§ 11. Mr. DAVID GRENFELLasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, with regard to the protests he has received against the expenditure of £5,000 on the purchase and lay-out of a new rifle range by the Government of Trinidad and the representations by the-taxpayers in this island made to his Department, he will delay giving sanction for this expenditure, in view of the unemployment and distress among the people of Trinidad, and discourage expenditure on such schemes?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister)The Governor of Trinidad was authorised in February, 1931, to act upon a resolution of the Legislative Council to the effect that a new rifle range should be acquired in substitution for the existing range, which had become dangerous. The area to be acquired for the purpose was intended to accommodate also certain other public institutions. The question of suspending approval of the expenditure does not therefore arise.
§ Mr. GRENFELLWill the right hon. Gentleman answer the part of the question in which I ask whether he has received a protest from the people of Trinidad?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI think some representations were made. I am certainly not justified in saying they were from the people of Trinidad, or from the Legislative Council. There were some representations from some quarter, I think, made to the Labour Government, and I think that the decision which I have announced to-day was quite a right one.
§ Lieut. -Colonel ACLAND-TROYTEWould not this plan give more employment?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERYes, it will.
§ Mr. GRENFELLWill the right hon. Gentleman inform the House what portion of this £5,000 is to be spent on labour and how much on the purchase of land?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI could not possibly tell the House that. It is not only a question of a rifle range. I understood that this land is to provide for one or two other things, including a place of detention.