OUTTA CULTIVATION. 55 



siderably swelled the output. These foreign collectors have now 

 I believe, all gone, as the trees became, after a short time, so 

 scarce that they were imable any longer to make a living out of 

 the work. The export for the years 1894 and 1895 is given 

 in the returns as 568-77^ and 452-16 pikuls, but as the standard 

 of weight in Perak was changed in the beginning of 1894 I have 

 reduced them to the old Perak ])ikul so as to make all the 

 figures comparable with each other. The year 1893 shews the 

 greatest export, while the next year is only slightly less, but 

 1895 indicates the very large decrease of 109 pikuls, or roughly 

 one -fifth. 



Besides the trees destroyed by the gutta collectors many 

 others are killed — (a) In making clearings for agricultural and 

 mining purposes, (h) By sawyers, (c) By charcoal burners, (d) 

 By firewood collectors for the mining and other engines, (e) For 

 timbering mines, and (/) For house building. The last involves 

 the destruction of a vast number of young trees and striplings. 

 The palm leaf houses being almost entirely built of young trees 

 cut from the forest. 



With all these influences at work it is not to be exjjected 

 that any great supply of gutta is to be looked for in the future 

 from this or any of the other Protected Malay States. It would 

 really seem, considering the immense interests that are at stake, 

 that those most concerned, that is the Cable Companies, should 

 give the matter serious attention before it is too late. 



