5* 



in so many parts of the Federated Malay States is simply the fact 

 that money is to be made more easily, more quickly and more con- 

 genially by following other employments, and so long as that con- 

 tinues to be the case, no well meant suggestions such as that now 

 under consideration will attract the ryot away from the better-paid 

 business. 



4. I cannot therefore give my support to the proposals made to 

 you, because I believe that to lay out money in the manner indica- 

 ted would be to throw it away. 1 am reminded that an effort which 

 was made some six years ago to establish rice mills in Krian failed 

 because of the want of interest in the project shown by those con- 

 cerned with the growth of the product. 



I have, etc., 



H. CONWAY BELFIELD, 



Acting British Resident, Pcrak. 



The Resident-General, F.M.S. 



Office of the Protectok of Labour, F.M.S., 

 No. P.O.L. 557/1903. Seremban, 12th December, 1903, 



Subject : 



Encouragement of Agriculture among Natives. 

 Sir,— 



With reference to your letter No. 7259/03, dated 7th ultimo, on 

 the subject of encouragement of agriculture among natives, I have 

 the honour to state that the paper prepared by Mr. STANLEY ARDEN 

 appears very reasonable and I am of opinion much benefit may be 

 derived by following the suggestions. 



2. In support, I mention Arachis Hypogoe^, ground nuts (six 

 months' cropping). The results in Southern India, on old soil that 

 no one would look at here, with an uncertain rainfall and a very 

 small production per acre, are satisfactory to the ryot, very satis- 

 factory to the merchant (one firm, I know, cleared £6,000 last year 

 in the article), satisfactory to the shipper, for you see steamers 

 waiting on the coast to fill up with 10,000 to 40,000 bags, satisfac- 

 tory to the Government as arrears of the Government taxes, etc., 

 in the districts where the article is grown are almost unknown. 



They are said to grow the crop on the land again and again and 

 then it gives better crops of grain. The land is ploughed frequently. 



3. I have not had time to justify the expression of more than 

 an opinion that I must qualify as superficial. 



4. The facts that Mr. STANLEY ARDEN states are familiar to 

 me, and I agree with what he says in para. 8 : three acres at three 

 cents, at $15 =$135, for a man and his family living in their own 

 house ; but most of the native coffee gardens changed hands at such 



