Government is paying former Royal Gazette News Editor Mr. Don Grearson $51,600 a year to do public relations work for the Base Transition Office. The salary is for a 24-hour work week, with no vacation or benefits, a Government spokesman said. The personal service contract with Mr. Grearson is for up to one year, he said. Incorrect information provided by Government Information Services appeared in an article last week.

Government was not required to advertise the part-time post it recently awarded to Royal Gazette News Editor Mr. Don Grearson, a spokesman said yesterday.

"There is no job, per se,'' director of Government Information Services Mr.

Gavin Shorto told The Royal Gazette . "There is some part-time work assisting GIS with the P.R. work at the Base Transition Office.'' In the public service, Government posts had to be advertised, but a part-time job expected to last 12 to 18 months did not, he said.

Mr. Grearson, a Canadian who is married to a Bermudian, left the Royal Gazette on Friday after ten years with the newspaper. He is to sign a contract with Government today and is likely to start work within the next week.

Working about three days a week, he is to be paid an hourly rate based on an annual salary of $51,600, without benefits.

The appointment came under fire from Opposition MPs in the House of Assembly on Friday, who complained the post was not advertised.

Mr. Grearson's job will include compiling a written history of the Bases.

"It's a very significant project for Bermuda,'' Mr. Shorto said. "The Government is anxious to make sure it has a fairly comprehensive record of what goes on.'' He said the Base Transition Office was doing work that was "very intense, very wide-ranging, and getting more complex by the day. I don't think it's going to be the least bit surprising that we'll be looking for a little help to do as good a job as we can in explaining it.''