against pageant organiser Mr. Terry Smith.

And yesterday Mr. Smith's lawyer, Senator Jerome Dill, said he was pleased that he has heard nothing and his client is hoping the whole row "will go away''.

Most of the 19 pageant contestants sought legal advice last month after 24-year-old insurance underwriter Miss Dianna Mitchell was crowned Miss Bermuda Islands following what some considered a poor stage performance.

The contestants, represented by lawyer Mr. Philip Perinchief, demanded an apology from Mr. Smith for "duping'' them and called for a "fair'' system of judging for next year's contest.

The women also want Mr. Smith to: State that he followed the rules governing the contest and the Miss World contest, for which the show was a qualifier; Make the contest's score sheets public; Admit that he did not explain the scoring process to the contestants from the start; Recognise that they made no allegations against Miss Mitchell; State that he changed his original plans for the scoring system; Confess that the Miss Tourism section, scored by separate judges, formed at least 25 percent of the final tally; and Acknowledge that all five Miss Bermuda Islands judges were aware of the inclusion of the tourism scores.

Mr. Smith confessed he should have told the audience about the system of judging at the beginning of the show, at Southampton Princess, instead of at the end.

But he defended the system of judging, which included scores at interviews two days before the show. And he said the contestants and judges were aware of the judging procedure used.

Mr. Smith refused to make the scores public, saying it would break tradition.

He and Sen. Dill have also refused to be drawn into a public debate with Mr.

Perinchief.

"His (Mr. Smith's) position has always been that this is just a misunderstanding,'' Sen. Dill said yesterday.

Mr. Perinchief was off the Island until next week and could not be reached for comment.