not intended. A reader has sent us a piece which we missed in The Economist of March 19, 1994, which is headed "Not just bananas'' and has great relevance to Bermuda.

The story deals with a Caribbean Development Bank report on the economic plight of the former British colonies in the West Indies.

The story says that most of the governments balance their operating budgets but Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica, the larger countries, use more that 30 percent of their export earnings to service their debt for capital projects.

It quotes "British aid-givers'' as saying privately that "too many governments have evaded electorally unpopular decisions''.

The headline comes about because bananas are causing "woe'' for Dominica, St.

Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada and Jamaica. Their bananas used to have access at high prices to Britain but the price and the access no longer exist in the single market European Union. Banana prices have fallen and the price of sugar too is low, hurting Barbados, Guyana, St. Kitts and Trinidad.

According to The Economist, tourism is one hope for the islands but there is a risk that Cuba may return to capitalism and Americans may return to Cuba.

Cuba was once the island of choice for American tourists but ever since the advent of Fidel Castro, the West Indies have had the advantage of the United States' ban on travel to Cuba.

The article does suggest that the islands are getting a jump on Bermuda in terms of promoting "ecological'' and "entertainment'' tourism. The Economist says: "Some hotels in Dominica, St. Lucia and Jamaica now offer `ecological tourism' ... wildlife for visitors sated with sun, sea, sand and sex. Others try `entertainment tourism' ... newly created reggae festivals. There is `golf tourism' (Barbados has plans for ten new courses; one already being created at a cost of $100m).'' There is some possibility that Bermuda may create one new course at the US Naval Annex in Sandys Parish.

According to The Economist, there is one sector in the independent islands which is growing nicely, drugs and petty crime. "Alas, this is the one sector that offers well-paid work for the West Indies' many poorly educated and unskilled young men. Or indeed, work at all.'' Having dealt with the economic problems of the independent islands, the highly respected Economist them moves to the success of the dependent territories of the West Indies but not of Bermuda. The Economist says: "Offshore banking, insurance and other financial services are doing well in four remaining British dependent territories, run by local governments but under a British governor: The Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos, the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla. The Union Jack, it seems, reassures the moneymen and those who use them.'' These four territories of course have designed an economy close to Bermuda's.

It might be said that they are, in many ways, copies of Bermuda except that they have a reputation for not being as strict, careful or cautious as Bermuda. There is very little suggestion of Independence in any of them.