in recent years.

Huge amounts of money, probably too much money, have been spent on additions and changes at the Bermuda Airport. It even, finally, has some Welcome To Bermuda signs.

There have been some mistakes in the reconstruction of the Airport, not least of which was the lease which does not appear to have had a time clause, given to Grape Bay Ltd. which proposes to say welcome and farewell to Bermuda's visitors with McDonald's franchises.

In response to complaints from local residents and visitors to Bermuda this Government began a programme to both expand and improve the Airport. Clearly it was a necessary undertaking for a visitor resort, for frequent traveller resident businesspeople and for a Country whose people enjoy two or three trips a year. The changes were very expensive and thus undertaken in stages.

We agree that improvements have taken a long time and have been inconvenient for some travellers, however in a working Airport they had to be undertaken in slow seasons. Travel wherever you like and you will find few airports which are not undergoing construction.

We have a purpose built departures check-in area and an attractive revamped bar and shopping arena not to mention a new VIP lounge. The new arrivals hall has been the subject of a number of laudatory letters to the Editor and the baggage collection hall is being worked on right now with a new baggage system.

What do the PLP MPs want? Apparently they would be happy now to abandon the millions spent in recent years on the terminal in favour of spending even more millions, the estimate is over $150 million for a "purpose built'' Airport.

We all know there would be a likely cost over-run of many more millions. For what? It would be unlikely to contribute very much more in conveniences to Bermuda than what we have now. Then, too, what would the PLP MPs propose for the present building? We have not heard a word about that. Tear it down perhaps and throw away millions and millions of dollars.

This kind of PLP proposal is frightening because it is not in the realm of reality nor is it economically sensible. It is the throw away society gone haywire. We have to wonder what else that is new and functional the PLP would like to replace at the people's expense.

No country, especially one with very little space, can continue to build new facilities. In any case, a proposal to waste millions and replace a perfectly good Airport with a brand new one makes no sense even if Bermuda had the money, which we do not, because the money would be better spent on education and social programmes to help people.

This whole idea reminds us of the other PLP MP who suggested a brand new Airport...at Dockyard.