has raised anew questions about the role Bermuda's Upper House is supposed to play.

What once was seen as a chamber for hoary veterans to end distinguished careers is increasingly a place for beginners to gain experience and exposure -- and prepare for election to the House of Assembly.

The entire five-member UBP Senate contingent is now under the age of 40. Four of them are declared House of Assembly candidates: The new appointees Sen.

Jerome Dill and Sen. Wendell Hollis, and Sen. Maxwell Burgess and the Hon.

Pamela Gordon.

The PLP's Sen. Trevor Woolridge is also a declared candidate, meaning five of the Country's 11 Senators are striving to move from the Upper House to the Lower House.

How helpful will the Senate be? "Who was Max Burgess's running mate in '89?'' answered one Senator. An appointment to the Senate ensured that Sen. Burgess, though he lost, was not forgotten. His former colleague Dr. George Thomas, however, enjoys no such prominence.

The list of politicians who have turned Senate experience to electoral advantage is a long one.

Cabinet Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons lost in Warwick East in 1983. With two years of Senate service under his belt -- and election ads that stressed his Senate experience -- Mr. Simons returned to win in 1985.

A seat in the Senate helped keep Miss Jennifer Smith's political name and reputation alive while she ran unsuccessfully five times for the PLP in St.

George's South. She won convincingly on her sixth attempt in 1989.

PLP MP Mr. David Allen, after eight years in the Senate, helped the PLP recapture Pembroke East Central from the UBP in 1989 and moved into the Lower House that same year.

The UBP appointed Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness to the Senate when he lost his seat in Warwick West in 1980. An election three years later saw him move back to the Lower House.

Senate exposure can be invaluable but cannot guarantee election success by itself, several of those interviewed said.

"Some people would say it's a double-edged sword,'' one Senator said. "For some people it's been a political graveyard.'' He named a long list of former UBP Senators, including Mr. Francis Furbert, Mr. Reginald Minors and Mr.

Michael King, who have not subsequently won House elections.

Opposition Senate Leader Sen. Alex Scott said he believes the UBP has abused the Senate. "The Senate should not be used as a place to gain exposure and win a seat,'' he said. To do so is "reckless, bordering on irresponsible.'' Mr. Scott made it clear that he has no objections to a Senator running for a seat in the Lower House -- he ran unsuccessfully for the House in 1985 -- but said the prime consideration must be choosing good Senators.

"The Premier and the Opposition Leader should chose individuals who can make a contribution. If they happen to be potential candidates in another area, that's fine. But if it's going to be used just as a stepping stone, that's wrong. The individual must have fundamental abilities and basic merit. They can't be a flash in the pan.'' Mr. Charles Collis, who served as Government Senate Leader from 1982 until earlier this year, defended the UBP's use of the Senate to give experience and exposure to potential election candidates. The party selected able Senators, he said, and the Country gained from whatever added experience the Senate gave them.

"We had a whole series of appointments just for that purpose,'' he said.

"And in fact it has served to weed out those who really had some prospect, who showed some promise, but when it came down to the crunch really didn't have the stomach the political fight.

"That being the case, from the Premier's perspective it helps wrinkle out those who are not likely to contribute to the success of an election.'' Mr. Collis observed that the Senate's role is to provide a second look at legislation; it does not have the power to veto anything.

"Who gives that second look is not as important,'' he said. "You don't need the old political has-beens doing it. A fresh look can be given by any group of people. To the extent that the Premier is using it for an ancillary purpose, I don't find any problems with that.'' Mr. Hugh Richardson, an Independent who served 19 years in the Senate and its predecessor, the Legislative Council -- including eight years as Senate president -- said he was unhappy at the trend. "It's the Upper House,'' he said. "It shouldn't be used for training.'' Mr. Richardson the UBP only started using the Senate to train House candidates after the Hon. Sir John Swan became Premier in 1982. "When John took over, that's when it started,'' he said.

The Senate, he said, is meant to take one last, final, good look at legislation before it became law. "The only people to have this good look shouldn't be apprentices,'' he said. "They should be seasoned people with some expertise and experience behind them.'' If political candidates need experience they should put themselves on forums, political meetings and other public events, he said. "You aren't supposed to go to Parliament for training.''