Mr. POINTERasked the Under-Secretary for the Colonies whether he has received any complaints regarding the local government of Trinidad to the effect that they have made every effort to keep secret the facts concerning the petroleum oil industry so far as local persons are concerned, whilst giving private information to outsiders; and whether, considering the present duty of kerosene oil was imposed partly for Revenue purposes, the duty is to be continued now that it will be protective in character, leading to the same difficulty and injustice to the oil trade as already exists in the match industry?
§ Colonel SEELYThe Secretary of State has received no complaints of the nature indicated. The contingency contemplated in the second part of the question would not occur unless and until local refineries were established.