All he wants, says Walter Saul, owner of Bermuda Pest Control, is decent, dependable, employees. But a "storm in a teacup" was generated by a Help Wanted advert placed in this newspaper. And Mr. Saul says he has received dozens of expressions of support from a wide cross-section of the community.

The advert, which focused on the personal qualities of applicants, was criticised by BIU president Derrick Burgess for requiring that applicants not have current or pending court cases and be free of child support debts.

And Acting Executive Officer of the Human Rights Commission, David Wilson, said those requirements contravened the spirit of the Human Rights Act and came "perilously close" to violating it.

But Mr. Saul says that the critics themselves are missing the spirit of the ad's intent. Besides, he told The Royal Gazette, dozens of people have expressed their support since an article about the controversy ran in Saturday's newspaper.

"I have been getting a real education on what the term `a storm in a teacup' really means," he said.

Feedback had been "almost entirely positive," he added. "In fact no-one has approached me with anything bad to say about it."

He said the "personal qualities" listed in the ad were "something any employer is looking for". And Mr. Saul criticised this newspaper for an editorial which he said mis-stated the ad's stipulation on child support debt.

"They left out the word `back' and that was very crucial to what I'm trying to say, he said. `'Back child support payments are not the same thing as owing child support payments. I've got several staff that pay child support payments and I don't mind that," he said.

"It's when they go out to look for a job knowing that the Police are looking for them for this ungodly amount of money that they have owed for years - I've got a problem with that."

And he said the references to current or pending court cases did not refer to speeding offences. "I'm talking about people who are up for drug convictions or they have court dates they didn't show up for - there's warrants out for them. I'm not talking about speeding tickets."

He said that between 12 and 15 people from all walks of life had stopped him to tell him "it's about time somebody actually put the wording in an ad of what people are actually talking about all the time". And he has also received a dozen phone calls in support.

Mr. Saul said he was pleased with the staff he had and just wanted to keep it that way.

"Because if people don't have these basic work ethic qualities the company suffers,'' he said. `'If you asked around I think you will find that Bermuda Pest Control has a sterling record in working with every possible work-release programme out there."

One of the two vacant posts advertised has already been filled. Mr. Saul said the new employees will start out doing tent fumigation but will be cross trained.