I WRITE in response to a recent letter to the editor from Mr James A. Sneads in which he questioned the allocation of $50 million by the ministry of tourism for the beautification of Fern Gully, one of Jamaica's world-famous beauty spots.

"I don't get it," writes Mr Snead, continuing with picturesque and delightful prose:

"How in the world do you spend $50 million beautifying one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in the world, with the sunrays peeking down through the canopy of magnificent trees and the profusion of ferns which line the road?"

Well, Mr Snead, it's not surprising that you don't get it, because probably there was never any intention that you should get it! It's the guy(s) who will get the $50-million contract (s) who will get it.

When I was a kid, I overheard some construction people talking about how a certain military base in Sandy Gully was constructed during the 1940s:

Money flow

"Furse ting, dem build de road an' pave dem over. Den, dem dig up de road dem again an' put in water pipe ... den dem fill in de trench dem an' pave de road dem over again. Den, dem dig up de road dem again an' put in sewer pipe ... fill in de trench an' pave over de road dem again. Den, dem dig up de road dem again ... . Each time dem charge fe dig up de road an' pave dem over again!"

As rivers of sparkling waters happily cascade down the mountain sides, roaring and shouting joyously to the trees and sending sprays of sunlit diamonds into the cool morning air ... so does money flow into the gully of no return.

I am, etc.,

A. G. Gumbs

aggumbs@aol.com