is now applying again. It was probably inevitable that would happen because the lure of cash from selling liquor is great. We would think that this application in a marginal constituency during the prelude to a General Election is not an accident.

The fact is that the area surrounding the grocery seems to have improved considerably since the grocery has been without a licence. That improvement may well be used in favour of selling liquor again but the truth is that the impact of liquor licences on neighbourhoods must be considered and if the licence is granted we think the area will deteriorate rapidly again.

We doubt that the licence application is really aimed at selling liquor as a convenience to those people who are doing their grocery shopping. That can be done at the large MarketPlace store in Shelly Bay which is not far away. No, the Empire Grocery is a convenience store which aims to sell cold take out liquor to people who will consume it in the area, probably in the bushes opposite the store, or take it into vehicles and consume it illegally on the roads. That is what needs to be discouraged because of the impact on Bermuda which includes extensive litter.

Bermuda is not so large that every neighbourhood needs a store selling liquor and there are already plenty of places to service the public more than adequately. Those who support cold take out liquor sales often argue that it is a convenience for visitors staying in housekeeping units. There are not many of those in Bailey's Bay. And, if anyone wants to drink in a bar, the Swizzle Inn is only yards away.

We believe that when the neighbourhood surrounding the store deteriorates, it will have an impact on the Bermuda Perfumery. The Perfumery is a major visitor attraction in a Country which needs things for tourists to visit. It is a well kept and well run operation which can do without the hassle created by a liquor licence next door. Those who own the Bermuda Perfumery are concerned that the neighbourhood will be "plagued with drunks, vandals and drug users''. They are correct and they do not need that.

When the licence was last applied for, the Police objected and we notice that the Perfumery is looking for the Police to take the lead again. There was a time when a Police objection was all it took for a licence to be rejected.

That no longer seems to be the case which may well be a mistake. The Police know better than anyone else what liquor licences can do to destroy certain areas of Bermuda.

We cannot find any good reason for licensing the Empire Grocery.