battles in the October 5 general election, The Royal Gazette today looks at Hamilton West. Hamilton West voters have a habit of booting out incumbents.

How Progressive Labour Party MPs Mr. Eugene Blakeney and Mr. Julian Hall are treated on election night should provide an early clue to how the two major parties will fare. With 1,293 registered voters, Hamilton West is the smallest marginal and its result should be among the first reported. The United Bermuda Party's Mr. Maxwell Burgess and Mr. Wayne Furbert hope to repeat political history from 1983, when Mr. Burgess and the UBP's Dr. George Thomas ousted PLP incumbents Mr. Calvin Smith and Mr. Arthur Hodgson. In 1989, Mr. Blakeney and Mr. Hall returned the favour to Dr. Thomas and Mr. Burgess. Less than 30 votes separated Mr. Hall, who topped the polls, and Mr. Burgess, who finished last.

Before that, the UBP's Dr. John Stubbs and Mrs. Gloria McPhee held the Hamilton West seats in 1968 and 1972. But running alone and making use of "plumped'' ballots, Dr. Paul DeLaChevotiere broke through for the PLP and defeated Dr. Stubbs in 1976. "I believe there is a core of PLP voters and a core of UBP voters who usually vote that way all of the time,'' Mr. Blakeney said. "And then there is a certain swing vote.'' The general secretary of the Bermuda Public Services Association said capturing the all-important swing vote was influenced by "how well one can take care of'' Hamilton West constituents. "Either they put you in or take you out based on what you can do for them at the end of the day,'' agreed Mr. Furbert, 37, the general manager of a law firm. He and Mr. Burgess, a real estate salesman and Senator, believe that is the incumbents' weakness. "We have been the unelected incumbents,'' said Mr. Burgess, 40. The pair had canvassed for more than four years and been instrumental in securing a pedestrian crosswalk, speed bumps, signage, and other constituency benefits from Government, he said. Mr.

Blakeney -- who in the Blakeney-Hall team is to concentrate on constituency affairs while Mr. Hall addresses national concerns -- rejects the suggestion the MPs have neglected voter concerns. "It's always difficult for the Opposition to get things done,'' because the relevant Ministers were often unreceptive, he said. Also, Bermuda's Government should take the example of Barbados and provide a constituency headquarters where MPs could meet residents and hear their concerns, he added. Mr. Hall, who has said that canvassing is paternalistic and can be an invasion of privacy, said yesterday he has taken three weeks away from his office and he and Mr. Blakeney were "doing a tremendous amount of canvassing''. Constituents were encouraged to telephone with concerns and received prompt attention through his law office, Mr. Hall said. It was "a myth that we don't care about our constituency''.

The outspoken MP has had a low profile so far in the campaign. "In this election I've been asked to play a role of wide receiver,'' while he might have carried the ball in the centre of the field in 1989, he said. Mr. Hall said he had also been busy recently with other matters. "You'll hear from me publicly, I can assure you, during the course of the campaign.'' Race relations, immigration, and the economy were key issues facing Hamilton West and the country, he said.

Hamilton West: Candidates Eugene Blakeney, 60, BPSA general secretary (PLP); Maxwell Burgess, 40, real estate salesman (UBP); Wayne Furbert, 37, law office general manager (UBP); Julian Hall, 43, lawyer (PLP).

Electoral Hall -- Francis Patton School.

Electorate -- 1,293.

1989 election Julian Hall (PLP) 447; Eugene Blakeney (PLP) 439; George Thomas (UBP) 427; Maxwell Burgess (UBP) 419.