55 



Office of Conservator of Forests, 

 F.M.S. and S.S. 



1 160-40/1903. Kuala Lumpur, 16th November, 1903. 



Re Encouragement of Agriculture among Natives. 

 Sir,—- 



With reference to your Misc. 7259/1903, forwarding a printed 

 copy of a letter from the Supt., Government Experimental Planta- 

 tions, on the subject of encouragement of agriculture among natives 

 and asking for my views and recommendations thereon, I have the 

 honour to inform you that, as you are aware, my knowledge of the 

 Malay is necessarily very limited. Although I think there is some 

 truth in the opinion expressed in para. 7 of the letter, still I believe 

 that were the Malay agriculturist more energetic he would find a 

 ready market for many articles that he could grow with ease — 

 such as fruit, padi. I have myself seen many places all over the 

 Federated Malay States which appear to me ideal places for padi 

 cultivation still covered with jungle or bluker. Were compulsory 

 measures possible I should personally advocate them, as from what 

 I have read their effects are most advantageous in Java. This, I 

 presume, is not contemplated and therefore beyond the point. 



2. I think that, at any rate, in Perak, there is another reason 

 for the backwardness in agriculture shown by Malays. I have been 

 informed that they take up land as a speculation and let it out or 

 sell it to Chinese. In this I may be wrong, but I have heard that 

 many Malays live in this fashion without doing any work. 



3. I think that much might be done by making more stringent 

 conditions when alienating land to Malays. The occupation should 

 be permanent and penalties should be exacted for non-fulfilment o! 

 condition of the grant. I venture to think that Malays are treated 

 too leniently, and, in fact, are somewhat over-fostered, and that it 

 left more to work on their own responsibility they would find that 

 they must work. 



4. As regards para. 4 of Mr. S. ARDEN'S report it would be 

 interesting to know if the Malay-worked coffee estates were kept 

 in good order. I have never heard that they were. 



5. As to proposals in para. 5 (2), I do not think anyone would 

 be found willing to take up such an enterprise, as he has no cer- 

 tainty of getting any crop of any sort, this depending entirely on 

 whether the Malays choose to take the trouble to supply the same. 



. 6. The scheme in itself, I think, is good, but I think that the 

 feeling of Malays in the matter would have to be very accurately 

 gauged before Government committed itself to lend support or 

 financial aid. The letter, I think, is one deserving of attention and 



