Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said yesterday.

Sir John, who returned from last week's RIMS conference in California to be greeted with strong concerns from members of his Cabinet, the United Bermuda Party caucus, and the business community, moved to clear up uncertainty over the referendum date.

Appearing to bow to building pressure, he emerged from an extraordinary Friday Cabinet meeting to say he hoped to announce a date for the referendum soon.

He would not wait until the date was published in the Official Gazette, as he would for a general election.

"Our desire is to get it done as soon as practically possible,'' Sir John said. "Hopefully, it can be done in the month of July or August.'' All it would depend on was "getting the information finalised,'' he said.

Government position papers on how issues like citizenship and judicial appointments would be handled in an Independent Bermuda were "being dealt with now,'' Sir John said. They must be approved by Cabinet and caucus.

Apparently wanting to name the date once the position papers were made public, Sir John said: "I want to make sure we've done our homework enough that we can announce a date that has some substance behind it.'' The date would be announced before Government's intention to hold the referendum was published in the Official Gazette, 30 to 60 days before the vote is held.

"I will do my best to get it done as soon as I can,'' Sir John said. "The reason why you heard December has come up is because the legislation says the referendum can be held up to December 31.'' Nevertheless, public statements by Sir John and Deputy Premier the Hon. Irving Pearman have shifted in the last week.

When questioned in San Francisco on Wednesday, Sir John would only say the referendum would be held by December 31. When asked if it would be held after the summer, he said: "I think we will keep our options open.'' And earlier in the week, Mr. Pearman would no longer say that a summer referendum was planned, as he had earlier.

The apparent shift toward a referendum in December -- the next possible date when overseas students would be back on the Island -- provoked strong reaction from the business community.

Bank of Butterfield chairman and former Premier the Hon. Sir David Gibbons was among those who said the uncertainty was hurting business. A delay of a further six months could do "serious harm'' to the economy. He said a date should be announced for the referendum, which should be held before Cup Match.

In San Francisco, Sir John said pressure for an early referendum was coming from business leaders seeking to get "the result they want.'' UBP backbencher Mr. Trevor Moniz said he found that comment "a little bit disingenuous''.

"Businesses weren't the ones who said it was going to be in July,'' Mr. Moniz said. "The Deputy Premier was.'' When Mr. Pearman made that comment, presumably on behalf of Cabinet, then appeared to be leaning toward December, "the presumption would quite logically be that he's the one trying to change the date to suit his purposes,'' Mr. Moniz said.

He felt the referendum could be held on July 11.

Yesterday, Sir John said: "I can't identify who (pressure for an early referendum is) coming from, but I recognise that Government has a bigger responsibility to look out for the interests of everybody, both from an economic point of view and a social point of view.'' The referendum needed to be dealt with, but Government was "not to be badgered'' over it, he said. "We'll be criticised if we don't do it right.'' Prior to the spotlight shifting to December, there was strong division within the UBP caucus over whether the referendum should be held in July or August, a source said.

That division remains. While some want to give the maximum possible time for the public to digest Independence position papers, others are concerned about the large number of Bermudians who travel in August.

Asked if he believed Independence uncertainty was hurting the economy, as business leaders claim, Sir John said the statistics on company registrations and real estate activity suggest otherwise.

"The downturn in tourism has nothing to do with Independence,'' he said.

"It's something in the marketplace.'' As expected yesterday, the Bermuda Industrial Union came out in favour of the Progressive Labour Party's referendum boycott call.

The decision was made at a general membership meeting on Thursday night, BIU president Mr. Ottiwell Simmons MP said in a news release.

And Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade sought to clarify the PLP plan to take Bermuda to Independence by way of three general elections. Government Ministers have suggested the Opposition's Independence plan would take 15 years.

But Mr. Wade said yesterday he believed three elections could be held and Independence achieved within four years.