I was most intrigued by Howard Hamilton's article in The Gleaner of May 28 and the idea of a bond to raise the money for major works, in and around Kingston.

I have very grave doubts about the idea of the bonds, ever taking off, unless there is some incentive. Can you really imagine people in MoBay, (in effect) donating money to refurbish Kingston?

Have you considered an idea, along the lines of the British premium bond?

In its simplest explanation it is an everlasting 'lottery ticket', which can be cashed in, for the original price, but only after a certain period ( say 15 months ). Every month the interest payable on the 'bond, fund', is paid, as in a lottery, based on the serial number of the bond, drawn from the 'pot' ( in Britain, ERNIE, an electronic random number generator, was, and, as far as I know, still is being used ).

Prize money

I am sure that, with modifications, this would be a far more viable option: as it is a lottery you cannot lose. The prize money can be as little or as much as the committee decides, just as long as the prize money offered each month is an incentive for people to buy the bonds.

Each bond could be J$100, but only sold in units of J$500, so you get 5 lottery ticket numbers for your J$500. The bonds are pre-printed with the numbers, which never vary; and there is no limit on the number of bonds you can hold.

I am certain that the idea of an everlasting lottery ticket, and being able to get your 'stake' money back: will prove irresistible to many people! Just expect a lot of opposition to the idea from the lottery operators, and the bookmakers!

There are several layers of security built into the system, and the bonds are not transferable to another person: only sold through 'reputable' sources ( banks, post offices, etc ), and only the person whose name is on the bond can claim any of the prizes.

My thoughts on the spending of the money: