The Bermuda postal service has been under fire recently -- in my opinion deservedly so. Most of the complaints have centred on the delivery of the mails but the purpose of this letter is to point out the shortcomings of the philatelic department which incorporates the stamps design committee. But first, an experience of mine that takes some beating. And here's the true, unadulterated story.

I received a notice in my Hamilton box of a small package which had to be opened in front of a post office official. The inspection of its contents having been completed (a letter and family snapshots) I noticed that the package had already been opened and re-sealed by Customs. Below the strip of duct tape were the customs officer's initials and the date of resealing. This date -- and even Ripley might find it hard to believe -- was one month earlier than this inspection I had just suffered.

Summing up: This package (first class airmail) had taken seven weeks from New Orleans to my boss, four of these weeks being spent in the G.P.O. Hamilton.

When I spoke to an official I was informed that the recent retirement of a senior officer (customs or postal?) `was causing problems in that department'.

His incredible remark to me was "If it occurs again, let me know.''.

Now to the philatelic department. Last year there were four new stamp issues.

Two of them were released late -- one, which I believe was the Mapping set -- was very late (over two months as I recall). The other a mere couple of weeks.

This year we have the debacle of the Tall Ships issue. Not a very good overall record for the philatelic department! Surely, complete preparation for new issues should be finalised at least a year before the intended release dates.

A further comment on the Tall Ships set. I suggest the design committee take a look at the beautiful Tall Ships issue of 1976. That set of six stamps was and is an aesthetic delight whereas the 2000 issue is dull and toneless coupled with the sameness of all values.

Finally, I would like to know why the philatelic department does not cater to the public who wish to buy new sets even on the first day of issue. If one wants to by First Day covers, single sets or strips of stamps one has to line up at a regular window. And yet there are four employees within the philatelic department area! PETER J. WILLCOCKS P.S. Regarding the opening of packages, it has never been satisfactorily explained to me why this has to be done twice. If the package is suspect why cannot the inspection be carried out just the once -- when the recipient collects it.

Make owners accountable May 17, 2000 Dear Sir, With dog attacks becoming more prevalent, it's time to make dog owners financially accountable for their animal's behaviour.

Dogs are required to be licensed each year. Why not require owners to produce a certificate of liability insurance when re-licensing their animals just as we do for cars.

Insurers would charge a nominal premium for a docile breed such as a poodle or greyhound and scale upwards for the more aggressive breeds.

Substantial fines for failure to register and insure would be necessary to make the system workable.

Innocent victims of dog attacks would then be compensated for their injuries.

This would also act as a disincentive for the breeding of aggressive dogs for protection or for fighting.

As dog owners, we're prepared to put up with a little inconvenience for the greater good.

R. WHITING Thanks to the men in blue May 21, 2000 Dear Sir, As a resident who depends totally upon BELCO to survive in my physical world, It would be remiss of me if I did not respond to the barrage of criticism levelled at your company, due to the recent power failure. Very often, I see your men working on power lines under conditions that could be extremely dangerous to them. Two things pop into my mind. "Lord Keep those men safe.'' In addition, "I am so happy I will have lights in my house.'' These men do an often thankless job and in spite of my OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH monthly bill. I feel a lot better parting with our money. Knowing that it goes towards those unsung heroes, who can never be compensated for services rendered. Therefore, in my own way I would like to pay the following tribute.

THE CREW IN BLUE Being There: Rain, Blow or Shine. Electricity and Restoration on their Mind. Climbing Poles to Fix a Line. Oh! What a Crew! Those men in Blue.

Best regards.

JOSHUA RICHARDSON The wrong priority 31 May 2000 Dear Sir, Yesterday evening whilst driving home from work I had occasion to listen to the five o'clock news. The reporter introduced himself and then proceeded with his report. The top story of the hour had to do with a committee being formed for "Tall Ships 2000''.

The second story concerned the arrest of 19-year-old Pembroke youth who turned himself in to police for the brutal assault on a 46-year-old man. This might be considered a minor issue for some but personally, I find it troubling Mr.

Editor.

I was concerned as to why the top story was the formation of some committee, but the arrest of a man for the brutal and unwarranted attack on a man more than twice his age had to settle for second place? The victim of this assault is still in hospital with a broken nose, a broken cheekbone and probably will never see out of his left eye.

Have we become so de-senitized by the barbaric behaviour that is so commonplace in our society that it must retreat before whatever else is considered newsworthy? I refer to this case in particular, where a Tall Ships Committee would hardly be a priority in terms of a top story. Just how important does one have to be for a brutal attack such as this to dominate the news and to keep people sensitive to the reality of the violence in the human heart? I understand that this young man walked into the Hamilton Police Station with a lawyer. That implies a few things: He may be afraid that the police might not deal with him fairly. Or perhaps he is not willing to accept any responsibility for his actions. Or it could be that he realises he is responsible for his actions but if there is any way that he can be exonerated, his lawyer will find it.

Whatever the outcome Mr. Editor, we will never solve the problem of violence until we go deeper then making excuses, "psychologising'' everything and blaming others for our actions. Whatever is in the heart of an individual to do that he will do. Perhaps if we keep the reality of violence in the headlines and not as a sub-story we will be forced sooner or later to examine the concept that what's in your head is just the beginning. The end is the contents of one's heart and one's actions will flow from there.

AN OBSERVER An opportunity missed 30 May 2000 Dear Sir, Please allow me the opportunity to clarify a few points, which have been raised during the recent controversy concerning the proposed High Density Development on Texas Road.

1. All St. David's Islanders want is the High Density Project spread around and not all of it placed on Texas Road.

2. The issue put forward was that area MPs failed their constituents, especially those on Texas Road, by not looking out for their interests on the issue.

3. That the absence of prior consultation with area residents and handing them a "fait accompli'', has placed the St. David's Islanders as the villains whilst their MPs left their constituents to defend themselves against varying aspirations and name-calling.

4. That we support the building of 100 houses but would have spread the burden around to avoid over- crowding on Texas Road.

Mr. Editor, it is unfortunate that the Member of Parliament from St. George's South has chosen to launch a personal attack against me in defence of his inaction in the Texas Road High Density Development. The issue of housing is indeed a personal one that effects every man, woman and child in this country.

The principles of sustainable development dictate that Bermuda considers its neighbourhoods from a sociological viewpoint, to determine the demands these neighbourhoods will place on surrounding areas. Unfortunately, unless the Government has a rethink and spreads development around, an opportunity to practise sustainable development will have been missed. Hence, I will continue, in spite of the name-calling, to represent the concerns of the people to the best of my ability.

SENATOR H. KIM E. SWAN Give a little love May 31, 2000 Dear Sir, Please pass this on to the people. The value of a dollar is for what you need not what you want. Once you have what you need, then you can get what you want. Most individuals who have thought about it believe there are only three forms of currency -- buy it, barter it or steal it but, in fact, there are two more -- the currency of love and the currency of hate. One can be poor but if you have love in your pocket you are rich and one can be rich but if you have hate in your pocket you are poor. We have a rich, beautiful country but this hatred which is permeating it is making us poor. If we cannot unite and love each other here in paradise and show the rest of the crazy world how it is done; if we cannot stop taking and give, there is going to be a whole lot of nothing where the humans used to live. There will be a whole lot of peace and quiet too. One less speck of dust after the big kaboom and no one left to cry boo-hoo. We have the gift of free will, for goodness sake, let's use it. JON ERIC PETTY City of Hamilton