our behalf. Those who, unable to tag themselves, made individual donations instead and; The Bermuda public who, year after year, assist us in helping children with special needs. We could not do it without you. Thank you, and God bless you, each and every one.

MONA T. O'LEARY Tag Day Co-ordinator Housing Trust is separate September 18, 2000 Dear Sir, Your article in today's paper -- indicating that the Bermuda Housing Corporation is the "umbrella group'' under which the Bermuda Housing Trust operates -- is misleading to say the least.

The Bermuda Housing Trust Act came into being in 1965 as a result of several businessmen and the rector of Christ Church Warwick recognising the need for housing the elderly at reasonable rental rates.

Through their efforts, and with the generous financial assistance of Mr. W.S.

Purvis the trust built some sixty-two units at Elizabeth Hills, Purvis Park and Heydon.

For many, many years the day-to-day functions of the Trust were handled by one man -- Mr. Roderick "Roddy'' Ferguson -- to whom a great number of Bermuda's elderly are very grateful.

In more recent times I am told, the collection of rents and the provision of accounting services were, supposedly, handled by the Bermuda Housing Corporation.

The Bermuda Housing Trust should have a Board of it's own that is responsible for it's day-to-day operations. It is true that the board of the Housing Trust is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Minister of Housing, but the roles of the BHC and the BHT are quite different.

This is especially true in the area of finance. A loss at BHC is covered by a government grant. The Bermuda Housing Trust operates (or should) completely independent of BHC and is sustained by the rentals it collects and the funds that are donated to it, without strings attached, by generous corporate and individual donors.

At the end of the calendar year 1998, I am told, the Bermuda Housing Trust had some $2 million in cash on deposit to undertake building projects at Morgan's Point and Southside.

Unless the acts of the BHC and BHT have been changed within the past eighteen months, the Housing Corporation has no authority to be awarding contracts or building houses for the Trust.

How far are we away from being told that the Housing Trust is merely and extension of the Housing Corporation? And what about the co-mingling of funds? WATCHDOG No comparison September 20, 2000 Dear Sir, A recent news report by the electronic media -- which seems to be in complete and breathless awe of, and in support of, whatever Sir John Swan says or does -- compared his proposal for a boarding school with the Mentor Programme chaired by General Colin Powell.

Are they really comparable? To establish a boarding school (what happened to Nonsuch?): 1. The Government has to be persuaded that it is desirable; 2. money has to be found; 3. qualified staff has to be recruited; 4. considering how long it has taken to make decisions about the Berkeley Institute, two or three generations of youths will have graduated before it was to happen. But suppose the "captains of industry'' had been impressed by Sir John's "very close friend'' -- and why would Sir John's personal friends be newsworthy without their having some social impact? (of course the fact that he invited them to lunch when they would not invite him to have a "cup of tea may be newsworthy!) "The captains of industry'' could all become mentors next week. If someone with the high profile of Sir John were to "mentor'' four or five youths, that is take a personal interest in them, listen to their world view and their problems, encourage their progress, it would have a very different impact from "dumping'' them in a government boarding school because they and their parents were socially incompetent.

If Sir John Swan is serious about following the lead of his "very close friend'', (who gets involved in places like Harlem, even though he is Republican) those who do mentor in Bermuda will tell him that it is going to take a great deal of personal time, personal involvement, personal sacrifice, all invested in those numerous `families at risk' -- and not just luncheons for "captains of industry''.

He is going to have to spend the same time developing relations with those `at risk' that he has spent developing relationships with the `captains of industry'' get involved in mentor programmes long before -- even under the best of circumstances -- a boarding school were to be established.

Mentoring will take the same commitment, even if different skills, from making money. But, at funerals, we never hear how much money the individual had, although we may hear who he helped with that money.

It is always the relationships with other Human Beings that we are encouraged to remember.

However, I am fairly certain, at least I hope, that the media would find Sir John Swan and the `captains of industry' mentoring young people from `Forty-Second Street', Court Street or one of those other places where the `at risk' youths live, or hang out, just as newsworthy as Sir John Swan and the "captains of industry'' at lunch with General Colin Powell, perhaps that would be even more newsworthy! EVA N. HODGSON A coloured perspective September 16, 2000 Dear Sir, I take great exception to Eva Hodgson's recent letter to the Editor.

I can hardly believe she had the nerve to write what she said and I quote: "Why else did so many with the black community vote for a political party for years that clearly had no respect for black people?'' Is she really saying that, over the last thirty years, all black people SHOULD HAVE voted for a PLP Government? Is she saying that black people should not have had a choice? Is she saying that -- whether or not they respected the PLP candidate or whether or not they trusted the PLP candidate or whether or not they felt the PLP candidate could run this country successfully -- that all black people should have voted PLP? This is an intelligent woman speaking and is this what she really thinks? I also resent the fact that she omits to mention the very able and decent human being, a white Bermudian no less, namely Sir Henry Tucker, who worked tirelessly to assist black Bermudians to get ahead.

Miss Hodgson is very well aware of the way Sir Henry fought -- even his close friends -- as he tried to change the status quo because he really wanted black Bermudians to share in the wealth of this Island.

She has conveniently forgotten to mention this truly great man.

I am told that Miss Hodgson is an intelligent lady and I fully understand her desire to want her black brothers to have every and all opportunities afforded them.

She is obviously a staunch PLP supporter and I would ask that she publicly answer the following questions: 1. What does she think about the PLP Government's purchase of new, large cars for their personal use? 2. What does she think about their need to travel first class everywhere and the use of limousines? 3. What does she think about their constant refusal to answer questions put to them by the local press (even President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair have to undergo a grilling by the local press?) 4. What does she think about the huge increase in land taxes AFTER we were promised "no new taxes''? 5. What does she think about the low turnout in the House of Assembly by the PLP members? 6. What does she think about Attorney General (Dame Lois Brown Evans') statement (evidently on tape) regarding the Middleton murder when she said `we don't owe the Middletons anything''? 7. What does she think about the behaviour of the thugs who intimidated people at the recent meeting to discuss long-term residency? She is right about that one though: "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely''.

Miss Hodgson has nothing good to say about any white people, but you can rest assured that Sir Henry Tucker (a white man) treated everyone, black and white, with total respect and would never -- in a million years -- behave like these present PLP MPs.

According to Miss Hodgson though, you can only respect and vote for the PLP -- no matter what their behaviour.

I wonder if Miss Hodgson would publicly answer these questions.

JUST WAITING