YOU ARE WRONG, Sir Charles!
That was the strong message sent to construction magnate Sir Charles Williams by the Arawak Cement Company Limited in a terse response to his suggestions that the plant had outlived its usefulness and should be closed.
In its defence, Arawak said the plant was a major foreign exchange earner as almost 70 per cent of their production was exported to regional markets. And for this effort it had received numerous Pillar Of Industry and Exporter Of The Year awards.
The St Lucy company also dismissed Sir Charles’ assertion that “it is time to erect three or four silos on the reclaimed land down by the Flour Mill and import cement in bulk and let some local company bag it and engage in the distribution. It will provide just as many jobs as we now have at Arawak”.
Sir Charles also reportedly said that Maycock’s Beach, which adjoins Arawak, was one of the best in north-western Barbados and removing the plant would leave between 50 to 60 acres of prime real estate available for tourism products.
