ground for politicians, according to the head of the committee for independence in Bermuda.

Mr. Walton Brown, who was speaking on the economic consequences of independence at the Bermuda College on Thursday night, also said that senators were being paid $15,000 a year.

Speaking before the Green Paper was tabled in the House of Assembly yesterday morning, Mr. Brown said: "I don't know if Government is looking at these issues in the Green Paper.'' Talking to almost 50 people including students, he also commented on the drastic changes that Bermudians and Government are afraid will come with Independence.

On the issue of whether Independence will lead to visitors not coming to the Island, Mr. Brown said: "Eighty-five percent of tourists visiting Bermuda come from the US and others come from Canada and England and with the new German flight a few will come from Germany.

"They are not concerned about whether we are independent or not. They are more concerned on whether they are getting the value for their money, whether Bermuda is a safe place, and whether or not they can enjoy themselves.

"Independence has no significant bearing on whether they come or not.'' Mr. Brown also asked if it was reasonable to expect that international businesses would leave, businesses considering coming to Bermuda would locate elsewhere and whether Bermuda's image in international business would decline.

"If the answer is yes there are serious problems in our pursuit for Independence. But we are unlikely to see a real shift,'' Mr. Brown said.

He added: "International businesses should have some degree of certainty of what a Country is planning to do. They don't know what our Government is planning to do. They must be confused because they do not see strong insights of leadership.'' Mr. Brown concluded: "Independence is the single most important issue and it is too important for people to be on the sidelines.''