I am writing to ask why we, the people of Bermuda, have to put up with Delta Airlines? They constantly hold the Island to ransom with the highest fares.

They fail to provide anything resembling a meal.

Their unattractive flight attendants need a course in good grooming.

On a recent half-empty flight from Boston I noted them charging many people for extra hand luggage. One lady had to pay $50 for a small paper shopping bag. I also noted a mother with two young children being charged $50 for a stroller.

It is time the Minister of Tourism looked into finding an alternative carrier for this monopolistic, penny pinching and totally inconsiderate airline.

FREQUENT FLYER St. George's Bermuda airline needed January 12, 2000 Dear Sir, In today's Royal Gazette is an article outlining the advertising for summer high-season tourism.

I am sure that the advertising will create demand, but unfortunately prospective visitors to Bermuda will select other resort destinations which offer much lower competitive air fares.

For almost 20 years there has been a steady decline in tourism arrivals and the Department of Tourism is well aware of this fact, as is almost every Bermudian. No satisfactory competitive air fares are forthcoming, and the only way that this can be achieved is through a Bermuda airline that is prepared to lose money if necessary in order to achieve tourism arrivals.

Air Jamaica, Cayman Air, BWI and Bahamas Air, may or may not, be losing money, but tourism air arrivals continue to rise, while Bermuda continues to decline.

I have written many letters concerning air fares, and many others have expressed similar opinions.

Until the playing field is level, no significant improvement can be anticipated.

Prior to deregulation of the air fares by US president Jimmy Carter, Bermuda enjoyed the lowest competitive air fares, and therefore was successful. We now have the highest non-competitive air fares, resulting in the lowest air arrivals to any resort destination that I know of.

CONRAD ENGELHARDT Best is best for football January 11, 2000 Dear Sir, I am fortunate to be able to read The Royal Gazette on the Internet each day and as an ex-resident of Bermuda often feel tempted to write and say a few things about an Island which is dear to my heart and which I still care about greatly.

The incident which has inspired me to write is the decision by the Bermuda Football Association not to renew the contract of Clyde Best. The BFA has a history of making mistakes but this must be one of the all time great mistakes.

Clyde Best is a person and player of international stature. He has played at the absolute top level in Britain, Holland and the USA. When I heard that the BFA had hired him I was thrilled for the Island.

Finally, the only person who has the knowledge, both of the local and overseas scene, to bring what was needed to local Bermudian soccer had been hired. He has the contacts and the experience that no other Bermudian has in the game.

I read, and after a visit here last summer, saw that young Bermudian coaches are being blooded and given the chance to coach at international levels.

I also see that results are improving dramatically and respectability is coming back to the Bermudian National team. Surely the only way was onwards and upwards, (right?).

No! The BFA shoots itself in the foot and fails to progress yet again. If this is a clash of personalities between Clyde and the BFA then what should happen is that the president should step down to allow progress to be maintained on the field -- not in the boardroom.

The president's job is to oversee the future of Bermudian soccer, and not to find a coach who will do as he says and behind the scenes be seen to be saying and doing the right things at cocktail parties.

Opportunity has been lost here for Bermudian soccer to progress. How are companies going to pump much needed money into the sport when leadership such as this is shown.

It will put Bermudian soccer back another ten years. What other organisation would fire a coach immediately after their first World Cup game? I congratulate Mr. Savory, always an honourable man, on his decision to resign. It is a real pity that Mr. Tyrrell cannot see that there is no way forward under his regime and to say that he will also resign.

It remains for me to wish all friends in Bermuda a wonderful New Year, and especially those footballers who I played with and against in the 1970's. They were special years with special people.

DAVE HAGAN Vienna, Austria He was one of a kind January 13, 2000 Dear Sir, This country has the good fortune to have had people like the late Mr. Alfred Frederick Hayward being born and living their whole lives here. This gentleman showed great ability in so many tasks that he engaged in.

During the building at the Warwick Holiness Church at Khyber Pass, he was in charge I became acquainted with him. From that time the attributes I saw of honesty, sincerity, good nature, punctuality along with capability were always displayed by him.

It is quite evident that Mr. Hayward and his wife raised their offspring to display these same attributes. They are showing contributions to life in general in their own tasks of which Bermuda can be proud.

For example, not wanting to suggest that one shows greater ability in his profession than the other but one of his sons Wendell (Shine) Hayward has to be acknowledged as Bermuda's Duke Ellington for his compositions.

I know we have good masons operating here and I am sure many of them came under Mr. Hayward's instruction.

Having had the good fortune to know so many good tradesman, there is another that impressed me and that is the late Mr. James Brown, who passed away about two years ago.

ROSS TUZO Warwick Stand for righteousness January 17, 2000 Dear Sir, The Coming of the Kingdom of God.

(We either stand for righteousness or fall for unrighteousness.) Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Eyesus replied, "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, "here it is,'' or "there it is,'' because the Kingdom of God is within you.'' The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, "There he is!'' or "Here he is!'' Do not go running off after them.

For the Son of Man in His Day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

It was the same in the days of Lot. People planting and building, eating and drinking, buying and selling. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfure rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. `Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.'' Let no man be tricked by the mini powers of Satan -- this world. But instead become martyrs for Eyesus Kristos. Even if its one person freed, having already saved the other ninety-nine. (Remember God's covenant and keep on loving and obeying God.) KIFLE MASKAL Father-Son Holy Spirit One God Dorchester, Mass.

A heavy price to pay January 16, 2000 Dear Sir, A few months ago the government prosecutor stated that half a gram of marijuana had a street value of $25. Therefore an ounce of marijuana costs approximately $1,400.

The least life threatening of all recreational drugs (including alcohol and cigarettes) is over four times the price of gold.

HOW BIZZARE City of Hamilton US citizens not wanted? December 27, 1999 Dear Sir, This letter is prompted by the recent fulminations of Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister as reported in the December 22 edition of The Royal Gazette . First off, let me state several facts: My wife and I are US citizens.

We are opposed to the death penalty and live in a state (Massachusetts) which does not have a death penalty.

We've been coming to Bermuda since 1969, and we've visited approximately forty times.

There is no question that bigotry exists -- to varying degrees -- in the United States.

I'm not sure what prompted Mr. Lister's outburst. If I were to state an analogous charge (i.e. that because Bermuda has a drug problem, every Bermudian is a drug addict), I'm sure Mr. Lister would cry "Foul''.

Also, I was not aware that Bermuda had "black'' governments or "white'' governments; I thought Bermuda's governments were formed by either the PLP or the UBP.

It's unclear what opportunity the Minister was planning to develop with his tirade -- possibly to make it clear to US citizens that they are not welcome in Bermuda? It is my understanding that some Canadians are attempting to stimulate a boycott of Bermuda in connection with a rape/murder case which was reportedly not well handled. Does any government -- black, white, PLP or UBP -- really want the US visitors to decide they're not wanted also? EDWARD F. CASEY Beverly, Mass Bird of feather January 20, 2000 Dear Sir, Today's front-page photograph of a rare visit by a pelican inevitably reminds me of the classic limerick, with which perhaps, some of your readers may not be familiar. It goes: A rare old bird is the Pelican His bill holds more than his belican He can take in his beak Enough food for a week I'm darned if I know how the helican PETER J. WILLCOCKS Smith's Parish Government on ego trip January 24, 2000 Dear Sir, When reviewing the present Government's track record since being elected in November 1998, there are some disturbing trends starting to surface.

One disturbing trend is their inability to prioritise projects so that value for money is obtained in the spending of the taxpayer's hard earned dollar.

One such area concerns the Works and Engineering Ministry. We witness the paving of sidewalks in Warwick Parish like never seen before; sidewalks that quite frankly were fine and do not need immediate attention.

On the other hand, we have been waiting for well over a year to have Harbour Road repaved, a highway that in its present state, would not qualify as a highway in a third-world country.

Another concern comes under the Transport Ministry. The eviction of American Airlines from its first-class lounge, in favour of a lounge allegedly for Government ministers, this in the face of what we are trying to do to this Island.

Obviously, the Premier and her Ministers feel that they are above us mortals, and that to do something to help the airline industry and provide additional facilities for our tourists is less important than looking after themselves.

The next trend concerns the Postal System. The Finance Ministry's lack of concern and interest in automating the sorting process shows a lack of understanding of the requirements for an efficient and well-run offshore industry.

Pray tell, why does it take five to seven days to deliver a letter fifty feet in the Hamilton Post Office? This is said in deference to the sub post offices, which generally are very efficient. On the other hand he is prepared to authorise tens of thousands of dollars to take the gombeys to Davos, Switzerland, something most inappropriate.

Finally, I direct your attention to the decision to buy large cars for the Government ministers. What can one say. It is the biggest demonstration of their inability to prioritise. I guess their egos have really taken over, as there is absolutely no justification for such a decision.

The UBP did not lose the last election for a lack of expertise or ability to manage the economy; they lost it for the arrogance that they displayed towards the average man in the street. It is interesting how history repeats itself.

There is no doubt that the root cause of the trends mentioned above is "arrogance''.

WARWICK WEST VOTER Railway Trail's not safe January 21, 2000 Dear Sir, I write regarding the mixed use of the Railway Trail between Somerset Bridge and Beacon Hill, especially the section between Somerset Bridge and Sound View Road.

This part of the Railway Trail, like every other, is used by strolling Bermudians and visitors alike. People walk casually, often with children running ahead or behind, not realising or forgetting that this part of the trail is also used by people riding motorbikes and cycles.

The cycles go fast, and often appear without warning. They often race, sometimes passing one another at blind curves.

The Department of Tourism's "Walking guide with Handy Reference Maps'' says explicitly (under Section No. 1) that this part of the trail is "suitable to pedal cycles and motor bikes.'' but few residents or tourists see or remember this line. Most abandon themselves to the beauty and apparent safety of the trail.

But this section of the trail is not safe. It is a miracle that no-one has been maimed or killed by the collision of cycles or the impact of a cycle and stroller.

Sooner or later, there will be a disastrous accident on this part of the trail. Why not avert it by acting now: End the mixed use on the trail.

Restrict this part of the trail to vehicles, or reserve it for pedestrians. No one saunters down the centre of Middle Road. Is it prudent to encourage casual pedestrian use of the trail while doing nothing to regulate the motor vehicles that also use it? Make this choice while respecting the natural beauties of the Island.

Pedestrians with a taste for nature and solitude have few alternatives in Bermuda; cyclists can use Middle Road.

DAVID WEISSMAN Somerset