The billions of dollars that are spent worldwide on space exploration could and should be reallocated to combat problems on Earth, the House decided this weekend.

Not the Island's House of Assembly, of course, but the mock Parliament that on Saturday saw debates among teams in the Bermuda Junior Service League's fifth annual High School Debating Tournament.

The tournament, which was held at the Bermuda College's Stonington campus, included more than 80 students from seven of the Island's 10 secondary schools.

Among the participating schools were the Bermuda High School for Girls, Berkeley Institute, Whitney Institute, Warwick Academy, Warwick Secondary School, Mount St. Agnes Academy and Saltus Grammar School.

Judges included well-known figures from such areas as politics, education, journalism and law.

The contest's final debate -- decided on the question of whether or not space exploration is being conducted at the expense of global problems -- came down to a battle between Berkeley and BHS.

Citing such setbacks as the 1986 Challenger disaster and the recently wayward Mars Observer, Berkeley argued that the $14.8 billion the US spends annually on space exploration projects could be better applied to such earthbound problems as crime and violence, overpopulation, the environment and disease.

BHS contended that space travel could in fact provide the answers to many of those problems.

The Berkeley team -- captained by 16-year-old Collin Anderson and including 13-year-olds Jordan Zancanella and Deanna McEwan -- eventually won out.

"We need to take this money and use it here on Earth,'' Mr. Anderson said during the course of the debate. "The Russians have brought their space programme to a grinding halt. Why? Because they see this is ridiculous. There is no need for it.'' According to Governor Lord Waddington, who judged the finals with Mr. John Barritt MP, Mrs. Elizabeth Virgo, Mrs. Lynne Diehl and Mr. Mark Smith, one of the factors that clinched the contest for Berkeley was Mr. Anderson's "well-timed'' rebuttal of a point from the opposition.

Mr. Anderson had responded to an assertion that a person is infinitely more likely to die in a car accident than in a shuttle explosion by saying: "Yes, but a car doesn't cost $14.8 billion.'' Declared Lord Waddington: "I have always found that a well-timed interjection can cause your opponent to stumble.'' In addition to the silver cup awarded to the Berkeley team, prizes were also given to individual debaters.

Those winners included Mount St. Agnes student Charles Sousa in first place, BHS' Jennifer Burland in second, Berkeley's McEwan and Rashan Smith in a third-place tie, Berkeley's Zancanella in fourth, Berkeley's Anderson in fifth and Selena Mello of Saltus in sixth.

It was also announced at the tournament that the World Debating Championships are to be held in Bermuda in 1997. The Bermuda Debating Society will act as host.