eight percent. If that is true it will mean roughly another 1,600 cars on the roads. For years it has been clear to almost everyone except the Ministry of Transport that the aim should be to control the motor car and work toward reducing the size and the number of cars on Bermuda's roads.

In announcing the easing of regulations on the sale of second-hand cars in Bermuda, the Minister of Transport the Hon. Ralph Marshall made the extraordinary statement that, "Our Ministry has not received complaints from residents about the number of cars on the road. It is tourists who complain.'' Mr. Marshall doesn't seem to think tourists matter. That is just another distressing example of Bermuda putting its selfish needs before its livelihood and that attitude is what landed tourism in trouble.

In any case, Mr. Marshall cannot have been listening to Bermudians because there have been pleas for years from locals to control cars. Government has never touched the sacred car because it has been scared it might lose a vote or two. But that backfired and Government alienated the greens who elected Stuart Hayward in protest.

Mr. Marshall knows as well as we do that Government decided to do absolutely nothing about the traffic problem, having taken a close look at such things as staggered use days for cars and qualifications for ownership of a car. Instead of curtailment, the Ministry of Transport bowed to dealers who had car size problems and decided to allow larger cars. The Ministry also decided for no good reason at all to bow and to allow van taxis and now the Ministry says it is bowing to cash in allowing second-hand cars. We suspect second-hand cars is a gift to dealers at the expense of Bermuda because a person who gets a good price for his old car is much more likely to buy a new car and to buy a new car more often than a person who has to sell a car as a taxi, export it or dump it. Some people will be getting a new car every year now that they can get a good price for a second-hand car. Dealers can have a more active first-hand market and another market in used cars. Where will we put the used car lots that you see all over the United States? We suggest Southampton West.

Mr. Marshall says he personally lost around $7,000 when he dumped his car several years ago. A person with $7,000 for an old car is going to buy a new car more often than the standard five years. More people will buy cars because used cars will be cheaper and young people will scramble for apartments to get a used car. We think that will lead to far more than an alarming eight percent increase.

This carelessness comes at a time when there is serious concern about the number of Government GP cars on the roads. It is laughably inept that it also comes at a time when Mr. Marshall's ministry is talking about further ferry service cuts at a time when it should be increasing service to help keep traffic off the roads.

We have heard no outcry for second-hand cars. There can be no reason to damage Bermuda in this way except to once again assist dealers with sales. We think this is simply a new rule designed to increase car sales and the public should not be fooled. Car dealers are represented in high places in Government.

It is nothing but transparent nonsense to try to confuse the public by talking about increasing jobs for Transport Control Department mechanics. We supposedly have a moratorium on increases in the Civil Service. The public wants less jobs at TCD, not more.

Ever since the Second World War Bermuda has fought a battle with the motor car. Bermuda has lost. This decision reeks of favouritism and does Bermuda a disservice.