Dear Editor;

I have to take issues with your recent editorial, 'GBPA giving back.' It suggests that we should be grateful for the Port donating six acres of land to the government for the construction of a new police and fire station. Heavens above! This is what the Port Authority is supposed to do if it is to be true to its mandate from the Hawksbill Creek Agreement to 'plan and layout' the Port area!

You are right that Sir Charles Hayward made an investment of 25 percent in the Port Authority. But, often forgotten, so did the Allen Group, bankers from New York. They too made an investment of 25 percent in the Port Authority, introduced Syntex to Freeport and bankrolled the Freeport venture at the time.

And I certainly do not think you are right to say that the last 30 or so years have been Freeport's most 'productive' years. Let's look at some facts.

Bear in mind that Groves started with a clean slate, a shallow creek and pine trees as far as the eye could see. In the first years a vast deepwater harbour was dredged, a cement plant and an incredibly successful bunkering operation were operational. When Groves re-negotiated the Hawksbill Creek Agreement to encourage tourism, the Port Authority built the original Lucayan Beach Hotel, purchased two planes, arranged for Bahamas Airways to fly them, and ran shuttle flights to the island from Miami for several years.

The effect on tourism and investment was phenomenal. Then, for a time, Freeport was a veritable hub for air travel. There were direct jet flights from Freeport to Jamaica, Bermuda, London, Toronto, Mexico, and at one time even to Peru, besides flights to New York and several other cities in the USA.

Today our National flag carrier does not even fly from Freeport to Miami! And sea transportation was considerably better in the old days. With considerable foresight, the Port Authority commissioned a 14,000 ton passenger/freight vessel, the MV Freeport, to operate as a daily ferry between Miami and Freeport. The Freeport had space for 28 RO-RO trailers. This was the time too when naval vessels paid almost weekly visits and cruise ships made Freeport an important 'must-see' stop on their cruises.

The business life of the community in these times was vibrant. Besides the Ce-ment Plant and Syntex, the BORCO oil refinery was running at full bore. New businesses started up every few days and open house parties for new businesses and apartment buildings were almost every-day affairs.

That phenomenal engineering project, the Grand Lucayan Waterway, was constructed bisecting the island, and other canals were dredged along the south shore. The canal development was re-sponsible for creating some of the most expensive real estate on the island from land that was once swamp. Probably 95 percent of all the canals on the islands and 80 percent of all the roads we drive on today date from this era.

In these days the Port Authority had offices in Miami and representation in New York and London. The Development Company even had a full-time PR man on their staff who wrote articles about the island for international newspapers and magazines. In short, there was a dynamism and understanding of how to sell and showcase the island that seems to be lacking today.

Kemmons Wilson, the owner of the Holiday Inn chain and a friend of Groves, built the Lucayan Hoilday Inn. Reputedly the world's richest man at the time, D.K. Ludwig built the Kings Inn and Tower (later named the 'Princess' and later left moribund by 'Driftwood'). Ludwg also developed Bahamia with its two golf courses and built El Casino, in its time the largest casino in the Western hemisphere.

Near the hotels was the International Bazaar that had authentic merchandise from around the world in 'film set' like sections: Scandinavia, Hong Kong, South America, etc. Alas, when the complex was sold, the new owners of the Port Authority never thought to require the new tenants and owners to carry through the original and successful theme. It soon started on its demise.

These were days too when Freeport looked like a 'City in a Pine Forest.' But not any more! It seem as if the community today has declared war on natural vegetation. Evey building site is cleared of natural vegetation down to the last blade of grass. The national preservation order against the wanton destruction of pine trees does not apply to Freeport it seems – and, perhaps, as a reflection of present-day crime, an uncontrolled miscelleany of fences and walls (some with barbed wire on top) are springing up everywhere creating an ugly street-scape and, at the same time, making a sad social commentary on modern-day Freeport.

Detractors may wish to say the boom all happened in the 'bad old days' of miniority rule. And it is partly true the boom continued well into the era of majority rule. The decline in Freeport's fortunes might be said to have started when three little words were uttered by the then Prime MInister to the licensees of Freeport.

The three words? Bend or break.

Yours, etc.

Freeporter