transcripts published in The Royal Gazette , Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade said yesterday.

At the Progressive Labour Party's weekly news conference, Mr. Wade said he read the latest instalment of the transcripts published on Thursday, and found them to be "the most innocuous'' of any published to date.

Other transcripts published in February had no noticeable effect on Mr. Hall's standing in his constituency of Hamilton West, Mr. Wade told reporters.

"Nowhere in my canvass of Hamilton Parish did anyone raise the question of the allegations against Mr. Hall,'' he said. "I (canvassed) some 30 or 40 households the Saturday before last.'' Mr. Wade said he believed publication of the transcripts was part of a campaign "in certain quarters of this country'' to damage Mr. Hall's political and financial life.

But people recognised the campaign for what it was, and "we haven't seen the negative fallout that I think his detractors were expecting.'' Mr. Wade said he was confident allegations in the transcripts against Mr. Hall were untrue. "If there were foundation, they would certainly have him in chains by now, in Casemates somewhere.'' False allegations were often made in court statements, he said. "If I had a ten dollar bill for every time somebody told me a Cabinet Minister was dealing drugs, I'd be a millionaire by now.'' Even if he had felt Mr. Hall's reputation was damaged, which he did not, Mr.

Wade said he would not have accepted the MP's resignation that he offered on Wednesday. "We don't believe in abandoning people when they get in trouble,'' he said.

After talking to Mr. Wade, Mr. Hall withdrew his resignation offer.

The offer came after the Court of Appeal overturned a Supreme Court injunction that stopped the daily newspaper from publishing the third transcript of tapes used in October to convict Dexter Dillas for his role in a multi-million-dollar drug smuggling ring.

Mr. Hall, who had applied for the injunction, was yesterday granted leave to appeal to the Privy Council.

The PLP has called for a Press council to help assure fairness and balance in newspaper reports. Mr. Wade said yesterday he did not know if the existence of a Press council, which would be made up of journalists, would have stopped publication of the court transcripts.

"Maybe it would have let (the newspaper) publish them,'' he said. "But at least it would have been an independent body...that would have had a say in the matter.'' MR. FREDERICK WADE -- The PLP leader said he was confident allegations in the tape transcripts against Mr. Hall were untrue.