entirely down to earth suggestions for Bermuda to rid itself of institutionalised racism.

It is entirely to the credit of the Bank of Butterfield and its chairman, Sir David Gibbons, that when the suggestion was made that Bermuda suffers from institutionalised racism and glass ceilings they were willing to seek advice and get some help. Dr. Swain's study was the result. More often than not the banks and "Front Street'' take a great deal of abuse on social issues yet here we have a bank leading in studying social reform. This study could well have been commissioned by a political party or a trades union but the fact is that it was commissioned by a concerned bank and that is entirely to the credit of the Bank of Butterfield.

Dr. Swain is reported now as waiting to see how the report is received.

However it was clear from the large number of movers and shakers mustered by the bank at introductory meetings last week that the report has every chance of being taken seriously.

We think that Dr. Swain's work may well turn out to be a landmark study leading to a change in approach to how Bermuda operates. The importance of the report to all of us should not be underestimated.

There are some certainties in Bermuda. One of those certainties is that Sir David Gibbons gets things done. When Sir David decides to put his energies and his considerable clout behind a project then things are going to happen. We believe that both Sir David and the bank he heads are committed to the aims of this report.

For one thing, Sir David and Dr. Swain have pledged that this study will not suffer the fate of so many others and will not go into someone's bottom drawer, seldom heard of again and never to be acted upon. That is an extremely important pledge. Commissioning a report is often seen in Bermuda as the solution. Very seldom is there any action.

Dr. Swain has suggested a timetable for implementing her recommendations, pointing out that some things can be done immediately while others will, naturally, take some time.

One of the most interesting recommendations was a national register of Bermudians who live abroad and can be approached when jobs become available in their field. Another was the suggestion that we diversify the non-Bermudian population and get away from hiring largely in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. A third relatively easy recommendation was that Bermuda concentrate some financial help with education on young people with merit from more needy backgrounds.

We have a very sensible report which needs to be implemented. There needs to be a timetable and there needs to be commitment.