Government's Independence advertising campaign is an abuse of public funds, Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade charged yesterday.

And United Bermuda Party MPs who are unhappy about the advertisements "ought to take steps to stop it'', Mr. Wade told The Royal Gazette .

"They have the power to do so.'' Progressive Labour Party MPs will table questions about the cost of the campaign in the Senate today, Mr. Wade said.

The Royal Gazette reported on Tuesday that the television, newspaper, and radio campaign is expected to cost just over $100,000 by the time it wraps up on August 14.

And Government backbencher Mr. Rick Spurling was quoted as saying the ads, which are supposed to be neutral, have a pro-Independence bias.

Mr. Wade, who wants his supporters to boycott the August 15 referendum, said the ads should point out that Bermudians have three options -- voting yes, voting no, or abstaining.

The advertising campaign "definitely has a bias toward a `yes' vote'', he said. "The personalities they use and the language they use is all designed to support the minority view in the UBP.

"It's certainly using the public funds to support their `yes' campaign.'' Human Affairs Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill has refused to comment on the cost of the Independence information campaign. The $100,000 figure, which Mr. Dill would neither confirm nor deny, was obtained from a Government source.

Mr. Wade said it was "wrong for Mr. Dill to conceal the cost of the campaign from the general public''.

It was because of "that kind of arrogance'', that the PLP did not trust the Government to take the Country to Independence, he said.

Mr. Wade said the PLP's referendum campaign was about to "shift into another gear'' with an open air public meeting at Devonshire Recreation Club on Thursday.

An Island-wide canvass by Opposition MPs was also planned, he said. The PLP had advertisements "in the can'' calling on voters to abstain, but the party had not decided whether it would spend funds to air the television ads, he said.

Mr. Frederick Wade