A majority of people interviewed by The Royal Gazette on the streets of Hamilton were in favour of proposed increases in politician's salaries.

The Royal Gazette reported on Tuesday that the Ministers and Members of the Legislature Salaries Review Board had recommended that the additional salary of the Premier should be increased to $150,000 per year and the wages of all MPs increased to $50,000.

Premier Alex Scott now earns $111,714, made up of the current MP's salary of $39,428 and the Premier's pay of $72,286. The proposed increase would be a raise of 79 percent.

Chimneysweep Flavio Picchia was all right with Premier Alex Scott getting a pay-rise rise as long as he paid his own expenses.

"You get your pay cheque but you pay for your rent, your food, your clothing, everything you need, plus pension and insurance," he said yesterday.

"I'm OK with him making so much money and everybody else, because he has lots of responsibilities. But if I have to pay also for the food, the clothing and everything that is when it becomes unfair, you know what I'm saying?

"He can make a half-million dollars a year! I don't mind! As long as he pays for his expenses as well as everybody else. That would be really, really nice," he said.

Dental hygienist Audrey Phillips thought it was in line with what the Prime Minister of Canada would make.

"There are lots of salaries you can argue that are fair or not," Ms Phillips said. "Basketball players get paid millions just for shooting a basket. But because it is in line with what other Premiers make I would say its fair."

Dry-waller Raymond Levon said it did not matter to him if MPs were paid more as long as they did a good job.

"If they are doing a good job and are successful at what they are doing, I'm happy," Mr. Levon said.

Donna Smith, who is a banker, thought MPs were doing a good job and deserved a wage increase.

"I mean everybody else gets a wage increase," she said.

However, 18-year-old student Crystal Lyn-Simmons saw little being done for Bermuda's youth.

"It seems like, why should they? What have they done that's different?" Miss Lyn-Simmons said. "I have not seen anything that's changed at all.

"Basically you might have to compare what Mr. Scott did and what American politicians did," she said.

And trust officer Millicent Minors said Premier Scott's almost 80 percent raise to $200,000 a year was a bit much.

"I think for a small Island it's kind of high," she said. "That's the main thing."