THE MALAY PENINSULA 191 



There is a ready sale in Singapore and Penang for the 

 produce of the estates, but as a rule a margin is allowed 

 for commission. In Ceylon the reverse obtains, and the 

 relative price in Colombo is frequently higher than in 

 London, and for this reason a certain quantity of 

 Malay rubber has been shipped to Colombo for sale 

 during 1912 and 1913. 



The managers of the Malay estates are nearly all men 

 of trained planting experience and good education. 

 Many of them came to the country twenty years ago, 

 and learnt their work as planters on the coffee and 

 sugar plantations, and then helped to convert those 

 properties into rubber estates. Others have been re- 

 cruited from Ceylon and Southern India, and several 

 officials resigned the Government service for planting. 

 All are required to be efficient in the handling of labour 

 and the organization of the routine work of estates. 

 They are responsible in every way for the well-being of 

 the estates and their personnel, and it is seldom that any 

 serious fault is found with their administration abilities. 

 When the rubber boom was at its height, a certain 

 number of incompetent men obtained employment, but 

 they are fast being weeded out. Over the managers 

 are the visiting agents appointed by companies and 

 private owners to inspect estates from time to time, 

 and to advise on the general policy to be followed in 

 connection with the administration. 



Until three years ago it was only on a comparatively 

 small proportion of the rubber estates that factories 

 specially designed and equipped for the curing and 

 preparation of rubber existed. In very many cases old 

 coffee- stores and sugar-houses were utilized, and tem- 



