212 



his land with that product, which promises the highest absolute 

 profits. We therefore find again, that the Government, instead of 

 doing all in their power to attract capital to agricultural industries 

 other than rubber and thus ensuring as far as possible stability of 

 the future of Agriculture in these States : we find a policy, which 

 places a premium on the follv of putting all the country's "eggs 

 into one basket." So incredible does this folly seem, that your 

 Committee for a long" time believed that these Rules had only by 

 inadvertence been made to apply to products other than rubber; 

 and it was only after prolonged correspondence that we realized 

 that the present Regulations were framed with the distinct inten- 

 tion to cover the cultivation of any agricultural product, from sweet 

 potatoes to gutta percha. 



This decision on the part of Government is all the more deplor- 

 able, as it has actuallv stopped several cases, where Rubber 

 Estates intended to plant up part of their area with coconuts as a 

 reserve, which although promising perhaps more moderate returns, 

 yet lacks the speculative nature of rubber cultivation. 



Having been unable to obtain any redress regarding the charges 

 made for land, whether intended for the cultivation of rubber or 

 coconuts: your Committee at least endeavored to obtain definite 

 information, on exactly what terms and within what time applica- 

 tions for land would be entertained. But even on this point, we 

 have only been able to elicit a repetition of vague generalities, 

 which seem to indicate that Government wishes to continue the 

 practice of the past, in keeping an applicant waiting for months 

 and months and only after endless correspondence promising him 

 a title at some indefinite future time to perhaps only half the area 

 originally applied for. 



It seems obvious from all that has been said, that the present 

 & l tU ^ e ,° f the Government is untenable, and this Association 

 should therefore not relax its efforts to bring about a change ot 

 policy on the following lines: 



1. Increase in the number of Surveyors (by an offer of better 

 pay) and consequent quick issue of titles to all land alienated. 



2. Unrestricted issue of land to all applicants without distiBJ' 

 tion claSses balanCed b> ' * SUI "rnary application of stringent cult* a- 



3- . Reduction of all quitrents to a nominal sum and abolition 



4 : Taxation by result only i.e. export duty, calculated on a 

 sliding scale according to the "Market Rates of the day; su»*£ 



depends v? 1^ 9/l ° ths of the actud n M<*W 



wn^ lP ' a u Tln; and similar t0 the ° ne ° ^1 2*£ 



J as levied on what until quite recently was the principal a & nc 

 tural produce, viz. Coffee. 



v The Customs. rea t 



imnrT Comm L ittee are able to record with pleasure a 

 improvement that has been introduced by the Government 



