would arrive in the Old Town next May.

But Town Mayor the Wor. Henry Hayward jumped the gun on Thursday when he announced the ship would be the Royal Majesty , the Hon. Sir John Swan said.

It would be up to the Tourism Minister -- after the election -- to decide whether to accept Majesty Cruise Line's Royal Majesty or another ship offered by Carnival Cruise Lines, apparently the Tropicale .

"The important thing is there will be a ship,'' Sir John told The Royal Gazette just before a United Bermuda Party forum at St. George Town Hall. Two were offered, and "it's not like we're looking for a ship.'' Mr. Hayward said he was surprised by the Premier's comments. He had a letter of intent from Boston-Bermuda Cruising Ltd. to provide a ship for St.

George's, he said. When plans to send the Sally Albatross collapsed, the Royal Majesty was named as her replacement.

Carnival's Tropicale "is no comparison to the Royal Majesty ,'' he said. The Mayor, who is also president of Meyer Agencies Ltd., admitted he called his news conference to announce the ship without first checking with Government.

He thought he could stop the cruise ship issue being used as "a political football,'' he said.

Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge told The Royal Gazette last week he was not considering the Tropicale .

Sir John said Government wanted all the facts before it made a decision. At the forum, attended by close to 100 people, St. George's North incumbent Mr.

Phillip Smith said it was "a lot of political garbage'' that Government did nothing for St. George's. "It's the Progressive Labour Party that hasn't done anything for St. George's,'' he said.

In recent years, Government spent more than $1 million to upgrade St. George's Secondary School, $174,000 to resurface York Street, $78,000 to brick King Street and improve streetlights at Khyber Pass, $50,000 on a sewage upgrade, more than $90,000 a year on the Fire Department, $20,000 for fire equipment, and $150,000 to improve the Swing Bridge, Mr. Smith said.

Promised was $50,000 to help hire a town manager, $150,000 for repairs to the Customs dock at Ordnance Island, more than $1 million for a cruise ship terminal at Ordnance Island, $40,000 for highway and landscaping improvements, $200,000 for a new firetruck, and $100,000 a year for four years to wipe out the town's debt, he said.

St. George's North candidate Mr. E. Michael Jones and St. George's South candidates Mrs. Grace Bell and Mr. Richard Spurling also spoke, responding to criticisms levelled by PLP candidates in the same theatre a night before.

Sir John said Tuesday's election was about which party was better able to manage Bermuda's economy. The PLP was circulating an "insidious rumour'' that the UBP was saying the PLP could not manage Bermuda because it was a black party, Sir John said.

"That is a terrible accusation,'' he said. "I am black. The issue is not a black and white issue. The issue is who is most capable of running Bermuda based upon a track record.'' Bermuda was "only a product of what happened in the Bahamas in 1975-76,'' when a Government unable to manage took over, he said. Bahamas business "came up here to Bermuda.

"Will it go somewhere else if it's not properly managed? The answer is an absolute yes.'' Also yesterday, Mr. Woolridge said Government had no dealings with Mr. Harold Stavisky on the cruise ship. And Mr. Hayward said Mr. Stavisky had no connection with Boston-Bermuda, Majesty Cruise Lines, or Cruise Investments Ltd., a third company linked to the Sally Albatross deal.

PLP candidate Mr. Leon (Jimmy) Williams raised the question of Mr. Stavisky's possible involvement on Thursday night.

Boston-based Mr. Stavisky was indicted before a US Grand Jury on embezzlement charges in March.

OCTOBER 1993 ELECTION