594 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



THE COST OF ESTABLISHING AN ESTATE IN 

 THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



Regarding the cost of establishing company- 

 controlled estates in the Federated Malay States, 

 it is useful to note that according to the report 

 of the Selangor Coco-nut Co., Ltd., any idea 

 of opening coco-nut land at 20 an acre is 

 nowadays absolutely out of the question, if 

 sound and lasting work is to be done. This 

 company estimates that their coco-nut property 

 will cost them ,35 to ^36 per acre, due to 

 some extent to the isolated and uninhabited 

 nature of the country. Mr. Kelway Bamber, 

 who recently gave expression to most opti- 

 mistic opinions concerning the future of coco- 

 nuts in the Malay Peninsula, thinks that $4 

 to ^40 would be a fair price per acre for 

 bringing a coco-nut estate into bearing, or, it 

 there is ample labour to start with, ^"25 to 

 ,30 might do. Concerning the profits, some 

 interesting figures were given by the Chairman 

 at the meeting from figures compiled by Mr. 

 Dale, who, in the seventh year, with one picul 

 of copra selling at $ro a low price nowa- 

 days says that a profit of \\ per cent, may 

 be anticipated with 30 nuts to the tree. In 

 the eighth year 50 nuts per tree and 14 per 

 cent, (profit), and after that 55 nuts per tree 

 giving 1 6 per cent. If the selling price of 

 copra remains at $13 per picul as now, he 

 estimates profits of 9 per cent., 24^ per cent , 



