has been left largely to the Bank of Bermuda's outspoken and erudite Mr.

Donald Lines. Things have changed. This week the Bank of N.T. Butterfield and Son's new Chief General Manager Mr. J. Michael Collier began to have his say.

It was quite a say, especially in these difficult times.

It seems to us that Mr. Collier has managed to highlight a basic problem. The private sector is hurting from this recession and Government goes merrily on spending. Mr. Collier says, and we think he's right, that Government must plan major cut-backs in expenditure.

He says, "The country is looking to Government to set the example and instead of increasing taxes should find ways to alleviate the tax burden. The Ministry of Finance should carry out forthwith an evaluation of all Government programmes to determine whether or not they generate value for money and at what cost. One way of achieving this would be to set up a number of committees drawn from both the public and private sectors, such committees to be charged with coming up with meaningful cost-cutting measures in the shortest time possible. We strongly urge the Government to reduce waste, cut out the fat without cutting into muscle. Reducing Police recruitment activities is, for example, cutting into muscle and is an unwise move.'' Mr. Collier has come up with a startling statistic which this newspaper, for one, had not seen before and which we think must be eradicated immediately.

Government cars are not just a concern because of waste, pollution and crowding, they are also totally unsuitable politically, given the fact that other people have to make do with one car per household. In practice these cars give some cabinet ministers and some civil servants the perk of two cars.

That is not acceptable to other Bermudians.

Mr. Collier says: "Constant irritants to hundreds of Bermudians at a time of continuing recession are the seventy-five or more Government private GP vehicles which move about the Island day in and day out. Only a decade and a half ago there was only one such vehicle. The Ministry of Finance should establish a quota of vehicles and substantially reduce the number of GP vehicles on our roads. If necessary, a small pool of vehicles could be requisitioned based on seniority and need.'' It is true that all governments have a tendency to "just grow'' but ours, as Mr. Collier points out, is getting out of hand.

"A more serious example of a disturbing trend which must be curbed is the growth in Government employees from approximately 4100 in 1983/4 to 4721 in 1990/91, when over the same period, for example, the school population has not increased and the number of overseas workers in Bermuda has fallen substantially with a consequent reduction in the needs of the public. We would urge Government to aim to return to the levels of employees in 1983/4. A reduction in Government expenditure and, consequently, taxation would give the local economy the stimulus for growth and increased employment in the private sector would follow.

"With the continued weakness in the local economy, many local businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain profitability. One reason for this is the high cost of doing business in Bermuda. The main component of these costs is wages and salaries, especially at the clerical level, which are artificially inflated by the levels established by Government since the private sector must compete with Government in order to attract appropriate staff. Government salaries in the lower clerical and unskilled categories are in some cases up to 40 percent higher than those in the private sector, and this places a heavy burden on private businesses. "In order for tourism to recover fully, Bermuda must have a period when local prices are at least stable: this implies that wages and salaries must remain static for a period of time. We call upon the Government to take a leadership role in this area by setting an example. There is currently no indication that there is any movement out of this recession, which may go on for some years. Government must plan major cutbacks in expenditure, perhaps targeting them over the next seven years.''