.

Police on Wednesday took charge of arms and ammunition belonging to the Royal Montserrat Defence Force (RMDF) as a six-month phased disembodiment nears completion by month-end, according to a senior army officer.

The officer explained that during the embodiment to cope with the nation-wide emergency associated with the now four-year old Soufriere Hills volcanic crisis, the weapons were stored in a wooden building that is now unsafe for continued storage after disembodiment.

Commissioner of Police Mr. Chris Burgess, who referred the Reporter to the Governor, said the decision to move the arms was made, "because we have proper armoury facilities."

The storage of the RMDF’s arms and ammunition at the police armoury, the army officer explained, was a normal procedure.

When contacted, Governor Mr. Anthony John Abbott said "I absolutely have no comment to make."

The refusal by the Governor, and Army Commanding Officer Major Michael Duberry to give any reasons for the police taking control of the arms and ammunition comes at a time when the soldiers are complaining about the authorities lack of progress in providing houses to soldiers displaced by the volcano.

The soldiers are also upset that they were not being paid a Hazard Allowance and the army is not providing them with meals and instead are being offered food by a visiting contingent of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) here to assist with construction of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)- funded village.

The Governor has been already implicated in the cancellation of this year’s parade in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday after RMDF members, demanded that their concerns be first addressed at a meeting with Commanding Officer Duberry before going to the Dress Rehearsal.

An investigation to determine the extent of misconduct by any of the just over 30 RMDF members has been launched to ascertain whether Court Martial proceedings or any other disciplinary action would have to be instituted. Under sections of the Army Act, penalties include imprisonment, loss of rank, imprisonment and death, the death penalty not likely to be used outside times of war.

In relation to the concerns raised, Major Duberry said that the soldiers are no longer being fed because they were disembodied since the beginning of the year.

The plight of housing for soldiers who lost their properties due to volcanic devastation, Housing Minister Austin Bramble said, was being actively addressed with the provision of grants to those who have lands.

Finance Ministry sources confirmed the Commanding Officer Duberry’s statement that "Hazard Pay was not paid to the RMDF by that name but it was paid in cash by a different method."

Most soldiers have regular jobs with government departments for which they are paid separately from their military portfolios.

Montserrat has begun constructing a new EC$1million heliport and is hopeful of getting it internationally certified, according to Airport Manager Mr. Norman Cassel.

"After the completion of the initial phase, the upgraded heliport should be able to be certified," he told the Reporter.

The certification is to be done by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority and the Civil Aviation Directorate for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Once the new facility is granted certification, he said, the average Montserratian would be confident about the safety of using the helicopter service and there would be an increase in international air traffic.

The project, which is being financed by Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID), is expected to be completed in another six months, as the island seeks to revitalise its once-thriving tourism industry.

"When you have a commercialized and certified operation, you give an opportunity for different operators to come to the island and offer their service," Mr. Cassel said. "So then it provides a wider market that gives the passenger the opportunity for possible cheaper fares and, of course, better service in terms of the helicopter operation."

At present, the round-trip air fare between Antigua and Montserrat, using the emergency helicopter service, is EC$178 while the ferry service is EC$150.

Some modifications have already been made, based on recommendations by the Antigua-based OECS aviation authority, causing a setback in the completion of the project by about six months.

The heliport being built at Geralds is projected to have a life span of five years and will replace the present emergency facility at the same location that came into being with the virtual destruction of the W.H. Bramble Airport by the Soufriere Hills volcano.

Among the features of the new aviation facility would be a Final Approach and Take Off (FATO) area, at least one parking area for another helicopter, a terminal building, immigration accommodation and a fire station.

"Now the cost implication there again is there have been some changes because the budgeted amount before may not be enough to what we would have actually wanted to have (done)," Mr. Cassell told the Reporter.

Funds, he said, might have to be drawn down from the old recurrent budget to "top up the project" but a meeting is expected to be held by next week to finalise the type of infrastructure for the initial phase.

Authorities are still mulling whether the Control Tower should consist of two portable cabins mounted on each other or be a hurricane-resistant structure.

Due to the hilly formation of the island, he said, space was another constraint to ensure that the location chosen would be away from obstructions in the approach and departure area and so be eligible for international certification.

The Geralds area, Mr. Cassell noted, was one of the least expensive locations because it already has electricity, telephone and water supply facilities.

The eventual construction of a fixed-wing airport, most likely at Thatch Valley, would depend heavily on the availability of at least £90 million.

Senior airport officials have ruled out the feasibility of rehabilitating the W.H. Bramble Airport because there is a great risk of its being hit again by the volcano.

His Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott, in an obvious attempt to discount statements made by Montserrat's elected government officials, wrote in his Montserrat Newsletter May-June 1999, under the heading "British Aid - The Ground Rules," the following:

"One way or another we hear a lot about aid to Montserrat. Usually in terms of it is not enough, it is slow, or why do we allow the British to spend 'our money' on highly paid consultants. I think it might therefore be useful to restate a few of the basics which determine where and how British aid is disbursed.

"First of all, aid funds do not come from a big pot hoarded in the basement of Her Majesty's Treasury and guarded by ‘British officials.’ They come from the pockets of British taxpayers."

The above was not communicated to the Reporter, but was obtained, as by anyone else, since the Newsletter is distributed free throughout the island. Having read the article, we are still waiting to be educated about the "the ground rules" of British aid.

One thing is made clear. The Governor wants to remind us of Miss Clare Short's statement in August 1997 that Montserratians will soon be asking for Golden Elephants, for which she quickly had to apologise.

There should be no question, but the Governor seems to forget that his Parliament's Select Committee has condemned their government for its slow approach to providing the required aid to Montserrat during the crisis. They used such strong words like "bungling."

When our Chief Minister signed the Country Policy Plan he said that the £75 million would not be enough and made special reference to the housing needs, asking that a special allocation be made to further assist in that area.

The Governor stated that "Any project DFID agrees to fund must be able to stand up to scrutiny by its own internal auditors…and ultimately the British people." Unfortunately the British people hear only what their government's "own internal auditors" report, and even then there are often questions which go unanswered properly, for lack of the full truth. The disastrous "temporary" -- now considered "permanent" -- Government Headquarters at Brades is a perfect example of wasting and misusing British "taxpayers" money.

The Governor and his bosses obviously object to Montserrat’s referring to money allocated for its use as "our money." However, he refers in the Newsletter to a guiding principle that the recipient country should have "ownership of whatever projects are approved…"

He is obviously concerned about the Reporter's shared reaction to the British Government's attitude and its overall treatment and handling of Montserrat during this crisis. In the same Newsletter the Governor accuses the Reporter of saying in its editorial that the British Government was preventing Montserrat from accessing aid from other sources. The Governor said: "However, to suggest, as was in the case in a recent editorial in The Montserrat Reporter, that the British Government was preventing Montserrat from accessing aid from these sources is simply wrong."

The Governor was contacted -- since the Reporter has never made any such statement -- and he referred us to the offending section of the editorial that has caused concern with his bosses. Under heading on April 30, 1999, "When Britain Says 'No,' Promised Aid Disappears, " the editorial says:

"The Reporter has raised the question many times before of British and local officials, including the Governor, whether the British Government would stand in the way of Montserrat accessing aid from other international sources. The Chief Minister ought to explain to Montserratians how the British Government has prevented this, and the efforts that have been made in this direction."

The Governor claims that the impression here is, as he describes in his Newsletter, that the Reporter has said that Britain was preventing Montserrat from accessing aid from other sources.

The editorial was written following the Chief Minister's address to the nation on the forced acceptance of the British Government's decision to refurbish and reopen Bramble Airport. He had said that non-acceptance would mean losing the European Union's (EU) funds to develop an airport, explaining that the British Government has very strong influence over the EU's decisions.

The Governor in the same Newsletter admits in a sentence preceding his erroneous accusation stated above: "Britain is of course a major contributor to the European Development Fund (EDF) (a department within the EU) and to many other international organisations and does indeed have a degree of influence in those bodies."

The Reporter tries hard to be fair in its concern for the welfare of Montserrat and Montserratians and will continue to question and expose, no matter how limited, when it perceives any machinations by any administrative power, individuals or groups.

Dear Editor:

With the accustomed mixture of anxiety and hope, we have awaited the words of wisdom and fate from Pete Baxter, MCMSCFRCPFFOMETC.

In his Preliminary Report Dr. Baxter honestly reports his visit to Martinique and his findings regarding Mt. Pelee. Mt. Pelee erupted in 1902. He notes Mt. Pelee’s eruptions were "very similar to the dome-growing events at Soufriere Hills and that the ash may also have close similarities, including having a high content of cristobalite."

Dr. Baxter consulted with two doctors there, one of whom had practiced there for 30 years. "They were aware of a small number of cases of silicosis in workers in the local quarries." There are two quarries. "No cases of suspicious pulmonary fibrosis had been noted in the general population."

Tuberculosis was also a rarity on the island and they could not recall any historical reports of tuberculosis becoming epidemic in the island following volcanic activity. Tuberculosis often attacks lungs in the complicated stage of silicosis. It follows that, even if knowledge of silicosis was lacking early in the century, TB was well known. Thus there was NO indication of silicosis from the volcano!

This Preliminary Report is available at the Governor’s Office. The May issue of the Governor’s Newsletter, readily available at stores and the Post Office, thoughtfully published abstracts from Dr. Baxter’s report. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the extracts is that there is no mention of the Mt. Pelee phenomenon.

Is it possible that the silicosis scare belongs in the same waste basket as the tsunami that wasn’t, the Salem-scorching lateral surge that didn’t, the hanging lake unhung, the searing rocks unflung and, best of all, the collapsing ejection column?

Dear Editor,

The Rotary Club of Montserrat extends to the family of the late Geoffrey Brewer the sincere condolences of its members on his passing and takes this sad occasion to remind Montserratians of his dedication to this island and its people, particularly the young.

Before illness began to curtail his activity, Geoff Brewer was a genial visitor at most Rotary meetings here, although he remained an active member of the Eastbourne Sovereign Rotary Club of England, formerly the Rotary Club of Polegate and Willingdon, of which he was a past president.

He was an ardent champion for Montserrat. It was through his efforts, and with the generous support of his British club, that repeated contributions of money and textbooks were made to the Rotary Club of Montserrat for the benefit of the island’s schoolchildren.

The most recent instance involved the donation of four cartons of Physics and Biology textbooks to Montserrat Secondary School. A complication of that commitment was the long delay, from September to March, in their delivery from England, an untimely frustration that needlessly distressed our ailing friend.

We thank his wife, daughter and granddaughters for our having shared Geoff Brewer’s warm fellowship, and we thank his fellow Rotarians of Easbourne Sovereign for responding so readily to his earnest appeals on Montserrat's behalf. We shall miss him but we shall not forget him.

J. Donald Brandt

Secretary

Gratitude for Grace

Collosians 3:16

An interesting spiritual exercise is to examine many of the 3:16s of the New Testament. You are familiar,no doubt, with John 3:16 ( I imagine you have learnt it by heart), but are you familiar with 1 John 3:16? Look it up and you will see why it is not a verse that Christians like to memorise. The verse before us today is one of the New Testament’s most beautiful 3:16s. We are instructed to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. The word "dwell" here (enoikeo) has the meaning of the permanent residence, of being at home. Eugene Peterson paraphrases it like this: "Let the word of Christ have the run of the house." Give it plenty of room in your lives.

How wonderful it is when Christians allow the Word of God to be at home in their hearts, when they draw their spiritual sustenance from the Word of God and not from other things, however exciting they might be. This is not tosay that we cannot enjoy the spiritual experiences, but we are not to let them divert us from attention to the Word of God. What is being said here is this: the word of God must control all the ministries of the local church. It is to dwell in us richly as we teach, admonish, counsel and so on.

It is the Word of God, also, that must guide us as we sing. Some like to differentiate between psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and they may well be right. However, what Paul has in mind here is not so much the different types of praise and worship, but the content. All the songs we sing in church should be consistent with the Word of God- that’s his point. A gospel of good news must be echoed by songs of gratitude- gratitude of grace.

NEWS BRIEFS

Mother of six Eileen Duberry lost everything when the volcano erupted on the island of Montserrat. Her home, her possessions, all went- so the 37-year old decided to pack up and leave her Caribbean homeland to start a new life in England.

She decided to move to Leicester- but ended up in Leeds by mistake! Now, happily settled on the Ebor Gardens estate, Burmantofts, Eileen has put all her troubles behind her and has just picked up an award after completing the first part of catering course at Thomas Danby College, Leeds.

Eileen is busy studying for her NVQ Level 11 in food preparation at the college, and is delighted to have been picked out for an Adult Learners’ Award.

She, and 17 others from across the region, will be presented with their awards at a special ceremony at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on Saturday, which marks the start of Adult Learners’ Week, a major initiative to encourage adults to return to college. The week is organised by NOACE, the National Organisation for Adult Learning.

"The situation turned bad in Montserrat. We lost our home and everything and decided to come to England," said Eileen, who travelled to the country with her six children, aged from 5-19, and two nephews, aged 15 and 18.

After working as a cook in Montserrat, Eileen was keen to get some culinary qualifications under her belt, and enrolled at Thomas Danby College in September last year. Her long-term aim is to set up her own business in Leeds.

"I would love to bring my Caribbean cooking to the people in Leeds. It’s a dream I hope will come true," she said.

• Photo. WEST INDIAN TASTES: Eileen Duberry prepares a traditional Caribbean dish of salted fish and dumplings at her home in Leeds.

JUNE 25, 1997 – JUNE 25,1999— It is now two years since the Soufriere Hills Volcano took away 19 of our beloved brothers and sisters- the aged, sick, even babe in arms.

The ash and rock may have cooled but the memories of our friends, relatives and family members continue to be fresh in our minds.

"I saw the surges coming back up the hill from the pyroclastic flows, which moved at incredible speed down towards Farms and Trants, breaking over the walls at Brambles and rushing down towards Spanish Pointe through Bethel," recalled Roy ‘Slim’ Daley from Bramble village who was in Harris’ at the time.

Another eye witness, a female, who escaped and eventually went back to collect money she left in a vehicle, found it, walking through Water Works, retracing her steps to get to it. She said she had to go reap the carrots, because she was under so much pressure from government to supply vegetables to shelters.

She got the money but the vehicle she had, left . The flow of volcanic material was like "sweet oil" running down the hill, noting how the flow backed up with the heat.

As we ponder about whether this disaster could have been avoided, let us all join hands in offering a word of prayer for those who are no longer with us as we continue to seek comfort from each other to cope with the continued rumblings of the volcano.

Montserrat Reporter welcomes on board to its staff a qualified and professional journalist, as Chief Sub Editor.

He is Mr. Denis Scott Chabrol, a Public Communications Graduate of the University of Guyana.

Denis brings to this newspaper a wealth of experience in journalism gathered over the last 10 years.

During that time he also participated in a number of courses by Reuters Foundation, Voice of America (VOA) and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (COMBROAD).

His professional ties with Montserrat date back to 1991 when he began working as the Guyana News Correspondent for Radio Antilles.

For several years in his home country, Guyana, he worked with among others, the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as an Announcer-Producer and Journalist.

Before coming to the Montserrat Reporter, he was the Guyana Bureau Chief of the Caribbean News Agency (CANA).

The Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) will be without a dedicated helicopter from next Wednesday due to the need for "cost savings," but scientists will have access to the Antigua-Montserrat shuttle helicopter three hours each week," a top official of Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) announced Friday.

Head of DFID (Montserrat) Doug Houston said the decision to return the MVO’s small helicopter to the lessor, Bajan Helicopters, was reached in consultation with Chief Minister David Brandt’s office, the Ministry of Communications and Works, the British government and the scientists.

"We consulted with the Chief Scientist who said three hours was adequate," Houston said.

Return of the helicopter, he said, was influenced by the need for "cost savings."

The MVO’s helicopter lease costs US$19,000 per month. With the Soufriere Hills volcano in a quieter phase for several months now, DFID will be spending only US$5,760 for the three-hour-per-week visit by the scientists to the volcano.

Should the scientists need to make emergency visits to the volcano, the DFID official said, the emergency passenger shuttle helicopter would be on-call.

Former Chief Scientist Ms. Gil Norton, however, noted that the new helicopter arrangement would mean that "we will not be able to access as many sites as often."

Cable and Wireless is hopeful that its customers will take advantage of its offer of 50-percent off all international calls each weekend during next month, according to Interim General Manager of the phone company Neville Dublin.

"We are hoping that the majority of our customers will take advantage of these savings, although we do intend to offer similar incentives in the future," Dublin was quoted as saying in a phone company statement.

Cable and Wireless explained that customers would be charged the normal price for the first 10 minutes and then receive the 50 percent for the rest of the call.

This offer is available midnight Fridays to midnight Sundays throughout July from any fixed line. It does not apply to cellular phones, payphones, operator-assisted calls, credit card calling or pre-paid cards, the statement added.

The Cable and Wireless official described this phone-package as "one of the most exciting promotions," to have been introduced .

As police in neighbouring St. Kitts-Nevis probe the surfacing of counterfeit EC$50 bills in that twin-island federation , a top official of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) here has warned that an influx of the bogus bills could create a "false" picture of Montserrat’s economy.

"What a lot of this (counterfeit money) can do is give a false sense of the economy and can eventually lead to inflation," Ms. Alfreda Meade, ECCB Resident Representative on Montserrat, told the Reporter.

When currencies are issued except by the Central Bank , she explained, a false assessment of the expenses of the economy could be created that could show a greater supply of money chasing few goods and services.

The ECCB official, however, assured that no counterfeit EC$50 bills have so far been found here "as far as we are aware."

Referring to a statement issued by the St. Kitts-headquartered ECCB that pointed to the discovery of the notes, all bearing the serial number A735347K, she said that "we are trying to get the public on alert."

Anyone caught in possession of those notes, the bank warned, would not only have money without value but could face prosecution.

Legal experts at the office of Montserrat’s Attorney General say that anyone nabbed with counterfeit currency can face life imprisonment on conviction of the indictable offence.

The ECCB headquarters urged that anyone coming into possession of counterfeit notes should take them to the nearest police station.

The central bank advised that "caution" be taken particularly at night and in dimly lit environments and to look out for the security features of the EC$50 notes.

Those features include a security thread incorporated into the paper which "can be clearly seen" through genuine notes. Another feature is a watermark of Queen Elizabeth that can "only be seen when the note is held up to the light."

Different serial numbers also appear printed vertically on the left hand side and horizontally on the right hand side of valid notes.

A top official of the Montserrat Tourist Board (MTB) is calling for urgent attention to be paid to the building of a new airport at Thatch Valley, if the tourism industry is to boom once again.

Since the closure of the airport in June 1997 due to heavy activity at the Soufriere Hills volcano, visitors and residents have been using the 300-seater Antigua-Montserrat ferry and the 8-seater helicopter

services to get on and off the island.

MTB Administrative Officer Elveta Chalmers, alluding to reports about the emphasis being placed on reopening W.H. Bramble Airport, disagreed with that plan.

"I do not personally agree with going back to Bramble Airport because the volcano is still there, it is still being active and to me it’s just a waste to go back to Bramble Airport at this point in time," she told the Reporter.

"It’s a big risk, so we spend EC$20 million or whatever to renovate it and then the pyroclastic flows come

and then it is destroyed again but if we build an airport at Thatch Valley, it wouldn’t be that risky in terms of being destroyed by the volcano."

Chief Minister David Brandt has already said that the British government has totally rejected the Thatch Valley location, although he agreed that area is the best one for a new airport.

The Tourist Board official said she believed that "we will get a few more visitors coming to Montserrat" if that facility is built in the safe north of the island.

" I would hope they would speed up whatever arrangements are to be made, because we really need an airport at this point in time…it is one of our priorities," Ms. Chalmers added.

Latest available statistics show that there has been a significant decline in tourist arrivals, from 26,000 in 1995 to 4,000 in 1997. There has been a slight increase in 1997 to 4,000. Up to 1995, tourism was the island’s biggest foreign exchange earner, contributing about 20-percent

A senior Tourism official told the Montserrat Reporter that now that the heliport facilities are being upgraded, plans are far advanced to have a St.Kitts-Nevis aviation service provide a helicopter service to Montserrat.

An 8-seater helicopter service already shuttles between Montserrat and Antigua, but the official recalled

that a proposal for a 32-seater helicopter to be laid on has not been approved so far by the British authorities.

International transportation problems are plaguing the island even though the ongoing volcanic situation is itself an attraction for tourism and educational purposes.

Despite the recent priority being voiced about the reopening of Bramble Airport, newly appointed Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) Dr. Simon Young maintained that the area is out-of-bounds for at least another two years.

"Although I think that potential for flows at this time going to the airport is still extremely low but we would want it to be lower than it is now to be any where near safe for the airport to open again so as things stand at the moment, certainly we aren’t in a position to be able to say that we think that it is safe but a year from now or whatever we may well be in that position," he said in reiterating a positions stated in a one-year old report by the MVO.

In recent weeks, there have been a collapse of the dome down the Tar River Valley and that instability over Tuitts has highlighted the potential for pyroclastic flows into the southeast area.

Dr. Young said that since the MVO report one year ago, commissioned by DFID and the Montserrat government, the Observatory has not been asked to comment again on the time-frame for reopening Bramble Airport in Trants.

Montserrat’s Port Authority was this month rated the best performing Port Authority in the Caribbean for 1998 and so copped the coveted Nova Port Cup, Manager of the local Port Authority Roosevelt Jemmotte said in a statement.

The award, which was made at a June 10-11 meeting of the Port Managers Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) held in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), is for the efficient and effective use of human resources available to the port and the turn-around time in dealing with ships to ensure that there are no delays, he explained.

The Nova Port Cup was presented by Nova Port International Consultants Limited based in Halifax, Canada, after conducting the evaluation based on Port Statistics Performance Indicators such as man-hours per ton.

The Montserrat Port Authority received the award although the number of cargo handlers has fallen from the required 32 to 27 due to volcanic activity on the island.

"It was a surprise to Port Authority staff and congratulations are extended to the employees for achieving the award," he said.

The St. Vincent-headquartered PMAC represents port authorities in all member territories of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Curacao, St. Maarten and Barbados.

The provision of housing grants and house lots for members of the Royal Montserrat Defence Force (RMDF) who were displaced by the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano is being given priority, according to Housing Minister Austin Bramble.

"Those who have lands have all gotten grants. Those who don’t have lands, we at the Ministry are trying to see what we can do to assist them with land," he told the Reporter.

Manager of the Land Development Authority (LDA) Ms. Sylvia White said that two RMDF members are so far eligible for housing grants, while 12 others are pending because they do not qualify.

Overall, 18 soldiers need housing but they do not have land, so White said that "we are looking at ways to assist them to qualify."

To qualify for such grants, each member must have legal access to land, have relocated due to the volcano and have been living on Montserrat since July, 1995.

"Since many of the members know that they must have land, most haven’t returned the forms," White told the Reporter.

Once housing applications have been approved, RMDF members and other Montserratians are granted between EC$33,700 and EC$50,800, with the average being EC$41,390.

Some soldiers have been voicing concern in recent times about the apparent slow movement in acquiring housing assistance from the government but the Housing Minister attributed that bottle-neck to the "enormous odds."

It is "an uphill fight to make land available," he said, adding that one of the key obstacles is the unavailability of a road.

Latest assessments indicate that the island needs a population of about 10,000 to ensure economic viability, but the Housing Minister conceded with the present level of insufficient housing, one of the best options would be to open up lands north of Woodlands and further north beyond Drummonds.

Montserratian Alphege Browne is among the top 3 percent of students passing this year’s Common Entrance Examination in St. Lucia, according to her father Cheddy Browne.

"Sitting the test with over 6,000 other students, and with limited room for pass-only students, she came out in the top 3 percent of the island and is guaranteed entry into the country’s highest placed secondary school," he reported.

The Browne family was previously residing in New York as a result of the volcanic crisis on the island but, according to the parents, they were "not satisfied with the quality of education in the inner city schools" of New York.

"I am feeling good, I am feeling good but I am trying," Montserrat’s oldest citizen said of himself on his 106^th birthday on Wednesday.

Isley Bobb, a resident of the Golden Years Home for the Elderly, vigorously uttered those words from his wheelchair.

Mr. Bobb, according to his daughter Mrs. Luscinda Stoll, may be living this long because of a life filled with physical activity as a farmer.

"That is a hard-working man, he kept his body exercised. He kept going all the time," Mrs. Stoll told the Reporter. "Up to when he was 100, he used to be in his garden pulling wood and stuff like that, so I guess that is what keeps him up," She recalled that when her father was 100-years old, he attributed his longevity to the drinking of "scent-a-by-be" (bitter aloes).

Mrs. Stoll was one of several family members, relatives and well-wishers who joined her father at a birthday party held at the senior citizens home in Brades.

"I am feeling great. I am proud to know that my father lived so long and I would really like that opportunity for myself to live so long. I am very proud of him," she said.

His Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott quipped that the life-expectancy of Montserratians may be due to "the water you are drinking here."

Even though the island’s most senior citizen either sits in his wheelchair or relaxes in bed and so is not faced with all of life’s daily challenges of work, he remembers the Lord’s Prayer as he approaches the new millenium and 107 years.

"Our Father who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name thy Kingdom come. It will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Imagine living from the 1800s to 2000s! Congratulations!!! Birthday Greetings.

Minister of Community Services Mrs. Adelina Tuitt praised the care being offered for the island’s senior citizens at the Golden Years Home for the Elderly.

Barbados, CANA - Stating that the British Privy Council was a remnant of the region's colonial past, a Barbadian criminal lawyer is urging Caribbean attorneys-general to step up the pace towards establishing a regional court of appeals. "I think the time has long come for us to break the final yoke of colonial bondage and begin to properly manage our own affairs," said Attorney-at-law Kerrie Symmonds. He was responding yesterday to comments by President of the Privy Council in London, Lord Brown-Wilkinson, in support of the Privy Council being scrapped as the region's court of last resort.

Montserrat stands to benefit from a "new" Masters Degree in Tourism and Hospitality slated to begin in another three months, according to Director of Tourism Ms. Ernestine Cassell.

"We need to have trained people in the industry because a lot of people perceive tourism as the sort of last resort job even in the civil service…so this kind of training will be really integral in getting these people to understand that one has to be trained in the areas," Ms. Cassell told the Reporter.

She cited tourism-related areas such as Marketing and Advertising that are required to effectively support the various categories of the industry, including those focussing on heritage, sports and adventure.

"This is seen as a very necessary and integral part for the tourism industry," she added.

A search has begun, she said, for persons interested in Montserrat’s tourism industry to pursue the programme that begins in September.

With the deadline for applications being June 30, Ms. Cassell predicted no difficulties by eligible Montserratians in gaining entry to the programme even though the island is a British dependency.

"It shouldn’t be a problem because we are a dependent territory. It should be even more accessible to dependent territories because we are the ones who really have a problem finding scholarships on our own, and given the predicament that Montserrat is in, it should be easier for us to get scholarships in that way," the official added.

The Director of Tourism said that a number of persons have already indicated their intention to pursue the course and upon return be better able to contribute to the island’s tourism industry that earned EC$5 million last year.

Up to 1995, tourism was "the greatest foreign exchange earner," contributing about 20-percent of the island’s economic growth.

The UWI announced that a limited number of scholarships would be offered to candidates from the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) group that comprises the Dominican Republic and the 15- nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.

Those scholarships are expected to include one return trip to and from the Mona Campus, tuition and subsistence, as well as incidental University fees.

However, those with over ten (10) years’ experience in the tourism and hospitality industry "will be considered" for acceptance to the programme, as well as students from other disciplines, providing they have more than one year’s experience in the tourism sector.

They must, in addition, satisfy any UWI regulations for entry into Masters programmes.

Application forms, further information on the programme and eligibility for scholarships are available from the Graduate Section of the Registries of the University of the West Indies, and University Representatives in the non-campus territories.

The British construction firm, Brown and Root, has written a letter to the occupants of the Phase 2 houses at Lookout asking them to take a number of cautionary steps to minimize harm and danger.

Brown and Root is asking residents to drive slowly and with caution to and from their houses, because construction in Phase 3 of the housing project is in progress.

According to the letter, Brown and Root says special care should also be taken not to disturb the dust or interfere with the workers on the Force Ten houses that are being constructed along the eastern side of the entrance road.

In the letter, Brown and Root is asking that parents, in particular, keep small children supervised or indoors, and ensure that bigger children to not play on the main road.

Brown and Root says if it becomes necessary to pay a visit to the Phase 3 construction section, residents must be aware of the hazards and danger.

The letter says Brown and Root is anticipating that visits will be kept to a minimum and preferably on weekends, when activities are somewhat reduced.

It says in any event, buildings under construction in Lookout should not be entered without permission of the contractors involved.

The Project Managers and Brown and Root says they’d like to have the full cooperation of all residents and their friends to observe caution in the interest of safety and protection for the entire family and the workers involved.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has highlighted its level of assistance to Montserrat in its 1998 Annual Report.

In its report, the bank states that in the area of disaster rehabilitation, a grant of $100,000 has been made available through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) to finance the development and execution of a programme to support evacuees from Montserrat as a result of the volcanic crisis.

The CDB emphasized that this grant also facilitated the integration of evacuees in Antigua and Barbuda, and the dissemination of information through the region on the critical problems facing the people of Montserrat, which should be addressed and for which financial and other support is required.

The CDB report also explains that a number of CDB-financed projects under implementation prior to 1995, when the volcanic crisis started, have been severely disrupted.

It says at the end of 1998, progress was being made on only the Student Loan Scheme which had been fully committed and almost fully disbursed, with the Bank of Montserrat having assumed responsibility for management of the project.

The regional bank’s report also states that the island’s economic circumstances and general uncertainty caused by the volcanic crisis have adversely affected activity under several CDB lines of credit, with rates of disbursement much slower than projected at appraisal.

CDB’s contributions to improvements in Montserrat’s near-term prospects have included positive reaction to proposals related to grant assistance for housing and population relocation, and the restructuring of outstanding debt to the bank.

The CDB has approved 18 capital loans, one contingently recoverable loan and 24 technical assistance grants for Montserrat, the equivalent of $15 million, with emphasis on agriculture/forestry/fishing, manufacturing, tourism, power/energy, water, transport/communication, housing, education and basic needs.

At year-end 1998, there was the equivalent of $1.8 million in undrawn balances of committed resources for CDB-financed projects,.

Montserratians have once again been offered scholarships to pursue post-Secondary education in Cuba.

The Government of the Spanish-speaking Republic has offered scholarships at Higher Level Institutions to Montserratian students as well as students from other Caricom member states.

The areas of study available include Architecture, Dentistry, Law and various types of Engineering studies, among others.

In order to qualify for the scholarship, the student must translate all documentation, particularly information relating to academic qualifications, into Spanish.

Letters of application for the upcoming academic year must be provided to the scholarship committee in Brades by Friday June 18.

Revised Version of Paper as presented by the Honourable Minister for Communications and Works Rupert Weekes at recent CANTO conference in Aruba.

I wish to express my gratitude to CANTO for once again inviting me to address its annual conference. Montserrat has been very well served by Cable and Wireless over the years and we look forward to this quality service to continue in the years to come.

The profound changes currently taking place in telecommunications have their origin in a series of major technological innovations that have swept the global industry. The result is an industry in transition from what can be called the ancient regime of public service monopoly to the new paradigm of private competitive business.

First, the widespread introduction of high-capacity optical fibre has altered the economics of the long distance market. Whereas transmission capacity was once a scarce resource, there is now a surplus. The result is that long distance calling has become a commodity, and service providers are struggling to find ways to add value to the basic long distance call.

The second major technological innovation is the emergence of new access technologies: personal communication services (PCS), cellular, two-way broadband cable, wireless cable, satellite, and others. These new technologies, particularly those of a mobile nature, are altering our perceptions of telecommunications access.

In the developed countries where there is high wireless penetration, many people consider mobile phones to be their primary means of access to telecommunications.

The third major technological innovation is digitization. The move from analog to digital communications, combined with the development of intelligent systems platforms, has vastly increased network capacity, and unleashed unlimited possibilities in enhanced value-added services. In addition, digitization accelerated the convergence between telecommunications, information, and computer technologies, such that future generations will likely have difficulty distinguishing between them.

In recent years, much of the economic debate surrounding telecommunications has focused on the role and benefits of competition in service provision. The breakdown of the natural monopoly concepts which, until recently, dominated regulatory thinking, have been linked to the technological changes sweeping telecommunications. Under the old concept, innovation was relatively predictable and could be "managed" by a well-intentioned monopoly service provider.

The gradual transition from analog to digital central office switching was one such example. The direction of technological change is much more difficult, perhaps impossible, to predict, and its management must increasingly rely on the responsiveness of the market. What is evident to all is that no single company could possibly foresee, let alone "manage," all of the innovations currently taking place.

Telecommunications are now entering the era of "consumer sovereignty" where marketing emerges as pre-eminent. In the new economic model, there is no place for the natural monopoly, this concept having been replaced by an abundance of market niches, the dissolution of boundaries and an emphasis on inter-connectivity.

These days, competitive advantage is gained not so much by being large, or being able to provide a complete range of services, but rather by being flexible and responsive to customers.

Today’s telecommunications revolution and liberalization have an economic impact that extends far beyond the telecom sector. There are direct cost savings for purchasers of telecommunications services, as well as indirect cost savings for purchasers of all goods and services that incorporate telecommunications inputs.

As such, it is incumbent upon business and political leaders to recognize the transformation that is occurring and to ensure that it is not inhibited by policies designed to meet the needs of a bygone era.

In countries where the telecommunications infrastructure has been liberalized, citizens have been enjoying enormous benefits, including increased choice, greater innovation, higher quality of service at reduced prices, improved telephone company efficiency, enhancement of universal service objectives, and new employment opportunities in and beyond the telecommunications sector. On the opposite end of the spectrum, citizens in Montserrat, served by a monopoly service provider, are still waiting for the dramatic rate reduction at the other end of the international line to trickle down. We would like this to be offered to us in the Caribbean and Montserrat in particular.

Recognizing that telecommunications services competition benefits both the telecom sector and the broader economy, I believe government, service providers and consumers all have an important stake in ensuring that the country adapts to and profits from the changing economic telecommunications landscape. It is incumbent upon all to recognize the transformation that is occurring and to ensure that it is not inhibited by policies designed to meet the needs of a bygone era.

To meet its WTO obligations for the liberalization of its telecom sector, we must formulate policy prescriptions that include:

A National Telecommunications Policy (NTO)

The principle objective of NTP will be to set the direction the telecom sector is heading and ensure that its growth in the 21^st century is well regulated for the good of the countries. It will function as a catalyst towards the development of the telecom sector in its efforts to become a modern, sophisticated and dynamic sector.

The NTP will formulate general outlines for the development of the telecom sector at the national and international levels. This will serve as guidelines to all parties involved, including service providers and government, particularly about the requirements of network and service facilities, human resource development and absorption of new technologies. Its micro objectives will include:

Provision of modern, sophisticated and quality communications services at a reasonable cost;

Ensuring that the telecommunications infrastructure is adequate and effective in supporting the country’s modernization efforts;

Ensuring service providers meet their universal service obligations.

Encouraging growth of value-added services;

Ensuring that human resource development is in tandem with the needs of the telecommunications sector;

Ensuring that radio spectrum resource management is administered in an effective manner.

Telecommunications, like other public utilities, has traditionally been regulated on the theory that the sector is a natural monopoly. It is recognized that, in a market that will continue to be characterized by dominant carriers, full and fair competition will require competition rules to prevent the dominant carrier’s abuse of its market position.

The experience of the developed nations in moving domestic regimes from monopoly to the competitive supply of basic telecom services has made clear the need for a pro-competitive regulatory system that includes:

Adoption at the political level, broad programmes of regulatory reform that establish clear objectives and framework for implementation;

Ensuring that regulations and regulatory processes are transparent, non-discriminatory, and efficiently applied;

Setting disciplines for inter-connection of competing basic telecom suppliers.

Provision of competition safeguards against dominant carriers.

Universal service is, for many reasons, a vitally important goal of telecommunications policy. At the same time, in developing universal service obligations, public policy should be guided by the need to make such obligations subsidiary to the promotion of competition.

Despite fears that competition would divert revenues from the public operator and undermine its ability to provide universal service, experience shows that access to the telephone has been improved in the world’s most liberal national markets, and that competition itself provides the best means of advancing universal service objectives.

The implementation of full liberalization of telecommunications services implies that competing service providers will take a share of the market and consequent share of uneconomic universal service obligations. However, it is essential that the universal service obligations imposed on new entrants should not be so burdensome that they might defeat the objective of enhanced competition.

Inter-connection may be viewed as the most important competition safeguard. Mandatory inter-connection rules for dominant service suppliers are an indispensable requirement for effective infrastructure-based competition in order to promote effective competition and to prevent the dominant service providers from abusing their market power.

At a minimum, dominant providers of infrastructure must be required to provide inter-connection to their facilities for new market entrants at rates that are non-discriminatory and reasonable. These competition safeguards are essential because the dominant provider’s position in the market means that alternative means of providing ubiquitous infrastructure or service are not available.

To fulfill these vital objectives, there should be a requirement that the rates be filed with the regulatory authority. This requirement helps to ensure that rates are non-discriminatory.

More important, however, the opportunity for public review of these rates allows the regulator to ensure that rates are reasonable. Excessive rates, even if non-discriminatory, will stifle competition by making provision of competing infrastructure and services economically unfeasible.

In adopting the WTO guidelines on market access commitments that require governments to maintain rules that safeguard competition, we believe:-

Licensing and other forms of regulation are appropriate for dominant carriers that have the ability to charge supra-competitive rates.

Infrastructure and service providers that lack this power can be subjected to much less stringent regulation without endangering achievement of public policy objectives, for example, legislation or regulations of general applicability can more effectively ensure that infrastructure providers fulfill the "essential requirements."

New Magistrate For Montserrat

Mr. Brian Cottle from St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been sworn in as the new Senior Magistrate for Montserrat.

Mr. Cottle was appointed to the new post on June 7.

He was scheduled to preside over his first sitting on June 15.

Mr. Cottle replaces E. Karney Osborne, who was acting as Senior Magistrate until his term expired on June 14.

The new Senior Magistrate’s last posting, before coming to Montserrat, was as Director of Public Prosecutions in St. Vincent.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Housing and the Environment is alerting residents on island to the recent discovery of wood-boring beetles in imported lumber.

In a press release, the Ministry says the beetles were discovered emerging from treated plywood in recently-completed joinery work.

According to the release, the beetles emerge from small boreholes in the wood, producing quantities of sawdust in the process.

The Ministry, through its release, states that the beetles are unfamiliar to technicians in the Department of Agriculture and may be new arrivals on Montserrat.

The release also says samples of the wood-boring beetles have been collected and have been sent to the Natural History Museum in London for definite identification.

The beetles are said to be around two millimetres in length with narrow cylindrical bodies that are dark, reddish-brown in colour.

In addition, the Ministry says the beetles are capable of flying, but normally keep their wings folded and out of sight when at rest.

The release says the Ministry is making every effort to trace the origin of the lumber which had been supplied through local merchants.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment is hoping that members of the public, including joiners, building contractors and merchants who have similar sightings of wood-boring insects associated with imported lumber will report to the Department of Agriculture, along with providing samples of such insects.

Montserrat joined its counterparts in the sub-region in observance of OECS Day 1999 on June 18.

Although no major activities were held locally to mark the occasion, a number of events, including mini exhibitions and a conference through the Internet, were held in several of the neighbouring islands to commemorate the observance of the day.

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) came into being on June 18, 1981, when seven eastern Caribbean states signed a treaty agreeing to cooperate with each other and promote unity and solidarity among the members.

The OECS member states are Montserrat, Antigua/Barbuda, St. Kitts/Nevis, Anguilla, Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The British Virgin Islands have associate membership.

After five months of inactivity, work has resumed on the Caricom Village in Lookout.

Over 40 locals are working along with members of the Barbados Defence Force, who are on island to complete the project.

The local artisans include carpenters, masons, painters, tilers, electricians and labourers.

Local contractor John Lynch has also been named as Supervisor of the Caricom Village Project.

Work on the 25 houses in the project came to a halt at the end of last year because of a shortage of funds.

The Caricom Village is being built with funds and expertise made available from the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Montserrat Progressive Society of Boston has successfully hosted the John Buffonge Second Scholarship Fundraiser.

A large number of Montserratians turned out to witness the event which was held recently at the William Reed Auditorium in Boston.

In addition, the group has produced a booklet which highlights, among other things, the businesses owned and operated by Montserratians now living in the Boston area.

The booklet also contains addresses by His Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott, the Honourable Chief Minister David Brandt and the President of the Group, Alfred Molyneaux.

It also features the names of persons closely associated with the group, group activities for 1999 and a profile on the latest Progressive award recipients.

Organizers are forging ahead with the Montserrat European Cultural Exposition 1999.

The exposition, which is being held in Europe, is being spearheaded by the Montserrat Volcano UK Fund.

Among the many activities planned are an evening of historical perspectives, personal recollections, poetry and entertainment in London on June 25.

The event, dubbed "Montserrat: the forgotten Chapter in Irish History," will feature presentations from Chairman of the UK Volcano Fund Tony Wade, among others.

There will also be performances by relocated Montserratians Lorraine Allen, Gertrude Shotte and Joseph Malone.

The Keep Montserrat Alive Group is also on the programme along with a short play entitled "Total Disaster."

The event is one of many being held during the Stoke Newington mid-summer festival.

An Investiture ceremony will be held on July 15 at the Governor’s residence in Palmhurst, Woodlands.

During the ceremony several Montserratians who have contributed significantly to the development of the island will be honoured.

It is expected that Dr. Howard Fergus CBE, Major Joseph Lynch MBE and Thomas Edward Meade MBE will each receive the Montserrat Badge and Certificate of Honour.

His Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott will also use the occasion to present the Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE) medallion to Mrs. Camilla Watts.

Superintendent of Police Charles Greeney will also receive the long service and good conduct UK Police medal during the investiture.

The United Kingdom Police Force has requested that Mr. Greeney be allowed to accept his award here in Montserrat, where he has been working for more than one year.

The upgrade of the Gerald’s Heliport has started in earnest.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on the afternoon of June 23^rd.

Presently, only a limited emergency heliport service is provided.

However, Airport Manager Norman Cassell says the primary objective of the project is to achieve a certified heliport facility that meets Civil Aviation requirements and provides a safe operation for helicopters in and out of Montserrat.

He says once the project is completed, the new heliport will be able to facilitate all airport transactions and provide improved accommodation for staff.

Meantime, the Honourable Minister for Communications and Works Rupert Weekes says the current heliport service has its fair share of limitations and does not adequately meet the needs of residents.

He hailed the groundbreaking as a significant event in the lives of all Montserratians.

Mr. Weekes says the project signifies the start of service that is urgently needed to assist in the re-development of Montserrat.

When I went to public works and I saw the old trucks and vehicle parts and garbage strewn around the place, I said to one of the men "we have to clean up this place". He look at me nervously and said, "yes, your right! Everybody a thief".

Sometimes we get so accustomed to seeing things in one state we accept that as normal and we can no longer see what’s wrong.

I no that on occasions like this it is customary to address you with generalities and to make meaningless statements about good intentions and co-operation. I don’t believe you want that and I want to speak to you from the heart.

Your president is my friend and many of you are my friends, some of you are from my constituency.

On this occasion, your very first convention, I want to forget for a minute that I am a Minister of Government, I want to forget even that even as a Lawyer I supported you in your struggles for justice and I want to speak to you as friends. Because one can only speak from the heart to a friend and that is the way I need to speak to you.

I am very glad for this opportunity- I think that now I can speak directly to you and you will understand what I am trying to say and you will know what is in my mind as regards the relationship that I think must exist between you and Government.

I am merely a substitute speaker. You Chief Minister was the person invited to address you. But he is away and hasa given me this chance to share my feelings with you.

Little of what I have to say will represent any official government position of the Government of Montserrat.. In all fairness the government has not had any time to arrive at any clear position as it relates to and concerns the public service.

I know that this is a matter of immediate concern to you: the secretary of the association has said that in his letter, and the government acknowledges the utmost importance of establishing a sensible working partnership with the civil service and of having a clear understanding of the terms of that partnership.

But the views I express will be largely my own, I might disagree with some of these views but they are views honestly held on a matter that I think is so important that all parties must act to ensure that we arrive at positions that facilitate the efficient functioning of Government and allow the public to be properly served.

The government has asked for suggestions and advice from the people, it has gone as far as placing an ad in the newspaper to solicit suggestions and advice. You aare the people who know about the way civil Service functions and what changes are desirable.

Civil Servants have shown a new interest in promoting political philosophy by becoming candidates in elections, a natural consequence of this interest is that the civil servant will now have a new understanding of how politician and civil servant should work together for the good of all.

I believe that you must nudge government into the right position. This convention should create the mechanism for the association to arrive at its own philosophical statement as to the role of politician and Civil servant. You have enormous talents and wide experience. I say with complete confidence that I am speaking to some of the best minds on this island. It is up to you to help formulate the policy that determines the relationship. Promote the ideas that you feel will contribute to better functioning of the civil servants and the Government as a whole. It is a responsibility and an opportunity.

Some of the things I will say, I can only say to friends.

For any relationship to work well, both parties must give - not grudgingly as if the giving is only on demand, but willingly as in a co-operative venture. You, the members of CSA are the people who must determine the public’s view of Government. When you serve the public, if you are kind and courteous and helpful, then people will think the government is kind and courteous and helpful.

If you are sarcastic and unprofessional, then the public will have a negative view of Government, in fact, manyt people when they talk about government are not refering to the Ministers and Executive body, but to you the civil servants. You get blamed when sometimes you are not responsible, but occasionally you make it easier for others to blame you and the government.- that should be avoided.

People who visit Montserrat from other places frequently rate the whole island according to the first contact with civil servant.

The Civil Servant is an ambassador, a representative of the people.

Some years ago a friend of mine made her first visit to the United States. She was very impressed by the big buildings, bright light, fast pace, the tremendous traffic and inexpensive food. The city was frightening, dirty and huge; but when one day she saw a man rob another man at gun point, she decided enough was enough, I’m heading for home.

"But David" she said to me " one thing I will always remember is how polite and professional most people were when dealing with the public. I think everyone should work for a year in another country to see how people in different countries act"

Now, that was a very good idea! Couldn’t we ask the Canadian Government or maybe USAID to arrange to have work exchange for a year to six months, wouldn’t that expose a number of people to fresh ideas. Why hasn’t the CSA pushed an idea like that? You, more than anyone else know how it can be done.

But within the CSA some way must be found to monitor and upgrade the that quality of service given to the public. We don’t need the heavy hand of government to force us to do the things that we can do ourselves.

Why is the CSA not trying to get a representative on the Public Service Commision?

Yes, it’s a radical idea, but isn’t a good idea? You know better than any, the problems that exist in the service and the skills needed to correct them. Why are you not represented in the body that decides who should become Civil Servants? Some of you might not like the idea but think about it, it will grow on you!

Are you satisfied that the present system sufficiently rewards and conscientious effort? Shouldn’t there be salary increment, maybe separate ones based on performance as well as time served?

Does the service creativity among its members? Shouldn’t ever body be required to submit ideas as to how work or the work environment could be improved and should the CSA have access to those ideas to ensure that heads of department or other responsible individuals do not ignore them?

Let me make a confession to you my friends. I went to a retreat and some of the time I was not comfortable. It took me some time to find out what was wrong. There was no ordinary Civil Servants.

I want to hear from you people, I want to know what kind of improvements you would like to see, I want to know what bothers you, what con I do to make you happier on the job? I hope every Government Minister Feels the same way.

I hope that no one will conclude from anything I have said, that I will tolerate a listless or mechanical performance on the job - I will not. I believe that we should take pride in our work whatever we do, and do it to the best of our ability; in that way we will show concideration to our fellow workers and invest in the prosperity of our country.

It is important that you be heard. What we have to say must not be filtered through heads of departments and Permanent Secretaries, they are heard every day, you must be given your chance.

And the burning question-what to do civil Servants who want to offer themselves as candidates in elections.

We have to recognize that our population size makes the pool of potential candidates limited. In my view it is our duty to find ways to expand that pool, not to restrict it by excluding important sections our society.

The last election, in which the NPP unseated the PLM and stopped the NDP in less then 3 weeks must have given a message to all, the restrictive rules is not the answer.

But you know and understand the problem well as anyone else and it is up to you to make sure that your ideas are incorporated in a new General Orders or whatever else stands in the way of your offering your service to your country. You must ask for changes and make sure that changes are made in a positive way.

We have a new government and that government must find new solutions to the problems in our society. It is essential, in my view, that an organization as important as the CSA contributes to those solutions. You must resist being presented with solutions without your voice being heard, that is not the way for any government to go and will not happen in this government while I am part of it.

But you must be vigilant and aggressive in advancing your right, in strengthening your society and in promoting your country.

You must be alert to ensure that apathy and laziness do not deprive this organization of its potential to make effective and original contribution to the development of our society.

Be forceful in eliminating those causes within the association that lead to public resentment and erode public support. Don’t wait for others to do it for you, do it for yourself.

My friends, we are embarked on a five year journey, it is a long journey that will have its share of triumphs and disasters. We must be fir to make the journey like athletes, we must have trained hard and disciplined ourselves if we are to travel as far as and as fast s possible.

But most of all we must be united not dissipating our energies by tugging in different directions.

This country is our land, my friends and it is up to us to make it the greatest Montserrat it can possibly be!

Last night, disturbed by the sound of a cricket, I angrily reached for the flit pan; but superstition got the better of me. Instead of killing the thing, I wondered aloud if it was a money cricket or a sickly cricket or a merry cricket. I left the cricket alone. A couple of hours later, I was still reflecting on the things I used to believe, especially about ghosts, yes jumbies. I was very superstitious. I grew up at the time when it was OK to be superstitious.

I used to and still believe that ghosts exist. The difference is that now I am not afraid of the nights, even the ghosts, or the jumbies as we called them. But who among us can forget jumbie stories? Who among us today, can recall living with a parent or guardian who believed in and was afraid of ghosts?

I was afraid of the dark nights. But most of the times I pretended not to be afraid; so like many young boys, I was manly enough to walk Cudjoe Head in the evenings. But heaven knows, I was too afraid to walk home alone at nights. And if I had to go home alone, I would sing aloud at every dark place trying to boost courage, or I would mumble the "Lord is my shepherd . . ."

Even though I knew my mother would lock me out if I stayed out too late, I was still too afraid to walk home alone, so I would wait until the bigger boys were going home later in the night - Man, to see me crying, begging Mama to let me in. (You know mothers, they cannot fall asleep as long as their "forced ripe" sons are out).

I was so afraid of jumbies, that one night I walked a girl from Cavalla Hill to Mongo Hill, but preferred to walk all the way around Carrs Bay rather than take the short walk back through Barzey's.

What about going to funerals? Did you ever notice that some people can't go to the burial ground? They are afraid that when they go to sleep they will hear the sound of rocks falling on the coffin - or see the coffin, or even see the face of the deceased … and those teeth!

What about listening to stories in the night about jumbie hog, jumbie dog and jack o'lantern; then becoming too afraid to go outside to "bathe off" or to "wash you foot"?

Superstition - Do you believe?

They told us if you hear one call in the night you must not answer - Because a ghost might take your voice and go calling other people. These days I wonder what young people believe - my co-worker never answers the phone on the first ring. I hate to think that modern ghosts use the telephone - yet I put it down to superstition.

Long ago they told us not to interfere with stray cats day or night. Stray cats had a way of being jumbies. Just the other day someone called from St. Martin to warn my friend that the grayish bringle cat in the hillside below her house was a ghost - and what she must do to protect herself. And you know she believed. She asked me, if it ain't true, how could they know in St. Martin that the said colour cat was in the hillside.

They told us that if a ghost is following you - (a ghost only follows people in the night. I believe) quickly turn your hats on the wrong side. Or if you have a box of matches, light one and put it out quickly, but do not drop the matchstick. They said that the ghost would spend all night looking for the stick. And if the ghost finds the stick, it will follow you home and beat you to death.

They even say to throw sand in the coffin - because the deceased will have to count every grain of sand before it can return to harm any one. Some say, never turn your bed-head towards the sea… because only at the cemetery they place dead people head towards the sea. Others say that they carry the dead foot first, because if they carry them head first, when they come back as Jumbies they would walk on their heads. I used to believe that you could not take the coffin into the church unless the minister is sure the spirit of the deceased was present. In fact, somebody always sees the minister looking over his shoulder and say - "you see dat?" If you want to see the spirit on the coffin, they say that you could turn your back, bend over head between legs and quickly look at the coffin. I honestly believed those things!

They told us that if you see a ghost and you want your friend to see it too, you must walk on his foot, but you have to hold him very securely, or else the sight of the jumbie might cause him to run over a cliff.

Some people still back into their house at nights, to prevent ghosts from following them into the house.

Last year, my good friend told me that one day, while resting in bed, he saw a ghost in his house. Frightened he jumped up and ran from the house; but when he reached the stairs, he realised what he was doing. Yes, he was running from "his house." He stopped, went back into the house, raised an uproar - telling what ever it was that "this is my house, and if anybody leaving this house it ain't going to be me". He swore that he never saw the ghost again.

Do not believe them when they say that if your "head raise" a ghost is present.

I tell you, my head raise many times from the shadows of coconut tree and banana tree.

But if you are still superstitious -- don't panic. You can still visit the pharmacy and purchase Florida water, asafetida, red lavender and rose oil - or you can use your cross, candle and holy water. Whatever you choose, do not feel badly. You will not be the first, and you will not be the last to use it!

PROFILE

Madge Mary Donoghue

SEN – UK , RGN, RMHN

Mrs. Donoghue successfully completed the State Enrolled Nursing program in 1969 and an initial Psychiatric Nursing program for Registered Mental Nurse in the UK.

Having placed her career on hold to supervise the care of her children, she worked part-time night duty. She also attended college part-time. Some of her academic achievements include Psychology and Sociology.

On migrating to Montserrat in 1988, Mrs. Donoghue joined the staff at Glendon Hospital as Enrolled Nursing Assistant in 1988; later she entered Glendon Hospital School Of Nursing to pursue The General Nursing program, which she successfully completed in 1992.

She worked as a Registered General Nurse, mainly on med/surgical ward, until the end of 1993.

In January 1994 she was transferred to Community Nursing Services as the District Nurse for St. Peter’s Health Clinic. In addition to her District Nurse duties she organized a Healthy Life Style group and an Adolescent Health Club.

In 1997 she attended Bellevue School of Nursing in Jamaica, where she successfully completed Registered Mental Health Nurse program and was appointed Psychiatric Nurse in 1998.

Mrs. Donoghue has been exposed to training at local, regional and international levels. These courses include HIV/AIDS /STD’S Diabetes and Hypertension, Counseling. Adolescent Health through UWIDITE Distant Learning. Child Abuse at (NYSPCC) in the U.S., Psychiatric Emergencies / childbirth, Immunization, Maternal and Child Health and Mass Casualty.

Mrs. Donoghue enjoys the challenges her profession offers. She enjoys working with adolescents, young adults, elderly and especially individuals with special needs. Presently she works in the Mental Health Clinic and strives to provide efficient Mental Health Services.

My topic for " This week with the Nurses" is Mental Health with specific emphasis on Adolescent Development.

However, before I explain the Adolescent process, I will explain what Mental Health is.

Many people, when they hear the term Mental Health, think of mental illness. However Mental Health is far more than an absence of mental illness; Mental Health is something all of us want for ourselves.

Mental Health: is the ability to adjust to new situations and to handle personal problems without marked distress and still have enough energy to be constructive in society.

Mental Health is determined by

• How you feel about yourself
• How you feel about others
• How you meet the demands of everyday life

Adolescence is a time of rapid and profound psychological and biological development, during which sexual maturation and major changes in body size and configuration occur.

These physical changes, plus a growing sense of urgency to establish a personal identity, produce considerable stress for a typical adolescent.

There are three major developmental tasks of adolescents which must be established in order to mature normally.

• Establishing a personal and sexual identity
• Becoming increasingly autonomous from the family
• Dealing with the biological and psychological changes of puberty

BEHAVIORAL OR EMOTIONAL DISORDERS TYPICAL OF ADOLESCENTS

• Steady decline in school performance
• Persistent social withdrawal
• Acting out
• Suicidal thought
• Truancy
• Impaired reality
• Stealing
• Delusions

Management: This is taught most effectively by example, but there is also the need to explain the principles to the young person, e.g:

• Identifying the problem
• Focusing on the problem
• Attacking the problem, not the person
• Listening with an open mind
• Treating a person’s feeling with respect
• Taking responsibility for your actions

Communication: This is the most important skill in dealing with an adolescent. Unfortunately most people think of communication as talking and miss the most important element " listening ." While the adult may not agree with the adolescent’s viewpoint, they need to be sure they understand it before responding. Adolescents need to feel that they are heard and that their views and feelings are respected.

EAT from the LAND not from the CAN

The Ministry of Agriculture takes pleasure in inviting farmers and interested persons to the second of the three-part Integrated Pest Management (IPM) workshop, jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and CARDI.

The dates set for this phase of the workshop are Monday, June 28, and Tuesday, June 29, 1999. The workshop will rum from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on both days and will include at least one field trip. The workshop will take place at the NDF Building in Davy Hill.

Biological Control

Use of pesticides as part of IPM

Land preparation for vegetables was facilitated by fair weather conditions this week. Farmers continue to take advantage of the regular showers to plant new crops.

Cabbage seedlings will be available next week at the Brades Nursery.

A limited number of citrus rootstocks are available at the Brades Nursery; interested farmers are asked to contact Mr. Easton Farrell, Head of the Extension Unit.

Choppy seas restricted the number of fishing boats that went to sea this week. Fishermen are advised to exercise caution at this time of the year.

The Department of Agriculture is urging livestock producers who have not yet registered their animals for shipment to do so as soon as possible.

Mr. Andrew Owen arrived on island this week. The purpose of his visit is to take custody of two pairs of the Montserrat Oriole and a small number of Mountain Chickens to develop captive breeding husbandry techniques at Durrell Wild Life Conservation Trust, formerly Jersey Wild life Conservation Trust.

This is not a full-fledged captive-breeding program but is intended to develop expertise in captive breeding among these species at Durell in the event that long-term effects from the Soufriere Hills volcano place the wild populations of the Mountain Chicken and the Montserrat Oriole in imminent danger.

The animals and their offspring will remain the property of the Government of Montserrat.

Director of Agriculture, Claude Gerald attended the Annual Pesticide Board Meeting in Grenada this week.

At least six farmers have benefited so far from the Department of Agriculture’s Agro-Forestry Planting Grant Scheme. It is hoped that the new Grant Scheme will encourage the use of trees in agriculture (i.e. Agro-Forestry). The Scheme is funded through the DFID Watershed and Forestry management project.

Recognizing the long-term nature of the investments in tree planting, the Scheme offers direct financial assistance to farmers to help offset the initial cost of planting and tending tree crops.

The Scheme has two components, one to support orchard fruit production and the other to assist the establishment of fodder banks lurked with Livestock. For further information contact the Department of Agriculture at Tel: 491-2546 and ask for an Agricultural Officer.

Montserratians & Friends Ireland Tour 1999

DUBLIN…………GALWAY…………LIMERICK

Day 1

August 5^th - Flight from Heathrow to Dublin 5^th E1155: 0955/1110.

Lunch and sight seeing tour of Dublin - Evening reception. Accommodation: Green Isle Hotel, Dublin.

Day 2

August 6^th - Depart to Galway - sightseeing - evening reception. Accommodation: The Galway Bay Golf & Country Club Hotel, Galway.

Day 3

August 7^th - Visit Feakle International traditional music festival - evening reception.

Accommodation: The Galway Bay Golf & Country Hotel, Galway.

Day 4

August 8^th - Depart Galway for Limerick sightseeing - Accommodation: Morrisons Island Hotel, Limerick.

Day 5

August 9^th - Return flight from Cork to Heathrow 9^th August Flight E1182: 1855/2010

• Four nights hotel accommodation with full Irish breakfast daily.

• Driver guide for the duration of the tour.

• Admissions to - Trinity College, St. Patricks Cathedral, Dvblinia, Guinness Hopstore, Kylemore Abbey, Blarney Castle, University College Galway and St Marys Cathedral in Limerick

All inclusive cost: £345.00 per person, double occupancy (single room supplement: £70.00)

Final Balance £270.00

Cheques payable to: Montserrat Volcano (UK) Fund

Tel. 0171-928-7861 or 0181-838-0126

This June 25^th we recall

The toll of that cascading wall

Of fire, ash and pumice

That swept 19 from us

And brought lasting grief to us all.

Until fixed-wing planes can use Bramble

There’s no other choice but to scramble;

Build a true heliport

As a stop-gap resort

And hope some air service will gamble.

Jus wonderin who thinks the north side of the road up Baker Hill, opposite the mill ruins, is a garbage dump for cardboard boxes.

Jus wonderin if government is waiting to see the effects of a hurricane on the new Force 10 houses at Lookout before the people occupy them.

Jus wonderin if the owners of the Vue Pointe Hotel could be assisting government in the slow redevelopment of tourism on island.

Jus wonderin why DFID is doing away with the MVO helicopter which has been used by the scientists in doing their monitoring of the volcano.

Jus wonderin how satisfied the Chief Minister and his ministers are with this development

Jus wonderin who decided to have the church service at 2.30 p.m. rather than 4.30 p.m., in remembrance of those who died in that fatal pyroclastic flow on June 25, 1997, so as to give more people a chance to attend the service.

Jus wonderin why a certain young duties-collection officer borrowed a set of wedding rings from the jeweler to give a young lady and said he bought them…wonderin why he doesn’t stop borrowing and if she is borrowed too.

Jus wonderin if Minister Rupert Weekes, after admitting that for two years, the hazard and discomfort caused to the Gerald Bottom residents in close proximity to the airport has been intolerable, that he will now carry forward the request for compensation.

Jus Wonderin if all Government officials and employees understand their role in rebuilding Montserrat or their attitude is ‘leave it all to the British, we’ll just collect our own salaries each month and make a trip or two now and then.’

Jus wonderin if the official silence about the W H Bramble issue is the calm before the storm.

Jus wonderin how worried the army boys are and if we will be told officially the outcome of the investigations.

Jus wonderin if the stress of the volcanic crisis is more on the men than on the women.

Jus wonderin which the governor sees as more important, reductions in the costs of monitoring the volcano or reducing the number of unneeded studies and reports and 'highly' paid consultants.

Jus wonderin how Gibb Consultants were still given jobs to study airports and runways in Montserrat after British officials were so critically unhappy over their consultancies with the people.

Jus wonderin who will replace the top police officers when they accept early retirement.

Jus wonderin what mis-deeds these officers are being accused of and if the recent study of the force will be made public.

Jus wonderin who will seriously address the fire hazards being constructed at Lookout.

Jus wonderin if they will have fire drills for the residents at Lookout, in the use of the rope ladders they plan to use on the Force 10 houses.

COLONY OF MONTSERRAT

A.D. 1998

CROWN TITLE ACT NOTICE

Twenty (20) years ago legislation was passed which required all persons who had a claim to the ownership of land on Montserrat to claim that land so that their ownership of it could be adjudicated upon.

There still remains a significant amount of unclaimed land on Montserrat.

Land which remains unclaimed is already deemed to belong to the Crown, although a claimant may still prove that the land is his/hers if the evidence exists.

Given the volcanic crisis on Montserrat and the shortage of land that has resulted, it is critical that the ownership of all land be identified with certainty.

The purpose of the Crown Title Act is to bring certainty to land ownership.

The Act will come into force on 1st February 1999. Claimants to unclaimed land have until 1st February 2000 in which to submit their claims.

Claims will be adjudicated upon by the Land Adjudication office.

No claim to land which is received more than one year after the Crown Title Act comes into force will be entertained.

Land which remains unclaimed for more than one year after the Crown Title Act comes into force will vest absolutely in the Crown.

Cable And Wireless Millenium Program