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The refusal by the majority of members of the Royal Montserrat Defence Force (RMDF) to attend a dress rehearsal in honour of the Queen’s Birthday Parade on June 10 will result in a withdrawal of special treatment for them to get houses, according to government authorities.

"Given the seriousness of this breach of military discipline, Executive Council felt obliged to withdraw assurances previously given by the Government of Montserrat to members of the RMDF in relation to priority for housing," Governor Anthony Abbott and Chief Minister David Brandt said in a joint statement. Where there is a requirement for housing, applications will be dealt with under the normal rules."

The decision to have the RMDF members "stood down" and to withdraw their special treatment for housing was a substitute for a Board of Enquiry and possible Courts Martial and eventual imprisonment of the offending RMDF officers.

That decision came after the Executive Council recognised that a Board of Enquiry and possible Courts Martial and imprisonment could result in "damage" to the reputation of Montserrat," Commanding Officer of the RMDF Major Michael Duberry told the members in a letter.

Major Duberry resigned on July 1 with immediate effect, taking full responsibility for the boycott by the majority of the scheduled parade.

"The actions taken by the majority of RMDF members show a blatant disregard for the country and military law, and are not in keeping with the spirit and traditions of the military," Major Duberry told Governor Anthony Abbott in his July 1 letter of resignation.

"As Commanding Officer, I take full responsibility for the actions of the men entrusted in me. I have no doubt that this incident has tarnished the good name and reputation of the RMDF forever."

The shakeup at the RMDF "will not affect the Montserrat Secondary School Cadet Corps, which will continue under the command of Retired Captain Roosevelt Jemmotte," according to the joint statement.

Most of the just over 30 RMDF members had refused to go to the rehearsal until matters of housing for those displaced by the Soufriere Hills volcano and the provision of adequate food were properly addressed at a meeting that was being chaired by Major Duberry.

The major stated that his resignation was being tendered after "careful consideration of the facts" about the boycott of the dress rehearsal.

Retired Captain Roosevelt Jemmotte and John Skerritt

The remaining officers will retain their commissions and Captain John Skerritt will be the nominal appointment of Officer-in-Charge of the RMDF until such time as it is considered appropriate to reconstitute the organisation, Governor Anthony Abbott and Chief Minister David Brandt said.

In a separate letter dated June 30 to most of the other ranks and officers, the Commanding Officer informed them that the Executive Council, which comprises the local ministerial Cabinet and the Governor, "considered that this situation should not be allowed to continue and recommended that those who refused to parade on June 10 should be "stood down."

The RMDF would also be ordered not to parade until further notice, and according to the Abbott-Brandt statement, that decision was reached by the Executive Council after taking into account the contribution made by the RMDF during the volcanic crisis and the fact that the RMDF would have no serving officers on the island.

Concerns are being raised on Montserrat and overseas about the approval of sand mining at Foxes Bay while authorities are warning at the same time that it is an offence to interfere with turtles during the present breeding season.

A senior official of the Agriculture Ministry, however, said it was a "political matter."

"It is a political matter because they just made the decision without consulting the technical experts," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Reporter.

The official argued that there should have been "checks and balances" to deal with sand mining during the June 1 to September 30 breeding season.

"There should have been a buffer zone and no one should have been allowed there except under supervision," the official said.

The Agriculture Ministry official cautioned against handling or disrupting any turtle, their eggs or any part of the turtles during the period closed to turtle harvesting.

A visit to Foxes Bay on Thursday revealed that old vehicle tires and plywood were left there while some sand was piled up for eventual removal.

There were at least three big spots from where sand was noticeably removed.

The reaction by the official was in response to concerns raised by persons on the Electronic Evergreen Online Discussion Forum for Montserratians.

"I just want to make you all aware of the fact that the opening of Foxes Bay for sand mining coincides with the start of the closed season for sea turtles," Wolf Krebs, a German residing here for several years, said in his contribution to the Electronic Evergreen. That tells us a lot about the environmental conscience of our leaders."

Bob Richter, writing from the United States, queried: "Is it against the law to harvest sea turtles at certain times. If so, then, wouldn't it be against the law to harvest eggs, or disturb the area?"

The Hawks Bill and Green Turtle, which are currently nesting at Foxes Bay, are two of the many species around the world considered endangered by the World Conservation Union.

The Montserrat National Trust (MNT), to which Foxes Bay has been leased for preservation as a bird sanctuary and wildlife refuge, warned that the consequences of sand-mining at that and other beaches are far-reaching for the entire island and, in particular, the turtles.

"Digging sand even one foot away is as dangerous as hitting the turtles," the MNT spokesman said.

Deeming the removal of the sand as "ludicrous," the MNT official pointed out that sand mining could lead to coastal erosion, dirtying of the sea water with loose soil and volcanic debris, and the destruction of mangroves which serve as a natural sea defence mechanism.

There is also the risk, the official pointed out, of the island facing a "tourist boycott" and "bad press" in the eyes of eco-tourists.

The mining of sand is illegal and the MNT is expected to shortly lobby the Agriculture Minister, Attorney General and the Governor to enforce the laws.

According to the Beach Protection Ordinance of 1970, amended 10 years later, anyone using a vehicle to transport sand, stones, shingle or gravel from any beach, seashore or foreshore could be fined a maximum of $2,000 or a maximum of three months’ imprisonment.

The permit could also be revoked at any time.

If the vehicle being used is not on government business, a permit has to be obtained from the Permanent Secretary or the Minister responsible for coastal protection matters or any person acting under their authority.

Anyone caught depositing offal, garbage, litter, waste or any other matter or substance likely to be offensive also faces the same penalties.

The legislation, however, provides for the Governor-in-Council to make regulations relating to the issue and revocation of permits issued under the beach Protection Ordinance that are consistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, including the fees if any to be paid for the issue or renewal of such permit.

The National Environmental Action Plan of 1994 states that in 1993, the Montserrat government imposed a ban on beach mining throughout the entire island, excepting the very degraded coastal beach at Trant’s.

"The Government recognizes that the fundamental problem with respect to coastal resources management is the inadequacy of existing procedures for the coordination of the activities of the many agencies with responsibilities in this area," the document stated.

The ferry vessel, MV Opale, was forced to return to Montserrat on Friday morning to clear one of the engine impellers of a small chunk of rope that was apparently attached to a fish-pot or a buoy, a top official of the ferry contracting firm, Wall Trading Limited said.

"A fish-pot rope was taken in by the impeller…the sea water was rough so the engineer could not go down in the open ocean to clear it there and so for safety reasons we had to come inshore ," Manager of the company Mr. William Wall told the Reporter.

The vessel originally left the Little Bay port shortly after 8:00 AM and returned around 9:15, fifteen minutes after Port Authority officials were informed that the Guadeloupe- owned and registered 300-seater vessel was returning because of engine trouble.

Immediately after the 32 passengers, who were enroute to Antigua, were informed that an assessment was being done an engineer equipped with oxygen mask and underwater torch dived into the left impeller and removed a chunk of old knotted rope around 9:36. Nothing was seen removed from the right one. The vessel left for Antigua again at 9:40, at its expected normal cruising speed of 32 knots.

The Manager of Wall Trading further explained that sometimes it could be difficult to spot such obstructions because "when the water is rough we can’t see the buoy for the fish-pots." "Floating rope is also a problem," Wall added.

He said that was the second time there was such an occurrence in 18-months but it is the first time, the vessel had to return to shore for clearance of the impellers. "This is a very rare occurrence," he assured.

The Montserrat-Antigua ferry service and a helicopter service have become necessary due to the closure of the W.H. Bramble Airport as a result of volcanic action.

Government late last month embarked on the construction of a new heliport. According to Head of Britain’s Department for International Development (DfID) office on Montserrat Mr. Doug Houston, that project would cost around EC$680,000.

That figure could increase , he said, if the design and construction of the Control Tower is further improved.

The facts on many issues become well known and are either then accepted or rejected, very often in hind-sight. No second-guessing is required then and everyone can say how decisions or acts should or should not have been.

The RMDF found itself in disrepute these past few weeks and it may well be said that the outcome of the problems, which saw Major Michael Duberry resigning as Commanding Officer of the force, turned out to be an acceptable one.

When most of the circumstances surrounding the events come to light, it turns out that they arose out of lack of communication.

There are grounds argue that when it comes to the military grievances cannot be dealt with on a platform of collective action similar to that of a trade union or any other civilian organisation. Yet, when it comes to communicating with one another, no matter what those lines of communications or authority, communicating with one another is of prime importance.

The idea here is not to find excuses or even sympathize with the behaviour of the RMDF’s men. But when a commanding officer has to take the fall, and privileges for housing are withdrawn at a time when that is the most prioritized and spoken of issue on the island, a little extra attention is necessary.

On January 23 this year the RMDF celebrated its centenary with a grand parade and a reception later that day at the residence of Governor and Mrs. Abbott in Woodlands. Chief Minister David Brandt was one of the speakers for the evening ceremony. He gave a hint that all was not well among the ranks of the RMDF.

"I will like to say that all of us are here today to praise the work of the institution and especially to praise the work of these men," Mr. Brandt said. "But when they disembody and they have no work or they have no place to live … as a Government, we will play our part to make sure that these men are looked upon by the society and they are taken care of so that others might say, let us join the Defence Force because this government takes care of them."

Since then the "grumblings" became louder, but we learned that government in the meantime had set out to keep the Chief Minister's boast.

Mistakes were obviously made from then to now. But Governor Abbott, having announced his cancellation of the Queen's Birthday Parade and that he was consulting his Defence Adviser to determine further action, refused to answer any questions about the RMDF members’ grievances, the boycott, cancellation of the parade, removal of arms and ammunitions from the RMDF base, and matters relating to the police.

Many thoughts and questions were likely. In our investigation we discovered that ignorance abounded. We wondered whether the "NO COMMENT" replies that we had received and had heard before were somewhat of a habit. Could they have somehow earlier contributed to the ignorance that continued to prevail? We understand that the Governor has to answer to absolutely no one in Montserrat, but we wonder about his own understanding that information is what educates and keeps people out of ignorance, which makes some other inferences obvious.

A former Governor once said that he didn't feel worthy to hold the job of Governor if there was ever a question that he could not answer. He pointed out later that he had a job to do, and his questioners understood this, but had theirs to do also.

In the end, perhaps we can rejoice at the joint statement of the Governor and Chief Minister, which was a vast improvement on other areas where the Governor has direct responsibility. Explanations and information are now being given, but it is expected that even in the military, there is the other side where the men must believe that having bitten the bullet, they are not being left to die slowly.

And then after all that there is the public which includes the families and loved ones of these same men. 

Dear Editor,

It is 3 a.m., the time I usually spend quietly with God, to thank him for His goodness, His Mercies, and His Love, for allowing me to see another day, for His gifts I am to receive, and to make any special needs requests on behalf of others. I find myself in contemplation as is usual before my vocalization, but instead of being able to get in my usual contrite state, a scene begins to appear on the screen of my consciousness.

Not being able to rid myself of it, I allow it to gradually engulf me and find myself in the midst of a childhood scene at the then St. John's Primary School. I am taking part in an athletic competition between the St. John's and Cavalla Hill schools held on the Queen's birthday. (You remember "24^th" o' May the Queen birthday, jumbie dance a go dong a bay"). But it is not the races that catch my attention. As I approach the finish line below the building that now houses the patients at the Hospital, I see the latrine that we use. Somehow, I have the ability to make a comparison to what is being used by us and what is being used at the public schools in England and it dawns on me that there is something unfair about how we are being treated. And I find a sense of anger building inside.

I am caught off guard because I know that it is my period of communion with God and such feelings are not compatible with the moment, but the feeling persists and I try to seek an answer as to the reason for this scene and the accompanying feelings. The thought came to me that Montserrat is similar to an employee whose employer knows the true worth of the employee but will not compensate adequately until the employee opts for a new company that is willing to pay the true worth. Only after the employee offers a resignation will the employer try to match the offer and pay the true worth.

Britain was offering us then what they thought we were worth.  Could you imagine putting indoor plumbing at a new school in Montserrat in the 1950's?  Could you imagine putting outdoor plumbing at a new school in Britain in the 1950's?  Not that the latrines weren't adequate for our use (in fact some of us did not have anything in our own backyard), but our eyes were not yet opened.  We did not know what existed on the outside because there was no mass media.  In this volcanic crisis, could you imagine them doing any more than what they perceive as barely necessary for us, or valuing us at a price worthy of our true worth?

Until recently one could travel in the poorer sections of any major city in the United States and see the scars of the riots of the 60's, riots caused by the very people who lived in those areas. The "authorities" seem to have left them as a reminder to the people that their acts had caused such defacement. They are now hard to find. City, State and Federal Governments through a variety of programs have provided sufficient funds to remove the scars. So, too, will the NATO countries soon spend hundreds of millions of dollars to start the rebuilding of the infrastructure in Kosovo, a country the size of Connecticut, a country damaged during the war with Yugoslavia. And, they will spend millions of dollars to repatriate the people of Kosovo. In Montserrat, an island and its people are living through the aftermath of a natural disaster. They did not cause it, neither did they have any participation in the cause of it. After nearly four years there is still disagreement on what sums should be spent to get their lives back to the way it used to be. The television media provide us with a funding expectation index based on the actions taken to alleviate suffering at other disasters.

There is a certain descriptive term of Montserratians which is meant to be complimentary, but which can be used, or encouraged to be used, as a tool of control. "Resiliency" is the ability to take whatever is thrown at you with a smile. It is like "turning the other cheek" as instructed in the Bible. Is the resiliency of a people a licence to give what is just barely necessary to keep the people smiling? Or shouldn't the British do what is decent in God's sight and spend what is needed, as is being done in other places, to bring Montserrat back to where it once was?

Streams "remember" where they used to flow, and they constantly fight to be free to flow in their original patterns. Resilient people who continually hurt stop smiling after a while, because the smile itself begins to hurt. They never rest until they find a new way to smile again. Pharaoh was mistreating the Israelites and God sent a messenger named Moses and freed his people. They trusted in God for their needs and so I continue my communion and pray for the special needs of an island and its people. I pray God to find a Moses for them to lead them out of captivity, to provide protection from the Pharaoh, to provide for the personal needs of the people and deliver them so that they may show their resiliency and really smile again.

God usually answers the prayer of those in need.

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank everyone who came to the funeral of my late husband, Geoffrey Brewer, and all of those who supported me with cards, phone calls, visits and letters in every way over the last three months. It is that sincerity which has helped me to cope.

It is not possible for me to mention everyone, so I must just mention a few, hoping that I don’t offend the others.

To the doctors and nurses at Glendon Hospital for the caring love and attention which you gave to me and my husband at all times. He thought it a super hospital.

Finally, to the Montserrat Legion, the Rotary Club of Montserrat, the Royal Montserrat Police Force, the Royal Montserrat Defence Force bugler and the Red Cross.

Gratefully,

Mrs. Doreen Brewer

Without Excuse

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. Romans 2.1

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I take my eyes off you and pass judgement on others. Only you are in a position to judge. Help us to lean on your mercy as I seek to correct my own fault. Amen.

We can avoid being critical of others by keeping our eyes on Jesus. Thomas R. Fletcher (West Virginia)

NEWS BRIEFS

Britain has downgraded its travel advisory for Montserrat, while the United States has removed its advisory from the State Department homepage, even though it remains unclear whether a new one will be posted shortly.

A top official of the island’s Tourism Board said that now that Britain has revised its travel advisory for Montserrat, it is up to the Governor’s office to inform the United States (US) and Canada that they can do the same if they so desire. "As the Tourist Board, we technically can’t issue a statement from us saying ‘ you have to down-grade it.’ It will have to come from government-to government. It goes through the Governor’s office," said Ms. Ernestine Cassell Director of the Montserrat Tourist Board.

She said if the US and Canada follow in the footsteps of Britain, there could eventually be more visitor arrivals for this British dependency, even though the Soufriere Hills volcano continues to belch ash occasionally.

"Travel agents will now know that the situation is better than before. They can send their clients, although cautiously, to see what the island is like and also still let them know that there are dangers inherent with the volcano so you still travel with some sort of caution," Ms. Cassell told the Reporter.

She assured that when visitors come to this 39.6-square-mile British dependency there is enough accommodation now that government operations have moved from private premises scattered across the safe-north to a more centralised temporary location.

"As a matter of fact, most of the villa representatives would tell you they are still short on visitors. Some of their villas have been empty for quite some time," she said.

Up to 1994, the year just before the volcano roared back to life, almost 8,000 visitors came from the United States, 1,500 from Canada and Britain just over 3,000.

There has been a drastic decline in those figures over the last four years, with 639 coming from the US, 151 from Canada and 1,104 from the United Kingdom.

The April 23 Travel Advisory for this British dependency states that after the most recent scientific assessment, "the authorities are allowing unrestricted access" to a number of areas.

These include 24-hour access to Isles Bay, and entry during daylight hours to Cork Hill, Foxes Bay and Richmond Hill.

"Although the volcanic eruption has abated, the volcano is still dangerous. All areas below a line from the Belham River Valley in the west to the airport in the east remain in the Exclusion Zone…Other areas in the south-east of Montserrat, including Plymouth, are considered to be "at high risk from residual volcanic activity and access is forbidden," the advisory added.

Although volcanic activity has been low for some time it is possible to experience ash falls on any part of the island if there is a large collapse of material from the dome of the volcano which remains unstable."

In contrast to Britain’s travel advisory, Canada’s latest warns that "you are advised to defer all travel to Montserrat until further notice due to possible volcanic activity…If your presence is not essential or your personal security is not assured, you should depart by the safest means possible.

It is reasoned that travel advisories like Canada’s pose restrictions on airlines under legal liability insurance regulations, giving travelers the right to file lawsuits if they are injured.

Ash falls occasionally reach in the safe-north depending on the wind direction, and according to medical experts, particularly more recently, the ash contains crystobalite, a toxic form of crystalline silica known to cause silicosis following prolonged exposure, which poses a serious risk to health, particularly to younger children.

A new schedule for the helicopter service is about to go into effect, and the Montserrat Aviation Services (MAS) has said that officials of government and the Department for International Development (DFID) will no longer have priority on the flights between Montserrat and Antigua.

"There is no priority system under the new scheduling arrangements," MAS Manager Ms. Sarah Silcott told the Reporter.

The new schedule provides three flights on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays and two flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The extra flight leaves Montserrat at 3:30 p.m.

No service is available on Wednesdays, the MAS added.

The old schedule provided two flights daily, except Sunday.

A group of Montserratians residing in Dominica are due here tomorrow on a boat cruise as part of efforts to raise funds for their needy country-folk in Dominica, according to a statement from the Montserrat Association of Dominica.

During their stay here, they will be presenting a gift of food to senior citizens at the Golden Years Home.

President of the Association Cecil Cassell and Executive member Fitzroy Moulon, who will be leading the fund-raising revelers aboard the boat "Abiding Love," will present the gift.

Among the successes of the Montserrat desk in Dominica , the statement said, were the identification of jobs for various members and assisting them in getting into a computer program.

The Montserrat Association of Dominica so far has also created files for over 100 persons by phone and fieldwork, assisted in the counselling of members, among others.

The Montserratian community in Dominica, which numbers about 200, is benefiting from an information desk on that island for acquiring jobs and health information.

"There was an ongoing concern among Montseratians in general about their inability to meet monthly living expenses of food, health care, rent and education," the statement said. "therefore difficulties experienced by Montserratians in that field have been minimized somewhat,".

At present a program for addressing special needs of the elderly and disabled Montserratians living in Dominica is being undertaken by an organisation called R.E.A.C.H.

The problems identified among the Montserratians of working age in the area of employment are currently being addressed by Target Assistance to Montserratian Evacuees in the Caribbean (TAMEC).

This organisation is geared towards providing support to agencies and organisations that are engaged in activities seeking to help Montserratians help themselves.

An employment support Programme Scheme is now being administered by SPAT (Small Project Assistance Team), an 18-year-old well-established NGO that is targeting the unemployed, under-employed and self-employed individuals who are seeking small amounts of financing for the purchasing of tool equipment, undertaking skills training and other forms of support that would enhance income-generating ventures of Montserratians living in Dominica.

Scientists at Britain’s National History Museum say that the Wood Boring Beetle recently discovered on Montserrat is not a major threat and may have entered Montserrat in plywood imports, according to Doug Houston, reported Head of DFID (Montserrat).

Scientifically known as Minthea Rugicollis, the species is indigenous to parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. It is not likely to pose a serious threat to wooden structures on the island, Mr. Houston said.

"It is not usually regarded as a major structural pest," he told the Reporter, adding that "some control measures may be necessary"

At least one local plywood importer recalled that the Wood Boring Beetle was seen in his consignment of finished plywood, most of which come from Brazil.

Agents for Brazilian plywood operate mostly out of Miami and Puerto Rico, the Reporter understands from one of Montserrat’s plywood importers.

One of the problems, the businessman noted, was the argument by one of the agents that the termite could have infested the wood at the time of cutting the lumber, at the factory or mixing of other lumber at the location of the suppliers.

The Agriculture, Trade and Environment Ministry has said the beetles "were detected from treated plywood in recently completed joinery work."

The discovery of the Wood Boring Beetle on the island has prompted a call from the Director of Agriculture to report any sightings and samples of the insect.

The beetles are very small, around two millimeters in length, with narrow cylindrical bodies that are dark reddish brown in colour. They are capable of flying but keep their wings folded out of sight when at rest.

The Rotary Club of Montserrat officially will begin its 1999-2000 year with the weekly Wednesday meeting July 7 at Woodlands Beach pavilion.

Incoming President Charmaine Daley will assume her position as club leader, supported by Treasurer Bruce Farara and Secretary Donald Brandt.

The meeting on Wednesday, June 30, was the final session directed by outgoing President Julian Romeo, who served as president for two successive years during the volcanic crisis. Officers who served with him were Treasurer James Hixon and Secretary Donald Brandt.

Montserrat's Rotary Club, which once boasted well over 20 members, endured through much of the volcanic crisis with 10 loyal members. It will begin President Daley’s new year with a modest growth to 13 members.

Chief Minister David Brandt , in mourning Monday’s death of former Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, recalled the role he played in Montserrat’s political development.

"I cannot help recalling that Mr. Bird, like a veritable missionary, came to our island to assist W.H. Bramble to pioneer the establishment of our own working class movement," Mr. Brandt said in a tribute.

Mr. Bramble, after whom the now abandoned airport was named, was Montserrat’s first Chief Minister.

In paying tribute to Mr. Bird, who rose from Chief Minister to Premier and then to Prime Minister, Mr. Brandt remarked that the "roots of our alliance are strong and deep."

Mr. Brandt noted that there is a special historic bond of friendship between Montserrat and Antigua and Barbuda, and said the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the entire region has lost a great man.

"Truly a great man of Antigua and Barbuda and the sub-region has fallen and the entire Caribbean is poorer for his passing," he said.

Sir Vere,89, who died on Monday in hospital, was also hailed by the Montserratian Chief Minister as one who "brought prosperity to the people of Antigua" and "transformed the social and economic landscape" of that country.

Montserrat’s Soufriere Hills volcano has ceased erupting but dangerous ash-falls and pyroclastic flows continue as unstable sections of the dome fall off, according to Dr. Simon Young, Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO).

" The stopping of the dome growth essentially means that the eruption by our definition is over and we are now into what we call residual activity of the lava dome and of the volcano which basically means it is its winding-down phase," he told the Reporter.

Even though the eruption is over, the MVO still maintains an Exclusion Zone so that persons will not enter the off-limit areas and be at risk of sustaining injuries or being killed by the super-high temperature pyroclastic flows or ash.

As sections of the dome collapse, ash falls and pyroclastic flows are occurring about four times each week, but this is not affecting the lives of the estimated 4,000 persons who remained or have returned to brave the volcano that rumbled back to life in 1995.

"The lava dome has stopped growing and it has essentially stopped growing about 15 months now so we are in a period where the size of the dome is getting smaller as unstable parts of the dome fall off," Dr. Young added.

Although the dome of the volcano stopped growing in March 1998, and new magma ceased rising to the surface, Dr. Young could not say when the Exclusion Zone would be re-opened to full and unrestricted access.

He cautioned that the volcano would "not stop overnight," due to the fact that the "cooling down" process could take from several months to years.

He was unable to say how soon all unstable sections of the dome would collapse because it depended on the frequency and volume of the pyroclastic flows.

"Our indication is that if the current rate of degradation of the dome continues, then it will be a few months before the north-east flank itself is stable, which is the bit that is most unstable at the moment," he said.

Another detailed assessment is expected by year-end.

Many residents continue to lament the destruction of their homes and businesses, either by volcano-associated fire or by burial with material, but say they are enjoying life in the safe north.

A large number of the population opted for voluntary evacuation to Great Britain, the United States (US) and neighbouring islands in the Caribbean Sea.

As the Soufriere Hills volcano winds down and work begins on the construction of a new heliport, a Barbados-based Montserratian Information Office is expected to open its doors early in July to offer, among other things, packaged tours to Montserrat.

"It will present information on Montserrat through a photographic exhibit and showing of video on Montserrat, and arrangements for a package holiday are being included," according to Dr. Lowell Lewis, a Montserratian General Surgeon practicing in Barbados.

Located at Collins Limited Pharmacy on Broad Street, Bridgetown, the Information Office said its Adventure Package Holidays "will help the recovery of our community."

The visit to Montserrat would include a three-hour "guided scenic tour" by helicopter and boat.

Britain recently downgraded its travel advisory about Montserrat, one of its few remaining dependencies, saying that based on latest scientific assessments, 24-hour "unrestricted access" was being allowed to certain areas and daylight access to others.

Scientists say that the lava dome has stopped growing but ash falls and pyroclastic flows are continuing about four times each week as unstable sections of the dome fall off.

In an effort to boost visitor confidence and assure them of their safety, the Montserrat Government has begun constructing a heliport at Gerald’s, with its costs beginning at EC$680,000. When completed, it is expected to be internationally certified by the United Kingdom (UK) Civil Aviation Authority and the Antigua-based Aviation Authority of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

The new heliport is an alternative to the W.H. Bramble International Airport, which was put out of service by the volcano, until funds could be found to build a fixed-wing facility, possibly at Thatch Valley.

Montserrat is seeking assistance from the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad on how to tackle the Wood Boring Beetle that was recently discovered on this island," Director of Agriculture Mr. Claude Gerald.

"We are trying to find out from the University of the West Indies in particular what control measures we can use…I understand that this Borer was prevalent in Trinidad so we are trying to learn what modus operandi was put into place in Trinidad," he told the Reporter.

Contact with the relevant authorities at UWI, he said, was made earlier this week.

He said the infestation level of the termite, scientifically identified by Britain’s Natural History Museum as

Minthea Rugicollis, was at the moment "low."

"It’s something very, very new to us and we have got to learn just like everybody else," Gerald added.

Head of the Department for International Development (DFID) office on Mr. Doug Houston said the Wood Boring Beetle is indigenous to parts of Africa and South East Asia and according to results of the rest conducted by British scientists, it was not likely to pose a serious threat to wooden structures on the island, "It is not usually regarded as a major structural pest," Houston told the Reporter, adding that "some control measures may be necessary"

At least one local plywood importer recalled that the Wood Boring Beetle was seen in his consignment of finished plywood, most of which come from Brazil.

Agents for Brazilian plywood operate mostly out of Miami and Puerto Rico, the Reporter understands from one of Montserrat’s plywood importers.

One of the problems, the businessman noted, was the argument by one of the agents that the termite could have infested the wood at the time of cutting the lumber, at the factory or mixing of other lumber at the location of the suppliers.

The Agriculture, Trade and Environment Ministry has said the termites "were detected from treated plywood in recently completed joinery work."

The discovery of the Wood Boring Beetle on the island has prompted a call from the Director of Agriculture to report any sightings and samples of the termite.

The beetles are very small, around two millimeters in length, with narrow cylindrical bodies that are dark reddish brown in colour. They are capable of flying but keep their wings folded out of sight when at rest.

Guyana’s President Mrs. Janet Jagan was up to Thursday resting comfortably at a privately-run
hospital in the capital Georgetown after complaining of pains in the chest and about the body, according to reports.

"She is ok at the moment and is improving and doctors are monitoring the situation,"
said Presidential Adviser Mr. Kellawan Lall. " The pains are easing, but that is all I can say at the moment."

Jagan, 78, complained of feeling unwell Wednesday after attending a reception marking Canada Day.
The Jewish-American-born Jagan returned home this week from Brazil and a two-day summit that brought together Caribbean, Latin American and European leaders.
It is not yet clear what, if any, decision would be made about succession.

Likely candidates are Finance Minister Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo whom she promised would take over if anything happened to her.

CARICOM HEADS OF GOVERNMENT HAVE A PACKED AGENDA

Leaders of the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have a packed agenda at their annual summit next week, Caribbean Export reported in its latest newsletter ‘Tradewatch.’
Among the issues to be dealt with are a series of economic and institutional issues.
These include the signing of Protocols VI (Transportation Policy) and VII (Disadvantaged Countries, Regions and Sectors).
These are the protocols which will amend the Treaty of Chaguaramas towards achieving a single market and economy. The Heads will also discuss the status of Haiti's accession to Caricom, the negotiations for which are reportedly close to completion as well as Y2K and telecommunications issues.
On the external front, the Heads will review the state of play in the trade negotiations underway in the FTAA, with the EU, in the WTO and on the banana issue, as well as the free trade agreement with the Dominican Republic.
The Prime Ministerial Subcommittee is expected to meet on Saturday morning to hear reports from CARICOM's Regional Negotiating Machinery and to consider strategy before reporting to the full meeting.
Heads of government will also examine the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice which is likely to be located in Trinidad and Tobago.
The agreement establishing the Court was approved by Caricom ministers of legal affairs and attorneys general last month.
On Sunday the Heads will have a working lunch with Prime Minister of Spain, Don Jose Maria Aznar.

---

Honourable Minister of Education, Adelina, His Excellency the Governor, Anthony Abbott and Mrs. Abbott; Tuitt; University of the West Indies Resident tutor, Dr. Howard Fergus; participants in the 1999 creative writing exercise; ladies and gentlemen.

At an occasion such as this one, I am pleased, not only to address you as the Minister Responsible for Culture, but as one of you, understanding the need to continue life even in light of great challenges. The Annual Creative Writing Competition is now etched on the calendar of activities here in Montserrat, and it regularly produces a body of work that can be culled from for publications we can be all proud of.

Such publications have being actualised through the Resident Tutor, who in his own right is a noted writer, although he modestly considers himself a student of history.

His modesty, however, can be considered a reflection of the quiet way in which he has produced several academic works and publications with special emphasis on the life, history, and culture of this island called Montserrat and its place within the region and the world. Without a doubt, Dr. Fergus has significantly contributed over the years and continues to do so to our community.

Congratulations are also due to the staff here at the University Centre who have assisted in stimulating academic thinking through programs like the Creative Writing Competition. This exercise began 10 years ago as part of the St. Patricks Day celebrations and developed into an annual event.

Kudos must be given to the local Private Sector for supporting this very important exercise over the years.

It is interesting to note the broad cross-section of persons who have participated throughout the years in the competition, and some of their works have been published in very reputable literary journals. These participants include housewives, school children, artistes and some established writers, among others.

A people must be judged by their creative thinking and ability to express aspirations. This is part of the development of a culture that reflects the national spirit. This is how a nation writes its own history, poems, plays, prose and all other literary forms.

As Montserrat presently faces its greatest natural disaster in recent memory, we see our recent writings reflect the challenges and experiences endured. This is good, that we are chronicling our views and perspectives. A century from now, another generation can access the thoughts of Montserratians on our life in the 20th and 21st centuries and how we survived. This will replace the previous heavy Euro-centric thrust and influence on the writing of our history, which in most cases was biased and arrogant.

It is even more close to home and our hearts when some of our writing is recorded in dialect. This style is often used by our very own Beverly Dewar and Bernadette Irish, who have been published in local anthologies and other works.

Several writings are created from the spontaneous overflow of feelings triggered or stimulated by the environment in which we live. If I were a participant in this year’s exercise, my feelings of hope for Montserrat would be a recurring theme. A feeling that speaks of the realization of our visions as Montserratians rebuilding our lives as a strong resilient people.

I say congratulations to you the participants in the 1999 Creative Writing Exercise, and to me, you are all winners.

A 14-man team is representing Montserrat at the July 1 to 8 Leeward Islands Youth Cricket championships in St. Kitts.

Valice Weekes is the captain of the squad, with Vickey Kirnon his deputy.

The rest of the team: Nester Piper, Jaron Harris, Jermaine John, Wendell Thomas, Leston Mack, Adolphus Roach, Darren Weekes, Caville Greenaway, Antonius McPherson, Kenville Fenton and Dalston Tuitt.

Fitzroy Buffonge is the team coach and John Smith is the Manager.

Coach Buffonge says their mission in St. Kitts is twofold -- to win both of their matches, and to get as many players as possible into the Leeward Islands Youth team.

He says this requires a total team effort from the Montserrat squad.

Like Montserrat, each of the other teams will play two matches and at the end of the tournament, a 24-man training squad will be selected for a three-day trial game.

Following the trial match, 14 players will be chosen to represent the Leeward Islands in the Nortel West Indies Youth tournament in Barbados later this year.

His Excellency Governor Anthony Abbott will be the guest speaker at the next monthly general meeting of the Antigua-based group Citizens and Friends of Montserrat.

The meeting is scheduled to be held on July 4^th at the Methodist Church Hall in St. John’s from 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

During the meeting, Governor Abbott will make presentations on the White Paper-Partnership for Progress and Prosperity, the report of the Elections Commission 1999, as well as information on other issues as they pertain to Montserrat’s future development.

It’s expected that Montserratians will be turning out in large numbers to hear the Governor’s presentation.

Assistant Secretary in the Computer Unit here, Daphne Cassell, represented Montserrat at a recent United Nations Working Group on informatics and the second Global National Y2K Co-ordinators Conference in the United States.

The meeting, held at the UN headquarters in New York, reviewed the progress made since the first global conference of National Y2K Co-ordinators in identifying and resolving Y2K issues in their respective countries and at the international level.

The delegates agreed that addressing the problem of Y2K should be given high priority by national governments for the remaining half of 1999.

The participants also agreed that it might not be possible to fully achieve the goal of Y2K compliance by the target date of 31^st December 1999.

Member states have been urged to establish contingency plans for all systems and activities of national importance to handle potential Y2K-related disruptions.

The Parent Teachers Association of the Brades Nursery School is finalizing plans for its 1999 week of activities.

The July 4 to 9 week of activities will be held under the theme "Empowering the Child for Future Generations."

Activities include a church service at the Brades Pentecostal Church and a concert at the Brades Primary School on July 4.

There will also be a walkathon from the School to the Seaport and a Sports Day at the Salem Park during the week.

The parent Teachers Association has also organized an outing and a social evening to culminate the week of activities.

Several farmers have benefited so far from the Department of Agriculture’s Agro-Forestry Planting Grant Scheme.

And the department is hoping the new grant scheme will encourage the use of trees in agriculture.

Funded through the DFID Watershed and Forestry Management Project, the scheme offers direct financial assistance to farmers to help offset the initial cost of planting and tending tree crops.

An official in the Forestry Division says the scheme came about because the long-term nature of the investments in tree planting were recognized.

The scheme has two components -- supporting orchards fruit production, and assisting with the establishment of fodder banks throughout the island.

The Emergency Department is expecting the number of people still occupying shelters to be substantially reduced in a few weeks.

And this, as more houses at Lookout become available.

The Minister responsible for Housing, P. Austin Bramble, says the first 20 of 165 houses will be allocated within two to three weeks.

Twenty-nine buildings are currently being used to provide shelter for persons who have lost or are unable to occupy their homes because of volcanic activity.

Twenty-seven of these are purpose built shelters.

The other two are the Zion Pentecostal Church in St. John’s, which is home to 11 shelterees, and the Salem Campus of the Montserrat Secondary School with 100 persons.

There is a total number of 325 persons living in shelters on island.

The Montserrat Port Authority (MPA) is moving to ensure that safety is maintained at its Little Bay site at all times.

The MPA has issued a statement to mariners and other port users about the anchoring of vessels in line with or in the vicinity of the established shipping lane.

In a statement, the MPA says it is an offense for any vessel, fishing boat or craft to remain berthed or moored to the jetty or marker buoys, without the prior approval of the Port management.

It says the co-operation of users is solicited to avoid collision or accidents within the port during daily or emergency operations.

The statement says users are also informed that any contravention will see the removal of the vessel without notice and at the owner’s expense.

The Montserrat Port Authority Management also says users found in violation could also face a fine, which will be determined by the Port.

A forestry expert from the United States of America has taken custody of two pairs of the national bird, the Montserrat Oriole, and a small number of mountain chickens to develop captive breeding husbandry techniques at the Darrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in New Jersey.

The Forestry Division in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment says Andrew Owen’s involvement will not be a full-fledged wildlife captive breeding programme.

The programme is intended to develop expertise in captive breeding amongst the two species in the event that long-term effects of the volcano place the wildlife population of the mountain chicken and the Oriole in danger.

The offspring of the animals which are taken into custody are to remain the property of the government of Montserrat.

The Montserrat Volcano Observatory has discontinued the use of its helicopter service as a cost-saving measure.

The helicopter that was assigned to the MVO ceased operations on Wednesday, June 30.

The chopper, which was based at the Gerald’s heliport, was operated by Bajan Helicopters.

However, scientists at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory will have access to the nine-seat passenger helicopter for three hours each week to assist with its visual monitoring in the exclusion zone.

Since early in the volcanic crisis, the MVO has had the exclusive use of a helicopter in its daily operations.

The helicopter service was also used on occasions in emergency situations.

The Montserrat Port Authority (MPA) has issued a statement to all importers concerning the protection of their goods during the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through the end of November.

The statement emphasizes the importance for contingency plans to be put in place by importers for the speedy removal of imports from the temporary transit shed at Port Little Bay.

Importers have also been reminded of the limited responsibility of the Port Authority for loss or damage of goods arising from acts of God, and the insufficiency or improper packing or leakage from defective drums, containers or packages.

The statement also says the Authority has limited responsibility for acts or omission of the consignor, consignee or depositor or the servant or agents of such persons.

The Montserrat Port Authority says it is seeking the usual cooperation of importers in the speedy removal of goods from the shed.

Montserratians have joined with their neighbours in Antigua in mourning the passing of former Prime Minister Vere Cornwall Bird.

He died on Monday June 28 at the Holberton Hospital in his native Antigua at the age of 89.

In paying tribute to the late Antiguan stalwart, the Honourable Chief Minister David Brandt said, like many other leaders, Mr. Bird’s destiny was to emancipate his people from the shackles of colonialism and elevate them to a new plateau of dignity and freedom.

Mr. Brandt also emphasized, however, that Mr. Bird’s achievement was more than political. Chief Minister Brandt recalled the long-standing relationship that started between Montserrat and Antigua under Mr. Bird’s leadership.

Meantime, UWI Resident Tutor Dr. Howard Fergus said to properly assess the achievements of Mr. Bird, one has to look at his involvement with the working class movement in the 1930’s and early 40’s.

Dr. Fergus said Mr. Bird belonged to the band of regional liberators, including Bustamante and Manley of Jamaica, Bradshaw of St. Kitts, Butler of Trinidad and Montserrat’s very own W.H. Bramble.

School Leavers Workshop Held

Twenty-six students from the Montserrat Secondary School participated earlier this week in a School Leavers Programme.

The workshop, organized by the Department of Community Services, was aimed primarily at improving the students’ knowledge base on career opportunities.

The School Leavers Programme took the form of a three-day information workshop and an impending one-month attachment to a department or company that offers a career which the school leavers are interested in pursuing.

The workshop, which was held Monday through Wednesday, was expected to provide information on choosing a career, applying for jobs, planning further education and accessing scholarships.

In the other segment of the programme, each school leaver is expected to spend at least one month observing and, where possible, getting hands-on experience in the area of his or her choice.

The Department of Community Services is also exploring the possibility of arranging off-island attachments if the fields in which the school leavers are interested are not available on Montserrat.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Trade and the Environment will be conducting a monthly agricultural quiz beginning July month end.

Persons should listen to Radio Montserrat (ZJB) to hear the questions. List of the questions can also be collected at the following places: -

• Ministry of Agriculture, Brades

• Rams M Dee

• Lees Pharmacy

• Howes Fun Centre ,Sweeneys

• A & F Gas Station

Questions can also be obtained from any member of staff in the Ministry of Agriculture.

To be eligible to take part in this quiz persons must be part of a household involved in some aspect of agriculture.

Entries must be addressed to: -

1^st Prize - $500 in Agricultural Supplies

2^nd Prize - $300 in Agricultural Supplies

3^rd Prize - $200 in Agricultural Supplies

Winners will be announced on the Farmers Corner on 29^th July 1999.

1. A Farmer observes yellowing of the foliage of his crop; what nutrient deficiency is this evidence of?
2. Crisscross white lines are observed on tomato leaves. Name the insect that has caused this damage?
3. Which of these two weedkillers, gramaxone or Round Up, is more effective in controlling Nutgrass?
4. What section of the occupied zone gets the highest rainfall?

1. Brades
2. Hope
3. Blakes
4. St Peters

1. Which three of the following crops fall into the citrus group?

1. Mango
2. Guava
3. Orange
4. Grapefruit
5. Cherry
6. Lime

1. Persons wishing to carry out farming in Upper Blakes first have to obtain a lease from one of the following persons: -

1. Mr Tony Hill
2. Mr Anthony Breedy
3. Mr Roy Lee
4. Mr Justin Cassell

1. Name three wildlife species that are currently Monitored by the Forestry Unit.
2. What period is the closed season for catching Turtle in Montserrat?
3. Which Extension Officer in the Ministry is responsible for the area extending from Fogarthy Hill to Water Works?
4. Name the program/project, which allows persons with the appropriate land tenure to be given financial assistance for the production of fruit (orchard) trees and the establishment of fodder banks.
5. Name two non-governmental organisations involved in the development of agriculture in Montserrat; name the two persons spear-heading these organisations.

How you feeling bout this mountain?

Flowing pyro-soup like giant fountain

It eating fire and vomiting stone

She roaring, rising, watcha gigantic dome!

How you feeling bout Montserrat snow? Hot! hot! hot!

What you saying? Never hear nothin' like dat

Do trees bawlin, Salem shakin, de mountain burning

People frighten, praying, some flying, others sailing

How you feeling bout natives: East, West and South?

Gone to country they no know nothing bout

De island dying? De natives depart

Only a few left in de north.

How you feel bout gov'ments changing?

When ash and rock is all that's raining

Do sky black out, nothing but grey

You couldn't tell night from day.

How you feeling bout British policy?

Doubtful? angry? It break up family.

Money for you once you leaving

Suffering if you decide you staying.

How you feel bout the down sizing?

Nurses leaving and poor teachers bawling

Civil servants job, sure as de sun

Next thing you know, they have none.

How you feeling bout housing?

Davy Hill, Lookout! Is it working?

Home, John Public trying he best

Thousands, 'locals-foreign,' have no nest.

How you feeling bout the gas situation?

Cooking you pot is a big frustration

Gas run out you head for de Nart

Next thing you know, you car stop a part.

How you feeling bout we future?

It dark now, but hold on brother

The Lord is our protector

Plan good, work hard, we bound to recover.

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.

Trinidad and Tobago, (Reuters) - At the House of Angostura, the bitters' truth is a closely guarded secret.

From a potion fashioned 175 years ago by a Prussian surgeon to ease the stomach upsets of Simon Bolivar's troops fighting for Venezuelan independence, Angostura Ltd. of Trinidad and Tobago has built a liquor empire.

Like the formula for Coca-Cola, the recipe for Angostura Aromatic Bitters is a secret, handed down through generations of descendants of Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert.

Siegert, who served in the Prussian army in the Battle of Waterloo before joining South American freedom fighter Bolivar, created a medicine that nearly two centuries later is better known as a bar shelf condiment used in scores of mixed drinks.

The potion is guarded zealously and with some hilarity by the genial staff at the House of Angostura, a sprawling factory site in the rough Port of Spain suburb of Laventille. The formula is mixed behind the closed doors of a department jokingly called the CIA because "there are more secrets inside of here than in the CIA," company spokesman Glenn Davis said.

Only five people in the world, called "The Manufacturers," hold the formula, and they keep it in their heads, Davis said. Four are Angostura directors and the other is John Gordon Siegert of London, a descendant of the inventor.

In order to protect the formula from disaster, they are not allowed to travel together. When one dies, he or she is replaced by someone selected by the surviving four.

MISLABELED SACKS TO FOIL SPIES

The tropical herbs and spices are prepared in the "secret room" above the bitters factory and sent down a chute into a mixer so no one but the Manufacturers sees them until they have been blended. The company has a special government dispensation to import botanicals in sacks mislabeled "rice" or "corn" to keep spies from learning the ingredients, Davis said.

But even that is not enough. So Angostura imports decoys.

"If they need 20 botanicals they buy 63 botanicals to maintain the secret," Davis said. "Every Trinidadian knows there is orange peel. Actually, we don't know it's in there, we only know that the company buys it."

The world's supply of Angostura bitters is made in a small factory.

The botanicals are "shampooed" in alcohol to extract the essences. The concentrate is then lightly sugared and put in big vats for three months to marry the flavors.

The botanicals residue, a fragrant mulch, is burned to keep competitors from stealing and dissecting it. How often are the botanicals mixed? "As necessary," Davis said. And how long are the ingredients shampooed? "For 'x' period of time," he said.

Aside from the Manufacturers, Angostura's 230 employees are kept in the dark. "If I knew the secret it wouldn't be a secret," a lab worker said with a sly smile. Does she want to know? "Of course. We all want to know the secret."

Concocted first in the town of Angostura, now Ciudad Bolivar, Siegert's secret was moved across the Gulf of Paria to this sland in 1875 to escape Venezuela's unstable politics.

In a museum on the factory site, Angostura keeps artifacts of its illustrious history. The brass kettle in which Siegert is said to have brewed up the first batch of bitters is here, and a heavy steel safe where the formula was kept. Nearby are the yellowed handwritten papers of Angostura's 1879 incorporation and the original 1897 Trinidad bitters patent.

Angostura was founded on Siegert's formula and bitters is the flagship product, but its common use -- a dash or two -- keeps a bottle on the shelf for years. So in 1935 the company expanded into spirits and is among the largest Caribbean makers of rum, whiskey, vodka and gin, plus soy and other sauces.

Last year bitters accounted for only $6 million, about 10 percent of total sales. Angostura shipped 100,000 cases of bitters, a half million cases of bulk rum.

Billed as "first and foremost a medicine," Angostura bitters is 44.7 percent alcohol and is sold not in pharmacies but grocery stores. Its odd-looking bottles -- the label is too big for the bottle -- are found mostly on bar shelves.

A dash of bitters has found its way into scores of mixed drink recipes including the Manhattan and Old Fashioned. Trinidadians put a splash in fruit juice and soup, and it is finding popularity as a topping for ice cream.

Dale DeGroff, a master mixologist at New York's Blackbird Restaurant, said the addition of bitters to mixed drinks in the early 1800s heralded the creation of the cocktail. Of all bitters, Angostura is the most popular and widely known.

"I wouldn't make a tropical cocktail without the Angostura because it has the flavor of the tropics ... nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, vanilla, citrus," he said. "Bitters dramatically changes the flavor of what it touches. It's very potent and very flavorful."

A venerable company in Trinidad and traded publicly on the local stock exchange, Angostura Ltd. is majority owned by the conglomerate CL Financial. Davis said the House of Angostura is one of only two firms outside Britain to hold a rare honour in the once vast British empire, a Royal Warrant.

One of the world's original celebrity product endorsements, the warrant allows Angostura to put on its label "By appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."

At the factory, a complex that includes a giant, modern alcohol still, huge molasses tanks and a coopers shed where aging barrels are knocked together, sits the Queen's loo, a toilet built for Queen Elizabeth during her 1985 visit to the factory. "She didn't go," Davis said.

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

Inclusive fares include:

• 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

………………………………...….TEAR AND RETURN……………………………………

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

Please enclose deposit of £75.00 per person.

Final Balance £270.00

As Foxes Bay beach gets down to the dregs

Who cares about ecological regs?

That "protected" turtle

Had better be fertile;

You can’t mine the sand without breaking eggs.

The housing at Lookout, you know,

Is now nearly ready to go.

Anti-hurricane stuff?

There’s just not enough;

How’s that for a damaging blow?

Jus’ wonderin’ if that same young duties collection officer doesn’t know that big boys don’t cry.

Jus’ wonderin’ if the RMPF is prepared to take on the task that the RMDF carried out throught the crisis.

Jus’ wonderin’ if the RMDF dismissal was done in phases—take the guns then get rid of the men

Jus’ wonderin’ if there was any force behind the resignation of the RMDF Commanding Officer

Jus’ wonderin’ if the off-springs of the two wild species to be bred in captivity at Darrell Wildlife Conservation Trust will have the same difficulty as people currently experience trying to come back home.

Jus’ wonderin’ if the PWD doesn’t feel it is more important to patch the pot-holes than working on the extended north roads.

Jus’ wonderin’ of the Environment and Health Deapartment has seen the Diet Cokes that are on special at one of our supermarkets.

Jus’ wonderin’ how long the recently launched Agriculture Quiz will last before the vote ‘buss’

Jus’ wonderin’ what happened to the Civil Servants’ back pay promised at the end of June and how they are coping with the disappointment.

Jus’ wonderin’ of the reinforcements at the temporary GHQ buildings will be installed before they are demolished by the first hurricane.

Jus’ wonderin’ who has the Abbott ‘habbit’.

Jus’ wonderin’ if it is true that the Lady Minister was mugged on her last overseas trip.

Jus’ wonderin’ if Brown and Root will repair the stand-by generator or produce the correct one at Government Headquarters before they leave.

Jus’ wonderin’ whether scientists had any idea when they defined symbiosis as "two dissimilar organisms functioning in a mutually beneficial environment" that they were describing the British and Montserrat governments.

Jus’ wonderin’ if our esteemed Minister is sensitive enough to realize what a slap in the face of her constituency for her to ignore pleas to remove those DANGEROUSLY placed goats. Is she going to wait, as it was with the volcano before she behaves responsibly

Jus’ wonderin’ why our Police authorities feel it’s necessary to arm the police force in a country with one or perhaps the lowest crime rates in the Caribbean.

Jus wonderin if it is not true that for years the police in England where there was a much higher crime rate, were unarmed.

Jus wonderin if it is secretly hoped we’ll all kill ourselves?

Jus wonderin if there is public liability at the GHQ buildings where a member of the CM's staff has already fallen on the highly dangerous wooden walk-ways and seriously hurt her back.

Jus wonderin which of the two young ministers will get the CM's award for the most trips.

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.