PILGRIM GOVERNMENT SECURITIES FUND /MA/
NSAR-B, 2000-02-29
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SIGNATURE   MICHAEL J ROLAND
TITLE       CFO

<TABLE> <S> <C>

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<CIK>  779236
<NAME> PILGRIM GOVERNMENT SECURITIES FUND
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   <NUMBER> 1
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<NAME> PILGRIM GOVERNMENT SECURITIES FUND
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<TABLE> <S> <C>

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<CIK>  779236
<NAME> PILGRIM GOVERNMENT SECURITIES FUND
<SERIES>
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<TABLE> <S> <C>

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<CIK>  779236
<NAME> PILGRIM GOVERNMENT SECURITIES FUND
<SERIES>
   <NUMBER> 4
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</TABLE>

                        REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS


To the Shareholders and Board of Trustees
of Pilgrim Funds and Pilgrim Equity Trust:


In planning and performing our audits of the financial  statements and financial
highlights of Pilgrim  Funds  (formerly  Northstar  Funds),  comprising  Pilgrim
Growth  Opportunities  Fund (formerly  Northstar Growth Fund),  Pilgrim SmallCap
Opportunities  Fund (formerly  Northstar  Special Fund),  Pilgrim  Balance Sheet
Opportunities  Fund  (formerly  Northstar  Balance  Sheet  Opportunities  Fund),
Pilgrim  High Yield Fund III  (formerly  Northstar  High  Yield  Fund),  Pilgrim
Government  Securities Fund (formerly Northstar Government  Securities Fund) and
the  financial  statements and  financial  highlights  of Pilgrim  Equity  Trust
(formerly  Northstar  Equity  Trust),   comprising  MidCap   Opportunities  Fund
(formerly Northstar Mid-Cap Growth Fund), (collectively,  the "Funds"),  for the
year ended  December 31, 1999, we  considered  its internal  control,  including
control  activities  for  safeguarding  securities,  in order to  determine  our
auditing  procedures  for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial
statements and financial  highlights and to comply with the requirements of Form
N-SAR, not to provide assurance on internal control.

The  management of the Funds is responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining
internal control. In fulfilling this responsibility, estimates and judgements by
management  are  required to assess the expected  benefits and related  costs of
controls.  Generally,  controls  that are  relevant  to an audit  pertain to the
entity's objective of preparing  financial  statements and financial  highlights
for external  purposes that are fairly  presented in conformity  with  generally
accepted  accounting  principles.  Those controls  include the  safeguarding  of
assets against unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition.

Because of inherent  limitations in internal control,  errors or fraud may occur
and not be detected.  Also,  projection of any evaluation of internal control to
future  periods  is  subject to the risk that  controls  may  become  inadequate
because of changes in  conditions  or that the  effectiveness  of the design and
operation may deteriorate.

Our consideration of internal control would not necessarily disclose all matters
in  internal   control  that  might  be  material   weaknesses  under  standards
established  by the  American  Institute  of  Certified  Public  Accountants.  A
material weakness is a condition in which the design or operation of one or more
of the internal control components does not reduce to a relatively low level the
risk  that  misstatements  caused  by error or fraud in  amounts  that  would be
material in relation to the financial  statements and financial highlights being
audited may occur and not be detected within a timely period by employees in the
normal course of  performing  their  assigned  functions.  However,  we noted no
matters  involving  internal control and its operation,  including  controls for
safeguarding  securities,  that we consider to be material weaknesses as defined
above as of December 31, 1999.

This report is intended solely for the  information  and use of management,  the
Board of Trustees of Pilgrim Funds and Pilgrim Equity Trust,  and the Securities
and  Exchange  Commission  and is not  intended  to be and should not be used by
anyone other than these specified parties.


PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

New York, New York
February 17, 2000


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