candidates for the Pembroke West Central constituency which she represents were last night drilled on their views of independence, capital punishment, environment and race relations in Bermuda.

In a two-hour forum, leading up to a UBP primary in that area on Thursday, some 100 registered party members asked "provocative'' questions and challenged Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto, laundromat owner Mr. Elroy Ratteray, and lawyer Mr. Jerome Dill on their political platforms.

Some 740 registered party members will choose two of the three to represent the UBP in that constituency in the next general election.

Those who attended last night's meeting at the Pembroke Sunday School made it clear that they were determined to know the candidates before casting their votes.

Addressing the issue of independence, Mr. Dill said it is "inevitable''.

And while noting that an overwhelming number of Bermudians do not support independence, he said: "We need education. There's far too much ignorance out there.

"It will be Government's responsibility to teach what independence is because we need to dispel the ignorance on both sides.'' Mrs. DeCouto made it emphatically clear that she is against independence at this time.

She said other than the possibility of Bermuda being able to negotiate its own airline routes, she sees very few benefits of independence to Bermuda.

Admitting he knows very little about independence, Mr. Ratteray said: "I look to the south of us and see countries worse off which are independent. I think Bermuda has done very well. I think the people are relatively happy without independence.'' Mr. Ratteray said he also believes Bermuda has come a long way in race relations. He added that it is more integrated than "most countries we visit and hear about''.

Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto agreed. But, she said, "we are not there yet. We still have a way to go.'' Mr. Dill, who referred to those his age as the first generation of integration in Bermuda, said race relations was a top issue in the minds of young voters and must be addressed.

"Anybody who says there are no (race) problems is kidding himself,'' he said.

"Bermuda is a fabulous place for work site integration. But once outside of the work place, it is common to attend parties with all blacks or all whites.'' He said the young people or "us with no racial baggage'' must advance the issue.

Both Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto and Mr. Ratteray received loud applause and cheers when they said they fully support capital punishment.