introduce legislation to control monopolies that arise out of the recession.

Mr. Darrell believes that the economic situation will force businesses dealing with sales and services to amalgamate to reduce costs, eventually leading to monopolies, cartels and mergers.

He said yesterday: "The NLP strongly suggests to Government that we will be faced with this phenomenon and therefore we need to get legislation in place before the fact and not after.

"Bermuda does have the experience of the supply of electricity and telephone services by two monopolies.'' Mr. Darrell said that during the 1960s two attempts to create monopolies legislation were closely defeated in Parliament.

"A monopoly does not have to be evil,'' he added. "With proper controls, the economic benefits are real and in our present recessionary state this may be the only way to reduce the costs and create more employment, returning the Island to a somewhat normal economy.

"Bermuda's economy cannot get any better until the world's economy, particularly the economy of the USA, improves. In the meantime the Government appears to be taking a watching brief before taking any definitive action.''