§ 17. Mr. MOREINGasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can give particulars of the amount of lava removed from Ascension Island by the St. Helena Colony Development Company, Limited, under the concession granted to them in 1927; the sums received in payment for the lava; and the purposes for which the lava has been purchased and removed from the island?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister)I have no exact information as to the 1150 amount of lava removed by the company from the island. Under their agreement the company are required to pay a royalty of 20s. per ton of lava shipped, subject to a minimum of £1,000 a year. I understand that the payments actually made up to date amount in all to £4,500. With regard to the last part of the question, the purposes for which the lava is to be used are not specified in the agreement, but I understand that it is in fact being treated with a view to the extraction of gold.
§ Mr. MOREINGIs my right hon. Friend aware that a company called the New Process Company, Limited, with works at Southall, Middlesex, claims to have extracted large amounts of gold from this lava?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, Sir, I was not aware of that; but I should like to make it plain that, so far as the relations of the Government of St. Helena are concerned, their relations with the company are to give them a concession to take lava. There is no guarantee by the Government of St. Helena as to what the lava contains.