Around 150 Bermuda timeshare tourists have written official complaint letters about the troubled St. George's Club.

The regular Island visitors wrote to the Ministry of Tourism, expressing fears about current operations, the club's future ownership and the rising cost of timesharing.

Tourism Minister David Dodwell revealed the number of complaints about the club in his answers to three Parliamentary questions tabled by his Opposition couterpart David Allen yesterday.

One disgruntled club member, from Vermont, told yesterday's Royal Gazette that conditions at the club reached an all-time low this week, with severely disrupted water supplies. Timeshare visitors are also confused about who may own the club in future with on-going negotiations now underway with potential buyers.

And Mr. Dodwell confirmed that some visitors had opted not to renew their club membership amid complaints about the treatment of members.

But he told the House of Assembly that Government was already considering new laws to prevent future problems.

"We are currently reviewing the timesharing laws now,'' added Mr. Dodwell.

"The legislation was passed in 1981 and timesharing in the last couple of years has changed dramatically. In fact, there are a number of different names for it now and it's a more reputable business than it used to be.

"Clearly it ought to be self evident that we will look at the legislation to ensure that the points being raised do not surface again.'' Mr. Dodwell said some visitors were also unhappy at having to pay a one-off special assessment last year to help the club out of a financial hole. He added: "We had no choice but to agree with that assessment. For the second time, a professional assessor was brought in to look at the books. If their assessment hadn't passed, the club would have folded fairly quickly. While it was difficult and uncomfortable, some 85 to 90 percent -- and growing -- actually pay that assessment.

"Some did so reluctantly, but they knew that if they didn't the club had a chance of closing.'' The Minister said he was aware some members had quit the club because they were "unhappy with the current arrangement''.

"And on behalf of the Government, we are not happy with the circumstances down there,'' he said. "The issue of the image of Bermuda and the credibility of Bermuda is at stake.'' Mr. Dodwell said around $2 million had been spent on improvements in the last year and the club was now in "sound financial order''. He added Government had talked to the St. George's Club and its Members Advisory Council but could not intervene in disputes.

TOURISM TOU