A scathing attack was yesterday launched on Government for its treatment of Bermuda's young -- and sporting stars.

Shadow Sports Minister Dr. Ewart Brown went on the offensive over the National Stadium. He said "whizz kids'' had managed to build the prison on time. And yet the stadium -- a symbol of national pride -- was still unfinished.

Dr. Brown hit out as MPs resumed the Throne Speech in the House of Assembly.

It was the rookie MP's maiden speech, and it went down well with his colleagues.

Dr. Brown drew links between the Island's sporting pride, and the success of young people in their lives. "National pride is an issue,'' he said.

The Progressive Labour Party was determined to offer constructive activities to Bermuda's young. "The PLP is committed to the sport of our young people.'' Dr. Brown also took a shot at Government for its treatment of Bermuda's 1992 Olympian athletes. They have been treated in a disgusting and shabby way, he said.

He added the athletes would be honoured at a reception next month -- more than a year after the Olympics. The athletes' achievements were despite Government, cried Dr. Brown.

He also attacked the Elite Athletes Assistance Programme.

Earlier Dr. Brown underlined the message of his Warwick West constituents at the October 5 election. He said they had called for change by booting out the Hon. Sir John Sharpe.

"I am here this morning because of the people of Warwick West.'' Dr. Brown said 27 years ago he had committed himself to freedom and justice, and the eradication of white supremacy. He told how he had once been summoned by heads, including the administrator, at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

"I was in hot water because I commented there was racism in the hospital.'' Dr. Brown said he was told: "Young man, where is the racism?'' "I said it was in the trash can in the emergency room.'' Dr. Brown added he was later told to apologise by the then Premier the Hon.

Sir Henry Tucker. After refusing, Sir Henry told him he would find an "obstacle at every turn''.

"I am proud I refused to apologise,'' said Dr. Brown.

He continued: "Twenty two years after that incident the UBP Government must have gone into the hospital, went to the office in the emergency room and found the very same trash can and discovered racism.'' Dr. Brown went on to highlight the plight of Bermudians trying to find jobs.

He read a letter from a constituent, a graphic designer who had applied in vain to advertising agencies.

Dr. Brown said the constituent found jobs were being held by foreigners.

When the PLP spoke the truth about Bermuda, Government accused the party of recanting history, added Dr. Brown.

The Opposition was accused of digging up the past and "looting'' the hopes of young people.

But Government had to realise the present was linked to the past. "Why do we sit here in the House surrounded by symbols and portraits of Bermuda's questionable past?'' If Bermuda faced reality, the young people would begin reading more than riding bikes. They would move away from crime and drugs, and sections of the prison could be closed down.

The young would be energised, motivated, and productive. UBP backbencher the Hon. Harry Soares warned against inflammatory language by MPs. "I am concerned that we in the House do not incite trouble.'' Mr. Soares, a former Sports Minister, defended the Elite Athletes Programme.

It was designed to prepare all athletes -- old and young -- for games.

Mr. Soares went on to ridicule the Opposition for it proposals to bring in a scheme similar to the Green card system in the United States.

How did this square with the PLP's pledge to reduce work permits? Mr. Soares said the Green card system allowed people in the US to buy properties. Would this happen here under a PLP Government? Would the PLP also waive restrictions for people going into business -- as is the case with card-holders in America? "I submit what the PLP are saying and what they will do if they get into power is like night and day.'' Mr. Soares turned to the Small Business Development Corporation, saying Government planned to expand it.

He also focused on Government's commitment to improve the ecology.

Firms like the Bermuda Electric Light Company would introduce new technology to make them more "environmental friendly''.

Mr. Soares said Government was set on becoming more "user friendly''.

He finished by highlighting two popular phrases coined by the Rev. Jesse Jackson -- "Your altitude is determined by your attitude'', and "We must look inward in order to go onward''. Bermuda should heed these words, he added.

Shadow Environment Minister the Rev. Trevor Woolridge then launched into a two-hour maiden speech. Speaker the Hon. Ernest DeCouto interrupted him several times for repeating himself.

And Government MPs jibed that the speech resembled a Sunday sermon.

The Rev. Woolridge opened by saluting the political support he had received from his parents, wife, and his AME church.

He then hailed the beauty of Bermuda, underlining its many natural advantages as a tourist destination. But these contrasted with such man-made problems as traffic congestion, labour unrest, garbage disposal, and prostitution.

The UBP Government repeatedly left it until the last minute to act. At this stage Government "jumped up and down, flapping its arms'', and rushing through legislation. Often this created a whole new batch of problems, said the Rev. Woolridge.

This was an example of "crisis management'', which typified the UBP.

The Rev. Woolridge went on to attack the decision to keep the Hon. Gerald Simons as Environment Minister in the Senate -- even though his Warwick East constituents had kicked him out of his seat.

It was wrong for the Environment Minister not to be accountable to MPs in the House of Assembly.

The Rev. Woolridge spent much of his speech highlighting the plight of Bermuda's fishermen. In particular he attacked the 1990 fish pot ban imposed by former Environment Minister the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto.

The ban was brought in because of concern over dwindling fish stocks. But the Rev. Woolridge said as long ago as 1984 Government was advised about diminishing stocks.

And he read out the official documentation of such advice.

Why had Government not acted on the advice until 1990, when it rushed in the ban? This was an example of crisis management, the Rev. Woolridge said.

The ban was felt by fishermen and their families as it destroyed livelihoods.

The Rev. Woolridge said Government had not offered fishermen any help in "diversifying''.

And, pointing to a map of Bermuda's waters, he highlighted problems faced by fishermen today. One fisherman, for instance, believed his traps had been damaged by the movement of ships.

But he was forced to buy Government replacement pots, costing $100 each -- rather than make his own.

It was time for Government to sit down and speak to fishermen and resolve all their grievances. The Rev. Woolridge said foreign fishermen were better served by Bermuda than local ones.

For example, the price of fuel was lower for foreign fishermen. "There is a lack of support for fishermen.'' Mr. Woolridge compared the cost of fuel for local fishermen's boats and for foreign vessels. It appeared Government was subsidising foreign vessels and impeding local fishermen in their efforts to engage in "oceanic fisheries'', he said.

The diesel fuel subsidy for fishermen was not enough. Government was apparently ignoring reports on the industry. It was hiring overseas fishing experts while Dr. Frederick Ming of Bermuda College could be used.

The ban on parrot fish appeared to have been introduced "to make someone's job easier'', as there had already been laws to protect them. Parrot fish were only caught accidentally by local fishermen.

The ban appeared crazy when five species of grouper, "practically non-existent'', could still be legally caught at only 14 inches long.

Mr. Woolridge called for embargoes on fish imports when the local catch of a species was high -- just as there were embargoes on fruit and vegetables.

Reports came and went and still fishermen were suffering, "reeling from the draconian methods used to remove them from the fishing industry''.

Mr. Woolridge said the incinerator had cost the Country $250,000 every month because Government had proceeded with the project before getting DAB permission.

He wondered whether new clean air rules could be enforced when it appeared there were only one or two inspectors. And there were no laws at all dealing specifically with car fumes.

Mr. Woolridge then turned to plans to expand Wilkinson quarry in his constituency, Hamilton Parish.

For then Environment Minister the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto to overturn the DAB's refusal of the plan was the "height of irresponsibility''.

Government was on record as wanting to preserve the environment but had allowed this expansion in a "secret'' manner. "We'll be able to stand at the perfume factory and look clear to St. George's.'' The development was near the Airport and he felt the Tourism Minister would be "appalled'' by it. He urged present Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons to reconsider the plan.

A proper plan to preserve marine life was also needed, particularly bearing in mind concerns about sewage piped into the ocean. He ended his marathon speech by saying he believed he was the first clergyman to sit in the House.

Mr. David Dodwell (UBP) was the next to give a maiden speech. Denying Opposition jibes that he was the Tourism Minister-in-waiting, he attacked PLP claims that Government had neglected the industry.

He said tourism was not yet out of the woods and probably had another two difficult years ahead. But Bermuda had made better progress out of the downturn than many other places.

Tourism directly employed 13,000 residents compared to international business's 3,000. While the industries were the twin pillars of the economy, they were not equal.

"In my mind I view tourism as number one,'' he said. He called for a "tourism appreciation'' programme, funded by Government and firms, to involve the whole community.

He estimated hotels would achieve about 60 percent occupancy this year, up from last year's "rock-bottom'' of 55 percent.

On College Weeks, he said the local industry could not match rates of $19 a day that were being offered to students in places like Cancun. Instead, Government was boosting visitors in that period with sporting events. It was also boosting spending on marketing in Europe.

Mr. Dodwell said he felt personally challenged by a call from Dr. Brown last week for white UBP members to speak out on racism. He said he could not help being white, and could not be blamed for the past: "It didn't happen on my watch''.

Progress was being made in race relations, although it needed to be speeded up. "There are those whites that are prepared to stand up and be counted, to break down those barriers, and I'm one of those whites.'' He knew he had Government colleagues prepared to do the same.

Mr. Reginald Burrows (PLP) said he had not been through integrated schools, but was willing to adapt to change in the community's interest. He believed the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, that unless people lived together as friends they would perish as fools.

"The thing that has always been been distinct about Bermuda and its racial policies is that unlike most countries in this world, with the exception of South Africa, the masses or the majority of the population are the ones that are discriminated against, and this is what makes it so disturbing and unsettling to so many of us in Bermuda.

"What is always very upsetting to many of us black people in Bermuda is that black people in Bermuda have made great efforts to try to embrace the white people but that only goes one particular way.'' There were very few white people in Bermuda's black clubs, churches or schools.

As an example of how change could be achieved, he told of guests from "redneck country'' -- Cummings, Georgia -- who had stayed in his house. They had freely discussed race, and Mr. and Mrs. Burrows had been invited to stay with them next year.

"They have assured us that the Ku Klux Klan will not bother us and they will protect us while we're there.'' Turning to drug abuse, Mr. Burrows said: "As long as this Government and this community does not come to grips with the problems that we have with alcohol, we'll never be able to solve the problems that we have with the sale and use of the illicit drugs.'' He condemned the use of black rum to wet the roof of the incinerator. On that project, he said Government had had enough time to train Bermudians for incinerator jobs. He hoped the staff would be all Bermudian.

He called for black history to be taught in schools, telling the House that ornithologist and bird painter John James Audubon was black, as was the first person to successfully use blood plasma -- Dr. Charles Drew.

He said "Portuguese'' was used to denote race, but it was a nationality.

Black Portuguese, as in Brazil, formed one of the largest black groups in the world.

He and the Hon. Pam Gordon had "a touch'' of black Portuguese in them, he believed.

Mr. Richard Spurling in another maiden speech, defended himself against Opposition criticisms of his role in the anti-drugs pilot project in St.

David's.

He said he had come across volunteers when canvassing, and had been advised by the Health Minister that area committees were being set up. He had been encouraged by the National Drug Commission head to bring the volunteers together.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION `A TWO-WAY STREET' -- SPURLING Turning to the UBP blueprint, he defended it as a modest production, not -- as it had been called by the Opposition -- a slick Madison Avenue job.

He criticised the PLP election platform and Throne Speech reply for being full of waffle and short on specifics.

He said he too had been prompted to speak out on race by Dr. Brown. Racial discrimination was a "two-way street'' -- it was equally offensive for a black person to discriminate against a white person as vice versa.

Wealth was inextricably linked with racial discrimination, but he hoped they could be separated for the purposes of making the issues clearer.

He was sure institutionalised racism existed, along with subtle, sub-conscious racism. He would support the Human Affairs Minister, the Hon. Jerome Dill , in his efforts to solve the problem.

The PLP's statements about international business were bland and meaningless, while the UBP's promises could be measured, Mr. Spurling said. New developments showed an exciting future for the international business sector, and great job prospects for Bermudians. For instance, "one half of the Hong Kong stock exchange has now incorporated in this Island and then relisted back on the Hong Kong stock exchange.'' The keys were economic, political, and social stability, Mr. Spurling said.

The first two were assured by the actions of the Finance Minister and the results of the recent election, he said. But social stability was a problem, and the Blueprint was intended to address that.

Turning to St. George's, Mr. Spurling said he believed the Old Town was on "the eve of a breakthrough,'' as a result of the new cruise ship deal and the appointment of a town manager.

There was still too much negativism about the cruise ship deal, but that would fade, he said.

St. George's financial problems would be solved "in the near future'' as a result of talks between the Town Mayor and Finance Minister, Mr. Spurling said.

The National Trust was investing $1.3 million in nine St.

George's properties over the next several years.

And Mr. Spurling was to take charge of a long term East End Plan, for not only St. George's, but St. David's as well, he said. It would cost money and would have to be professionally done, but would provide "a blueprint'' for the East End.

The cloud on the horizon was the closure of the US Naval Air Station set for September of 1995, but there were still many questions about how that would happen and what the effects would be, Mr. Spurling said.

Opposition Whip Mr. Stanley Lowe said Mr. Spurling was obviously "enthralled'' by the PLP campaign manifesto, since he talked about it so much.

The PLP document was "homegrown,'' and Mr. Lowe was not sure his party would have done better had it used the "Madison Avenue PR firm'' he said Government used to produce its Blueprint.

The UBP spent "millions of dollars'' on the election, he said. "I got the feeling that the Premier was like a boxer fighting in the ring during the election campaign, down on the ropes, struggling, could hardly get up, and thank God the bell rang.'' He had since come out of his corner refreshed and "fighting like a champion.'' But he was still offering promises, not action, and "the electorate of this country is tired of it,'' Mr. Lowe said.

The Premier was also guilty of "extravagance'' in his language, like when he accused the PLP of "atrocities'' in the area of race relations, Mr. Lowe said. "I couldn't believe he was talking about Bermuda,'' he said. "That was not statesmanlike.'' It was difficult for black people not to become emotional when they talked about racism, but it was important to be analytical, Mr. Lowe said. It was a number one problem in Bermuda. The PLP was ready to assist Government in dealing with it.

Government had lowered the voting age, but also excluded many young people from the democratic process by the timing of the election, Mr. Lowe said.

He hoped a new Education Foundation was not just for mature students, but would help students who had received no post-secondary education.

There was a perception that blacks were under-represented when private sector scholarships were handed out, Mr. Lowe said.

Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman said the subject of race relations had dominated the Throne Speech debate. "I would be the first to admit that possibly more should have been done,'' but everyone should also consider the progress made, he told the House.

"Some of us in this forum, in this honourable House, have been able to progress through the difficulties,'' he said. "I'm not talking about myself.

I'm talking about a broad cross-section of this community that people don't want to see, that people don't want to accept, because it is not to their political advantage.'' The PLP was equally guilty on the race question, for not raising in the House the issue "they're now saying they feel so strongly about.'' Sometimes there was a perception someone's progress was blocked on racial grounds, when it was not the reality. In choosing a new Speaker, the Opposition wanted the best person, regardless of colour, he said.

Government realised there was "a segment in our society that is not being embraced,'' and those people would be involved in developing the solutions, he said.

What would Government do to remove the barriers that existed? There was a view in society that everyone had to be a professional, and that was wrong, Mr.

Pearman said. Because blacks were once excluded from education, they now sometimes pushed young people to seek professional training when they should not.

"You brushed so broadly, you put people in that nook that did not have the capacity to follow through with that,'' he said. "And what did it do to them? They felt that they were failures.

"We were responsible, in many ways Mr. Speaker, for a lot of those who sit on the walls, who now develop alien cultures.'' Programmes would begin at the primary level dealing with subjects other than academics, Mr. Pearman said. Young children would be exposed to technical training.

The Labour Ministry would be restructured and become "an entirely different Ministry in six to nine months.'' And Bermuda would adopt a programme called Compact, under which a group of businessmen adopted a school, gave talks, and helped individual students with problems, he said.

And when secondary school was completed, the companies involved guaranteed students jobs, he said. But the businesses would expect certain things, like solid English and Math and a pleasant attitude, he said.

"Why should we believe that it's going to happen?'' interjected Dr. Ewart Brown (PLP). "It sounds so fundamental. It sounds so great, but why now?'' "I'm one of those who say I'd sooner start now than not start at all.'' Mr.

Pearman said.

Government would be going to the marketplace to work out adopting the programme, he said.

A senior technical officer from Education would be involved with the Labour Ministry to restructure the curriculum to what businesses needed, he said.

Not just traditional trades would be involved, but commerce and hotel technology, he said.

To deal with those who needed retraining and those who would not go through the programme, Government was working with commercial landscape operators and commercial maintenance companies to work out new training rules, Mr. Pearman said.

Government make-work programmes would continue for a time. Then, those people would be placed in the private sector, he said.

In the non-unionised sector, employer-employee relations often left much to be desired, and a Code of Employment Ethics and Practice would be tabled after Christmas, he said. He wanted it to be voluntary, but if that did not work, a law could be introduced.

To help find more summer jobs for students, the Labour Ministry was taking full charge of the programme. That was a change, as the Ministry of Youth and Sport had handled much of it in the past.

It was easy to be glib about Labour and Immigration matters, but the job was a difficult one, and "we have to be careful about some of the comments we make publicly,'' Mr. Pearman said.