§ Lieut.-Colonel RUDKINasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the refusal of the Colonial Office to grant a concession to Messrs. Heyland and Williams to work turtles at St. Helena; whether he is aware that Messrs. Heyland and Williams have incurred heavy expenditure in the hope of obtaining the concession; whether the concession is now to be granted to some other body which will have the benefit of the information obtained by Messrs. Heyland and Williams; and whether, in the circumstances, he will reconsider the decision?
Mr. THOMASI assume that the hon. and gallant Member is referring to an application for a concession of this nature in Ascension, but the facts are not quite as suggested in the question. Those gentlemen were given ample time to comply with the conditions under which their application could have been entertained, the period originally fixed even being extended at their request, but as they failed to comply with those conditions the offer to them was withdrawn.