Government has apparently decided to control all the land itself. If Government wants to incorporate the bases back into the mainstream of Bermudian life that will be hard to achieve if the land remains a Government-owned preserve.

We are concerned that someone may have perceived the bases land as an expansion of Government rather than a land bonus for the people of Bermuda.

Before the bases, all of this land was an integral part of the Country. Like Dockyard, it now has a different look but every effort should be made to include it in mainstream Bermuda. We must accept that the bases lands belong to the people of Bermuda and not to Government. There will be problems, of course there will, but we should let the owners solve those problems within the usual framework of Bermudian life.

Government hates to give things up because it sees privatisation as a loss of control and Bermuda's Civil Service loves nothing more than control. That appears to us to be the reason we have not made some areas of Government private long before now, like the airport, the post office, tourism and drug treatment. Government is already the Country's largest landowner. It will grow considerably with the land it is keeping for the airport.

The use plan does say that one of the objectives is to integrate the bases into the physical, social and economic fabric of Bermuda in a way that enhances the quality of life. We think that will be very hard to achieve if Government remains the landlord and people are not allowed to own the land.

For the moment let us ignore the claims which private individuals might have to the land which belonged to their ancestors in 1939. Aside from any such claims, we think the land should be returned to Bermudians by allowing them to purchase, at a market price, or to lease on very long leases, the pieces of the base they might like to own.

The beaches should remain public preserves similar to the South Shore beaches and Government can keep the Marginal Wharf area for port facilities which should probably be administered by the Corporation of St. George's in order to give the old town some income. Government should also keep what is necessary for public recreation. The houses and the other buildings should be sold to people who might want them. If they are not sold to the private sector, then Government should look for people to rent them. Preference, and probably a preferential price, should be given for projects which fit well in Bermuda and offer advantages or diversity of the economy or which provide suitable employment for Bermudians without requiring imported employees. But they should be used exactly as if they were a part the rest of Bermuda.

The things Government needs to be concerned about are the constructive usage of the lands, keeping usage within the framework of benefit to Bermuda and preventing Kindley Field from becoming a dumping ground for the troublesome projects no one else wants.