Go slow re sugar lands

Minister of Agriculture Dr Christopher Tufton should not rush to divest the sugar cane lands. He should carry out a detailed study of how to utilise at least 25 per cent of the sugar cane lands for other agricultural crops such as corn and rice planting that can be harvested at least twice per year.

One of the reasons why China is doing so well is that they have utilised the resources of the rivers by trapping the water into basins and canals to irrigate the farmlands producing billions of pounds of rice, corn and other agricultural products.

What the Jamaican Government needs to do is to advertise for the local Jamaicans (not for the rich Jamaicans alone), but for everyone who is really interested in farming to lease the lands while the Jamaican Government puts in the infrastructure: the basins, dams and canals from the rivers to make it useful and prosperous.

Steve L. Allen, lyndonallen@rogers.com, Toronto

Signs for deaf drivers

I am all for allowing the hearing-impaired to drive. I assume, however, that the authorities will require some identifying sign on the impaired driver's vehicle to alert other motorists of the driver's impairment.

A flashing or strobe light would be a good indicator. The safety of all the road users, including the hearing-impaired, must be seriously considered and appropriately addressed.

Aeon Mitchell, amitc@nysif.com, Amityville, New York

JPS insurance

Why does the Jamaica Public Service not buy insurance to cover these costs like every other business? Why should its customers pay the brunt of any damage when insurance is there for that purpose, so its shareholders can get fatter?

The sooner Government removes the duty on alternative-energy equipment so the 'common man' can afford to utilise the technology, the better off we all will be.

J. Hood-Daniel, edx111@yahoo.com

...JPS claims queried

In response to the Sunday, March 15 headline in your newspaper, I refer your readers to the leading reports in the newspapers of Wednesday, September 7, 2005, where it was confirmed that profit from Mirant, Jamaica (JPSCo) accounted for all the profit that Mirant, United States of America had made for the first six months of 2005.

This profit was in the amount of US$17 million and amounted to 16 per cent of the total Mirant operational profit for the said period.

My question is: How can the current chief executive officer then make the statements about the company's finances as was reported in Sunday's papers?

Emanuel Grant, grante@aero.und.edu, Grand Forks, North Dakota