Senators agreed yesterday there is a growing "underclass'' that is ever more divided from the rest of the community.

And they called for measures to solve the problem of youth violence, including a return to older values and sociological surveys.

The discussion broke out during the Motion to Adjourn after Senate Opposition Leader Maxwell Burgess said he was becoming "more and more alarmed at the growing underclass''.

He said while it had always existed in Bermuda, there was an "infrastructure'' that assisted those who fell by the wayside that has disappeared.

"The underclass of 2000 doesn't have an integral part of their survival kit that we had in times gone by,'' Sen. Burgess said, adding that if he "misbehaved'' as a child, his whole neighbourhood would have corrected him.

"The solution rests not with a political party or adversarial group,'' he added. "I believe we owe it to ourselves to reach across party lines to assess what it is that is the cause and assess what we are going to do about it.'' Government Leader Milton Scott also recalled the days of his childhood, calling for a "rekindling of that spirit''.

PLP Senator Calvin Smith said that as a statistician he would have to see figures about the "underclass'' but he intuitively knew it had increased in size.

"You're hearing words like `kill','' he said.

"That's scary -- many years ago they said `lets burn'. Whatever you do you have to build homes for these people.'' Sen. Smith added that the family structure was the best way of passing on society's values but if it was under social pressure children suffer.

UBP Senator Kim Swan called for a "sociological study'' after the 2000 Census to come up with solutions to the problem.

But he said the people conducting the study would have to meet with young people and "walk into their territory''.

"Jesus Christ walked into the problem,'' Sen. Swan continued, adding there were many churches in the Island doing just that, but others would have to become more "innovative''.

Sen. Swan added that anyone who wanted to get to the root of the young people's gripes would have to "talk to them face to face''.

"You'll have to look them in the eye because when you're trying to souse them out, they're trying to souse you out,'' he explained to laughter from his colleagues.

The Senate adjourned until October 27.