But more than that, some of Bermuda's young people have been used to push alcohol. The ball boys and ball girls at the tournament were used to wear hats promoting alcoholic products. This was done while a Drug Free Sports conference was taking place almost next door to the Open at the Bermuda College. People were alarmed and the hats disappeared and it is easy to understand why.

There is a problem with alcohol promotion at sporting events and at youth events. We think that part of the problem arises because for years the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation happily accepted liquor merchant dollars to stage sporting events. In fact, the Department argued that such dollars were necessary if the events were to take place. Then too many sporting clubs stage their programmes with the proceeds from their bars and they argue that they could not exist without the bar proceeds.

This presents a very difficult problem. Alcohol sponsorship of these events is not pure generosity. The producers of alcohol know that they are being banned from public advertising and because of that they are resorting more and more to promoting their products at public events. That is what we probably saw at the tennis open and that is pushing especially when it is associated with young people.

There are enormous conflicts in Bermuda over alcohol which, after all, is legal. On the one hand people want its promotion curtailed and on the other hand the Liquor Licensing Authority no longer seems to move against licensed premises when there are complaints. There was a time when if the Police objected to the operation of a bar the licence was revoked. That threat ensured proper operation. Now some bars seem to do as they please and even violate their legal hours with impunity.

We do very little in Bermuda to prevent under-age consumption in public places or excessive consumption anywhere. We turn a blind eye to alcohol consumed from brown paper bags in vehicles. We continue to allow cold take-out liquor knowing full well that it is not a home convenience nor a visitor convenience and will be consumed illegally and the container will often wind up as roadside litter.

The proposal for a consumer intervention programme which would have trained bartenders and waiters to intercept drunks was abandoned in favour of the moderation programme which seems to have quietly disappeared.

These conflicting signals send the message that you can violate the liquor laws and nothing will happen. Young people are not even liable for consuming liquor on licensed premises although serving them is illegal. So, they get an older friend to do the buying. Is it any wonder then that they would wear hats advertising alcoholic products at the tennis tournament? The truth is that we should dispense alcohol in moderation and with a conscience. Everyone knows that alcohol should not be promoted at public events where young people are present because that is pushing and it is a direct attempt to get them started young no matter how it is disguised.