platforms have many similarities.

Yesterday, the party leaders accused one another of stealing campaign promises.

The United Bermuda Party's "Blueprint for the Future'' has about 110 promises in nine policy areas. The Progressive Labour Party's "Plan for the '90s'' makes about 123 promises in six areas.

Some promises are virtually identical. Both parties, for example, would revamp the Small Business Development Corporation and Government Employment Office, and both would introduce greater links between granting work permits and required training of Bermudians.

Both would increase pensions and beef up the Protection of Children Act.

Whichever wins the election would buy more open space, emphasise non-custodial sentences for less hardened criminals, target visitors from Europe, and increase prevention and treatment programmes for drug and alcohol abuse.

And neither party could say yesterday how much their promises would cost.

Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said the fact that the UBP's platform was released two weeks earlier than the PLP's helped to explain some of the similarities.

In any case, "it's not a question of having it in your platform, it's how you get it done,'' Sir John said. "How can you best manage the implementation.

"We are more capable in a demonstrated way of doing that.'' Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade said the PLP had published platforms for each election campaign since 1968, while the UBP had not. "My own view is that they have taken our platform and they have gone through it,'' he said.

"They have copied,'' and even "adopted our idea of writing a platform.'' Mr.

Wade said he was also not surprised at similarities because Bermuda was a small Island and "if you have done your homework on Bermuda then you know what Bermuda needs.'' On the cost question, Sir John said he could not give a specific figure for what the blueprint would cost to implement.

But based on projections of two percent real growth annually, the promises could be paid for through increased revenues while maintaining surpluses in annual current accounts and limiting borrowing to 10 percent of gross domestic product.

Mr. Wade said that Government had access to "all the facts,'' and he wanted the UBP to state what their platform would cost before he gave a price tag for the PLP's promises.

"We don't have all of the facts at our disposal,'' Mr. Wade said. "The Government is in a position to give us an actual costing of their platform.

The public deserves that.'' There are differences in the platforms. The UBP has greater emphasis on youth, measures to address discrimination, and prevention of child abuse. Only the UBP promises to reduce the age of majority, establish a Family Court, and set up a division of the Human Rights Commission to deal with race relations.

The PLP, which promises three percent annual growth through "stimulating'' tourism and international business, promises an unemployment insurance scheme, a Ministry of International Business, "permanent residency'' for some long-time residents who should not receive status, lowering of the school age to four, a bottle and can deposit law, and compensation for owners who leave open space undeveloped, a potentially expensive item.

Unlike the UBP, the PLP promises a raft of tax breaks: for hotels; in the off-season air departure and cruise passenger tax; for employers to encourage Bermudian training; for private owners who rehabilitate derelict housing; and for businesses that participate in prison rehabilitation programmes.

The PLP also pledges to undertake numerous studies. Measures introduced by the UBP that would be reviewed include the fishpot ban, tax system, the Department of Tourism's advertising plan, the Labour Advisory Council, the Housing Allowance Programme, the Clean Air Act, the Tynes Bay incinerator, all works operations, housing subsidies and other perqs for Government workers, the Motor Car Act, Airport traffic flow and Airport fees.

New items the PLP would study include the building of a facility to house the library and archives, the feasibility of attracting major sports teams to National Stadium, the needs of seniors, sewage disposal, development of secondary light industries, alternate energy sources, and the development of a deep-sea fishing industry.

The UBP promises to implement recommendations of several studies undertaken recently. But the only new studies the party promises involve protection of the marine environment, energy conservation, the "Door'' concept for addressing family problems through a single entry point, and laws to attract international businesses.

OCTOBER 1993 ELECTION