Premier David Saul yesterday rejected a call for a Royal Commission on the plight of black males.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Frederick Wade said such an inquiry "couldn't do any harm.'' Government backbencher Mr. Maxwell Burgess called for the Royal Commission when he spoke during the Throne Speech Debate on Friday.

"I reckon Bermuda will have little peace, certainly almost no prosperity, and all of our welfare will be at risk if we don't recognise that no longer can we afford to have the black male falling by the board, constituting an underclass in our society,'' Mr. Burgess told the House of Assembly.

But Dr. Saul said yesterday he had discussed the idea with Mr. Burgess and, "I don't think a Royal Commission is necessary.'' However, the subject needed to be explored further, the Premier said. The question was what would be the best way to do that.

He declined to say why he did not feel a Royal Commission was needed, except to say that Royal Commissions were intended to look into matters Parliament had agreed on.

He welcomed further talks with Mr. Burgess or anyone else in the community about the best way to explore the subject.

Mr. Wade, meanwhile, said he had not given much thought to Mr. Burgess' idea, but it probably "couldn't do any harm.'' The Progressive Labour Party leader had reservations about "whether or not another talking session is going to help us.'' The Criminal Justice Review Board addressed "the end result of a lot of the problems that black males experience,'' but "we haven't done anything necessarily just on black males,'' Mr. Wade said.

"It could not do any harm to look into the plight of black males.'' In his speech, Mr. Burgess cited the high unemployment and incarceration rates for black males. He also said many "women's issues'' like domestic abuse and lack of child support had their roots in men's problems.