unceremoniously dumped the latest edition of their Monthly Bulletin because it contained a one-and-half page tribute to former Veterinarian trainee Dr.

Susann Smith.

About 1,500 copies of April's Monthly Bulletin -- printed at a cost of $1,300 -- were rounded up at the last minute from the Post Office while others were collected from Department staff. About 100 issues survived the purge, The Royal Gazette has learned.

The tribute, signed by Librarian LeYoni Junos, lists Dr. Smith's "significant contributions'' to the Department and outlines her academic qualifications.

Dr. Smith has been at the centre of a storm since her contract with Personnel Services was terminated in early April. It has since been made public that the Tuskegee University graduate failed on four occasions to pass the US-based National Licensing Board exams, a condition of her contract with Government.

Since then supporters have waged a public battle to have her reinstated, arguing that such exams are not relevant to her job description. Dr. Smith meanwhile has been licensed to practice in Jamaica, but remains on the Island.

Acting Permanent Secretary of the Environment John Barnes last night confirmed the newsletter was pulled because of "unauthorised content'' -- the lengthy tribute to Dr. Smith.

"We've had people who served here much longer than four years and no-one wrote a page-and-a-half tribute for them,'' he said. "We regret and apologise to our readers for the delay.'' Kevin Monkman, who ordered the recall, said he only learned of the article yesterday and called back the Bulletin because the article had not gone through the "proper editorial channels''.

Agriculture bulletin pulled inappropriate for a departmental publication.'' He refused to say whether disciplinary action would be taken against Ms Junos, the writer and editor of the newsletter. Ms Junos was unavailable for comment.

The tribute offers a precis of Dr. Smith's tenure at the post of veterinarian trainee, outlining her daily contributions to the Department, including the founding of the Tudor Farm Camp, the Prison Farm Poultry Project, and her efforts to help dairy farmers unite to form the Bermuda Dairy Association.

The tribute also takes a back-handed swipe at the powers that be, charging: "She brain-stormed and engineered the Prison Farm Poultry Project in a sensitive response to the feral chicken problem and saw the project through to its unsuccessful end -- failing due to lack of collaborative support.

"We feel it fitting that she be commended for those contributions and be profiled for posterity, as has been done for other staff members in the past,'' Ms Junos writes in a sidebar.

Meanwhile Premier Pamela Gordon has passed on a petition calling for Dr.

Smith's case to be reviewed to Secretary of the Cabinet Leo Mills.

"I'm basically looking at all the circumstances on the Premier's behalf.

However it is difficult with matters of this sort to conduct them in the full glare of publicity without compromising one's objectivity,'' he said.