Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety.

Bermuda Hotel Association executive vice-president Mr. John Harvey said Sonesta Beach Hotel, Southampton Princess Hotel, Belmont Hotel, and Marriott's Castle Harbour Hotel had hired a solicitor to go before the Chief Justice to stop the matter of five dismissals from the hotels going to arbitration.

Mr. Harvey said five dismissals, which went back to 1991, were suddenly being sent for arbitration. He said the hotels believed it was unreasonable to raise the matter which they thought had been settled.

"The hotels are saying to the Minister that we think it is very unreasonable to be putting these matters before a third party having thought they were resolved.'' He stressed that the hotels wanted the matter "quashed'' because they could not deal with new business while someone dragged up old matters.

Last night the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety the Hon.

Quinton Edness said he was not aware of the writ.

He said he would release a statement today after he had a chance to examine it.

PLP CRIME REPORT IS `BACK ON TRACK' PTL PLP crime report is `back on track' The Progressive Labour Party's promised review of the root causes of Bermuda's crime problems is yet to surface almost one year after the committee was formed.

Mr. Frederick Wade, leader of the PLP, said that the Independence Referendum had upset the crime review committee's work but it was now back on track.

"The first draft of the report is before the committee,'' Mr. Wade said.

"But what really slowed us down was the referendum. It got in our way.

"Since the referendum is over we are now reviewing the survey we did of several hundred houses which slowed us down because it took some time.

"I expect to have something before the House resumes which I could make public or at least discuss publicly.'' The PLP formed the in-house committee last October to look into the root causes of crime in the Island.

Since then it has met with residents in community meetings to gauge feelings about recent increases in burglaries, armed robberies and drug offences.

The first meeting was held at the Leopards Club last December.

US STUDENT FINED FOR CRACK CTS US student fined for crack A 25-year-old American student at New York University was fined $900 when she admitted possessing a rock of crack cocaine and four glass pipes.

Nadiair Cherikaqui pleaded guilty to the offences in Magistrates' Court this week.

Sgt. Rex Osborne prosecuting, said customs officers searched Cherikaqui's bags. Inside a film canister they found a rock of crack cocaine. They also found four plastic straws and four glass pipes. The rock of crack cocaine weighed 5.53 grams.

Acting Magistrate the Wor. Edward King fined Cherikaqui $750 for possessing the crack and $150 for the drug equipment.