threaten racial harmony appear to have been groundless.

In July the Government sent employers its Employment Survey which for the first time included a question on race. It prompted complaints from the Chamber of Commerce which objected to the question saying it could hamper attempts to create racial harmony and could prove to be divisive.

However, it appears that most of the Island's major employers have encountered few problems and the Government Statistics Department said it was pleased with the response to the race issue.

At the Bank of Bermuda, which employs more than 1,200 people, Mr. Mark Perreault, director of human resources, said about 85 percent of the workforce had completed the questionnaire. He said there had been various reactions ranging from `who cares' to people objecting to filling in the forms.

"Some people said they did not want to be in a position of choosing which race they belonged to and I would not say that everyone completed the form,'' he added.

Mr. Ron Lucas, at the Bermuda Electric Light Company which employs about 400 people, said the majority of the workforce completed the form and that the company experienced no problems.

It was the same story at the Bank of Butterfield and around the Island, according to the Employer's Council which said it had received no negative feedback from its members.

The deadline for completing the form was on August 25, but last night Ms Janet Smith, the Government's chief statistician, said a few firms had yet to return the information. She said the survey was designed to identify the occupation of the Island's workforce by race and that she was pleased with the response to the question.

"We have had a mixture of reactions, but overall we are pleased and the forms are coming in at a fairly rapid rate. It has been a challenge to keep up with the level of replies,'' added Ms Smith.