A petition not to have a constitutional conference is starting to make the rounds in Bermuda.

Community activist Raymond Russell is spearheading the petition drive to counter the United Bermuda Party-led petition calling for Government to put the brakes on constitutional change.

Premier Jennifer Smith has tabled a bill proposing that the Bermuda Constitution be changed to allow for constituency boundaries to be changed from parish based and that the size of Parliament be reduced.

The Opposition United Bermuda Party has blasted the decision, saying there has not been much consultation with people of a variety of political perspectives.

UBP MPs boycotted the Throne Speech late last month to protest Government's decisions.

But Mr. Russell is fighting back with the new petition, saying the UBP's howls of protest are a smokescreen to preserve the status quo.

"They can say what they like -- but the UBP doesn't want one-man one-vote because then they'll never win an election with it,'' Mr. Russell said.

"Nobody in their right mind is going to accept something that will put them out of power forever. Nobody.

"We all know that all white people will vote against one-man one-vote and they are trying to get some black people on board,'' he said adding, "we decided that we should support our Government because we disagree with the stance of the Opposition.

Mr. Russell explained that the resources spent on forming a constitutional conference would be "unnecessary''.

"They want to have a referendum so that they can get Government in a corner and that's not right. We see their protests as undemocratic. So we will be circulating this petition Island wide.'' When asked if he was circulating the petition with the approval of Government or the Progressive Labour Party, Mr. Russell said: "I don't have to have their approval.

"I'm a citizen and a taxpayer and I can do what I want to do. I'm a community activist,'' he added.

POLICE INVESTIGATING THEFTS UNK CRM RG P5 15.11.2000 Police investigating thefts Thieves broke into the boat Horai which was moored in St. George's between 3-7.30 a.m. last week and stole a daypack containing a a Nikon digital camera, a pair of two-way radios and some personal items.

Another knapsack was stolen from a van parked on Par-la-Ville-Road, Hamilton, at 11.30 a.m.

A bag containing several cheques and other items was stoeln from Cobbs Hill, Paget, overnight on Friday.

Meanwhile, a woman in Cataract Hill, Paget, has had her car broken into for the fourth time overnight last week.

ERROR RG P5 15.11.2000 Anti-conference petition This is the remainder of a story about a petition against a constitutional conference which was left out of Monday's newspaper.

*** The petition preamble reads: "We the undersigned Bermudians, support the Government's position on single-seat constituencies. We disagree with a constitutional conference at this time.'' Community activist Raymond Russell would not give an indication of how many signatures had been collected by yesterday but said the numbers were "promising''.

Like the Opposition, Mr. Russell intends to use this petition to influence the British Government when it approves or rejects the constitutional changes based on the amount of consultation with voters.

Mr. Russell said: "We'll take it wherever. Government House, the Queen, Baroness Scotland, whomever it is that has to get it, will get it.''