It is with regret that I learnt that Mr. Charles Jeffers has resigned from his position on the I.A.C. as he is widely respected as a man of integrity throughout Bermuda.

Everyone except the brain-dead knows that denying status for those who have lived 20, 30 and 40 years in Bermuda is morally wrong.

Morality is used here as a convenience to address various agenda -- selective morality.

One can be as much a little bit moral as easily as they can be a little bit pregnant.

I compare the morality of our immigration policies on par with the morality of the tobacco companies.

Political expedience will, it seems in Bermuda, always overrule integrity and basic human decency.

LIBRA Paget Sir John to the point August 31, 2000 Dear Sir, Finally, a senior (ex) politician has come off the fence and "said it how it is''! Sir John Swan's comments in the business section of The Royal Gazette on August 30 were both timely and to the point. We must all stop "pussyfooting around'' and realise that we are now in the 21st Century.

It is also high time more of us started to make our feelings known. We have, apparently, all decided to "give the new Government a chance'', try to negotiate behind closed doors and thereby allowed Government to think it is doing the right thing.

Maybe it ain't always -- so come on, let's hear from you! Incidentally, politicians should never advise commercial organisations, particularly banks, how to conduct their business -- they are usually quite capable of making appropriate decisions on their own at the appropriate time.

COPPERKNICKERS Paget Spare us the pablum August 28, 2000 Dear Sir, Just when you think it was safe to take a little rest from the rhetoric of pathetic reasoning and new Bermuda definitions, up jumps the Junior Minister for E-verything.

In her new role as "barker'' for the Government we are entreated to some roundhouse reasoning that the new Government is accountable, fair and transparent, but there is no need for any other input than theirs.

Whilst I, for one, applaud Ms (Renee) Webb for developing a conscience regarding unnecessary spending by our Government, I just wonder when this epiphany occurred? Was it just after the purchase of ministerial cars or the recent decision to bury all ministerial travel expenses and daily travel allowances into ministerial budget allocations? Maybe Ms Webb, like the rest of us, thought that $5 million for the Tourism Minister's boardroom was a bit much and we should ease back a bit.

This new-found concern is quickly snapped back to reality when you try to comprehend how the Minister justifies the reason for non-inclusion on such a dramatic change in the way we practise democracy.

Surely, if you profess one-man, one-vote, it naturally follows that one-man one-voice is the way a person is to be heard. If we are to believe that the Government is going to speak with one voice on this issue, then where and when does the other 48 percent (and growing) of the population get their turn? I would like to hear from those MPs, who are about to be dismissed, what they think about single-seat constituencies.

More importantly, when and where will the people get to have their say about homogenised constituencies? If the problems in Southside, St. David's are no different than the problems in Hungry Bay, Paget, then let us all have a national ballot. Now that's one-man, one-vote, with one-vote of equal value.

I would agree with Ms Webb that there is no reason for a Constitutional conference. However, unlike the Minister, it is not on new-found concerns for finances, rather it's because there has not been a viable reason put for a change.

The reheating of 1960's rhetoric by a labouring political party may serve well as pablum for party convention goers, but it does little to feed the masses of the electorate who await something more substantial in results from this Government.

DAVID J. SULLIVAN Somerset Requesting information August 22, 2000 Dear Sir, For nine years, I assisted in the restoration of a Second World War coastal defence gun battery situated on the summit of Wrights Hill, above Wellington City, New Zealand.

Our battery was designed for three guns, but eventually had only two guns of 9.2 inch calibre, installed. They were made by Vickers of England. Sadly, our guns were taken away in 1961 for scrap.

Only recently, I learned that Bermuda has 9.2 inch coastal defence gun batteries situated at the Saint David's Battery and Victoria Battery. Luckily, both forts still retain their 9.2 inch guns! I respectfully ask, could any readers of The Royal Gazette advise me if there is a fort preservation society or group in Bermuda, as I would like to contact anyone who could tell me more information about Saint David's Battery or Victoria Battery.

If any readers wish to contact me, I can be reached at: 35 Paremata Street Atawhai Nelso New Zealand Many thanks.

DAVID LITTLE Time to get moving August 30, 2000 Dear Sir, Bob Stewart, as always, gets right to the point in his letter (August 28) on taxes and representation.

His point is valid, but I suspect he was simply firing a first shot to encourage others to make their views known.

In that spirit, it may be beneficial to look at what we in Bermuda are actually trying to achieve -- or are we simply prepared to sit back and let the world overrun us? Because that is precisely what will happen if we, as an economic unit, do not continue to grow -- at least in a financial sense -- in the same way as corporations need to expand in order to survive.

Have we not heard enough about limited space, too few houses/schools, too many cars etc., etc.? Thank goodness people are beginning to say that things can be done to alleviate these problems -- particularly, perhaps, steps to move transport from the roads to the water. Keep at it Doctor.

What are we doing about our own population growth? The illegitimate birth rate is supposedly reaching 50 percent and has been steadily growing since Dr.

Simon Frazer in the 1950s and 60s told people what caused "it'' and reduced a near 70 percent illegitimate rate to around 20 percent. But then of course, that was why the PLP lost the election in 1968! There is nothing in the Green Paper to draw people's attention to the fact that nearly 80 percent of the 551 over 20-year residents are over 50 years of age and few will have children at school.

That probably also applies to some, at least of those in the 40-49-year-old-age bracket. Is the reluctance to give the 551 some kind of status -- and the right to vote -- due to the fact that some 85 percent are not of African/Caribbean origin? But enough of the questions -- surely we must all know at least some of the answers: 1. We need our current "long-term residents'' and indeed the next generation to provide us with the experience and know-how to keep business thriving, irrespective of race, colour or creed.

2. We do not have enough qualified Bermudians to achieve what we need to achieve and due to the failings of the education system, are unlikely to do so for at least half a generation.

3. We must use all of Bermuda's undoubted attributes, plus the wealth of experience and desire to help that come from a host of people (including the brave 551!), if we are to continue to be the success story we undoubtedly are.

4. If we drop the ball now we will certainly end up with plenty of space, more than enough schools and no more traffic jams. We will also have empty houses, office blocks, more wall-sitters and fewer people (they will have all left the island) with the capability to keep Bermuda at the top of the pile or even half way up it.

We do not have years to make up our minds where the future lies. Consultation between the public and the private sectors is vital, but there must be a sense of urgency and desire to listen to people's needs. Both the last Government and the present one have paid lip service to "listening''.

Listening is fine but "hearing'' is even more important.

COPERNICUS Paget They broke the mould August 12, 2000 Dear Sir, In regards to the recent articles about potters refusing to refund $120 due the German couple: As a potter myself, never in my wildest dreams would I pull such a stunt on my customers.

Being an artist, I am very grateful to each and every person who likes my work enough to buy something.

I once sold a $100 pot to a woman who then dropped it. I refunded her money and she became a loyal customer and bought several more pieces.

Money is not the bottom line. Honour, integrity and your reputation are. These potters give craft persons a bad name.

Perhaps the fact that they refuse to honour their commitment is part of the reason they are no longer in business.

CAROL BODEKER Hamilton Parish