The Editor, Sir:

In my column in The Sunday Gleaner of February 17, titled 'Party Pooper and Pompous GM', I wrote about the never-ending bureaucracy encountered in seeking permission to hold a house party.

Three visits to the Liguanea Police Station, two trips to the Half-Way Tree Police Station and two visits to the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation - even trips for one permit.

I thought that our travails would have ended with that. But there is a sting in the tail. Yesterday (21st), my wife received a phone call from a lady inspector asking to see the location where my daughter's sweet 16 will be held.

My wife explained that we already had the permit. The inspector told her that that permit was KSAC's permission and the police had to inspect the premises and grants its own approval.

We are uncertain of what she will be checking for, but I have to wonder: with so much time spent on all sides to obtain approval for this one party, multiplied by the number of parties that are kept (assuming that each were to get the proper approval), how much time would be left to catch the criminals, both white- and blue-collar?

Egerton Chang

Kingston