Government has consulted with the Attorney General about the possible need to delay Tuesday's Independence referendum, should the Island be hit by Hurricane Felix, the Premier said yesterday.

"If you were being hit on Tuesday by a hurricane, you couldn't very well ask people to come out and vote in a referendum,'' Sir John said at a news conference. "Obviously, if it's delayed, it would only be delayed a matter of a day or two.'' The latest forecast from the Bermuda Weather Service yesterday evening had the eye of Felix passing within 39 miles of the Island on Monday. The hurricane is expected to be packing sustained winds of up to 95 knots at its centre.

The Independence Referendum Act says the vote must be held by the end of this year. The August 15 date is set by Government regulation, which can be changed in consultation with the Governor, Sir John said.

The Parliamentary Election Act provides for polls to be opened on Tuesday and then "adjourned' until 10 a.m. the following day if voting is interrupted by "general disorder'' or any other circumstances out of the control of the Parliamentary Registrar.

It is also possible regulations to the Independence Referendum Act could be amended to delay the vote longer than 24 hours.

Attorney General Mr. Elliott Mottley declined to comment. Parliamentary Registrar Mrs. Marlene Christopher could not be reached.

While a lengthy delay would cause a public uproar, even a short delay in the vote would create havoc. Deputy Premier the Hon. Irving Pearman, for example, a staunch advocate of Independence, is scheduled to leave the Island with his wife on Wednesday as they celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, Sir John said he had heard reports of referendum "coercion'' by Bermuda employers and pledged to investigate any specific complaints he received.

"A number of employees seem to convey to me, and to one or two other people that I've been in touch with, that there seems to be some rumours within places of employment that their employers are telling them that is this referendum is successful, that their jobs might be put at risk,'' Sir John said.

"I hope if anyone is doing it -- I'm not going to point fingers -- I hope they refrain from it,'' he said. "If I find it is being done and I can authenticate it, then I will make it public.'' Sir John, who has pushed hard for a "yes'' vote in the face of polls which suggest such a result is out of reach, said he was "inspired'' by Thursday night's Coalition for the Independence of Bermuda meeting at Number One Shed, which he estimated drew more than 1,000 people.

"I believe in miracles, and I believe there's a miracle in the making, somehow or other, for Bermuda.'' Cards will be issued in Somerset and St. George's for voters who need identification to participate in the August 15 Independence Referendum.

Cards can be collected today at St. James' Church Hall in Somerset and Ordnance Island Cruise Ship Terminal in St. George's from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Voters' cards are only required for identification if a voter does not have a valid passport, a Bermuda driver's licence or a Special Person's card.