ERROR RG P4 10.7.1995 A story in Friday's paper incorrectly stated that Mr. Peter Smith was a retired lawyer. Mr. Smith still works at Mello, Hollis, Jones & Martin.

A former Solicitor General of Bermuda has backed the Independence movement, taking a side-swipe at the PLP which has to "learn how to act responsibly''.

Mr. Peter Smith, a prominent lawyer who retired in 1993 and who is now chairman of the Bermuda Law Reform Committee, was speaking about Independence to the Hamilton Lions this week.

Oxford University educated Mr. Smith said fears that Bermuda would "go to the dogs'' were unfounded and were expressed through the centuries every time change had taken place.

And he backed Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan, describing him as a man of "amazing courage and tenacity'' who has stayed on course despite "backward looking'' people.

"It is my view, which I have not always held, that the time has now come for Bermuda to go independent under the leadership of our present Premier who is a man who has great courage and vision so that Bermuda will have freedom and economic success throughout the next century,'' added Mr. Smith.

He said Independence has always been a part of the PLP agenda and that as long as the party existed the question of Independence would not go away.

"The sad part is that the PLP has never been able to convince the majority ofthe Bermuda population that they are sufficiently responsible to govern Bermuda and the way they are carrying on now, shows that is a long way off,'' he added.

Mr. Smith said he got the impression that the PLP wanted to dismantle the present Government system and to replace it with "something run entirely by the PLP forever''.

"I cannot imagine anything more foolish than to dismantle a system of Government which has produced the remarkable prosperity which we have had in Bermuda since 1968.'' Some alterations to the Constitution, set up in 1968, do need to be made such as reforming constituencies to give equal numbers of votes, he said.

"The statement that we must make constituencies equal before we go independent is plain nonsense as that requires a change to the Constitution and the British Government must be involved.

"The British Government has stated it is not prepared to make any changes to the Constitution until there is total Independence for Bermuda. The argument that we must put our house in order before we go independent is spurious and plain nonsense.'' In backing Sir John, Mr. Smith praised the way he had stayed on course despite two sets of backward looking people.

"The first are the PLP which seems to have lost its vision for Bermuda by living in past wrongs and putting the interests of the leaders of the PLP above the interests of Bermuda and its system.

"The second are the conservatives, both white and black, who think that Bermuda will got to the dogs if changes are made no matter how big or small.

"Why should Independence make Bermuda go to the dogs? It is no greater than other changes which have been made.''