as he enters his final year as chairman of the United Bermuda Party.

Sen. Pitman told The Royal Gazette yesterday he had hoped to step down as UBP chairman at the party's annual general meeting in December, but Premier Dr.

David Saul has asked him to stay on another 12 months.

He added that his continued chairmanship was subject to party approval, but he had not heard of any other nominees for the post.

Sen. Pitman said he has "a concern'' about the conduct of five UBP backbenchers who broke ranks with Government in the recent election for Deputy Speaker.

The man Dr. Saul defeated for the UBP leadership, Mr. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge, and four of Mr. Woolridge's supporters did not support Government nominee Mrs.

Grace Bell for Deputy Speaker. As a result, Opposition MP Mr. Stanley Lowe won the post.

The other MPs, all of whom were staunch opponents of Independence in the run-up to the August 16 referendum, were Mrs. Ann Cartwright DeCouto, Dr.

David Dyer, Mr. Trevor Moniz, and Dr. Clarence Terceira.

"There is that feeling that (selection of the Deputy Speaker) is a House (of Assembly) matter, not a party matter,'' Sen. Pitman said. However, "as far as we're concerned, we're a party team. That's what we're trying to get back to''.

Sen. Pitman, who has held the UBP post since early in 1994 and just returned from abroad, said he planned to discuss the conduct of the MPs with Dr. Saul, once the Premier returned today from a trip to the Far East.

"I'm not aware of anything happening at the branch level,'' he said. "There are constituents that are unhappy with the situation.'' Aside from healing the split that remained in the UBP, Sen. Pitman said he wanted to make sure the party was ready for a general election at any time. As of yesterday, he said the party was not ready.

On Saturday, the UBP is holding its annual conference at the Southampton Princess Hotel.

Drugs and crime, education and human affairs, and youth development and sport are to be the three main areas tackled, the party said in a news release.

"An integral part of the conference will be workshops at which attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the above topics,'' the release said. "These workshops will be attended by the relevant Ministers (who) will provide recommendations for their consideration.'' The keynote speaker at Saturday's luncheon is New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton.

Appointed in January of 1994, Mr. Bratton has embarked on a "major reengineering'' of the NYC Police, with an emphasis on the community-based policing that officials are trying to strengthen in Bermuda.

A release from Mr. Bratton's office said he is "moving towards a decentralised Police bureaucracy, stronger precinct commands, and better-trained and motivated Police officers''.

Sen. Gary Pitman