THE COBDEN RIFLE RANGE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 October 1908, Page 4

THE COBDEN RIFLE RANGE.

The following is the full text of the question and reply anent the above matter as kindly supplied by the Hon. A. R. Guinness : ".Mr R. McKcnzie, M.P. (for the Hon. .Mr Guinness) asked the Acting Minister of Defence (Hon. R. McNab) whether, in compliance with the protest of the inhabitants of the Town of Colxlen against the construction of a rifle range in that town, he will give instructions to have it placed in some other locality?" The Acting Minister of Defence replied as follows:—"In collection with ibis matter no protest has been received at headquarters, Wellington, from the inhabitants of Colxlen against the construction of a rifle range in that town. The only correspondence in respect io a complaint was from the Stipendiary Magistrate at Greymouth, forwarding a newspaper clipping regarding (he proper- 1 •■iihlic meeting to protest against a rifle range being constructed at Cobdcn. The land in question, except that belonging (o Messrs Gates and Brown, has already been taken for the purpose of a rifle, range on the recommendation of the Officer Commanding Nelson Military District and the Staff Officer for Engineer Services. The site is reported as perfectly safe, and is pot in the centre of the township. The Officer Commanding Second Nelson Battalion Infantry Volunteers and Greymouth Rifles as far back as May of last year (nearly eighteen months ago) recommended this land be taken, and it seems strange that complaint should only be received when practically all the land required has neon gazetted as a site for a range." In an accompanying nolo, Mr Guinness states that unless very strong reasons can bo shown, he docs not think any alteration will ho made in the locality of the proposed range.