putting restrictions on Cable and Wireless which prevent Bermudians having cheaper telephone calls. That may or may not be true but it is the perception.

As long as almost anyone can remember Cable and Wireless has served Bermuda well. Without its services and without Bermuda's excellent communications we seriously doubt that Bermuda would or could have become the international business centre it is today. A tiny island in mid-Atlantic cursed with poor communications could not have had a hope of becoming an international centre.

It is also true to say that Cable and Wireless has an excellent record of Bermudianisation and of training Bermudians. It may, indeed, have the best record in the Country. That alone should stand it in good stead. Remember too that, while things change Cable and Wireless was given a monopoly at a time when Bermuda wanted its service and when there was little other choice. Yet Government is playing "hard ball'' with Cable and Wireless and it is difficult to understand just why that is necessary. We agree that with today's complex communications there is need to expand the telephone service. But it has to be remembered that in other places expansion has not always led to the best service. If Government wanted to allow additional service surely the free enterprise way was to allow free competition rather that to encourage TeleBermuda International and to hobble Cable and Wireless.

In any case, when Bermudians think of an expanded telephone service they are generally thinking about competition for the Bermuda Telephone Company which, as a monopoly, has not always served individual customers well. Over the years a fair number of people have been thoroughly fed-up with their inability to get service or even a hearing from BTC but that feeling does not generally extend to the overseas carrier, Cable and Wireless.

First the conflict led to threats by Cable and Wireless to sue Government for $100 million dollars for loss of its exclusivity. That degenerated into some very clever advertising which clearly embarrassed Government to the point of spending public money to respond with another advertisement. The ad said that it was time to "pave another road to the future'' but the trouble is that road may be rocky and the past road was smooth. Now Cable and Wireless is putting on pressure by threatening large staff cuts or early retirement and voluntary redundancy.

Finally meetings between the Telecommunications Ministry and Cable and Wireless are taking place and we can only hope that sense will prevail.