6i 



4. Supposing that factories of various descriptions were started 

 at Government expense, and worked by Government paid men, un- 

 til all reasonable chances showed that a profit could be made, or 

 could not be made out of the industries ; I do not suppose but that 

 Government would ultimately be able to induce the public to take a 

 going concern off its hands, perhaps at first by selling shares in the 

 business, if not at once by passing it over to a company or indi- 

 vidual at a price, which need not necessarily be a full return of the 

 outlay ; the profits accruing to Government should be recognised as 

 indirectly accruing in the way of more population, larger areas of 

 land cultivated, and thereby a greater amount of indirect taxation 

 paid into the Treasuries of the State. 



5. And even if after monev had been thus spent and the venture 

 proved unprofitable, I do not think that Government would regret 

 it; because there would remain the consciousness that an attempt 

 had been made to do something on the lines of good administration 

 and it had been proved that certain products were not worth the 

 planting. 



6. But I think the Resident wishes me to comment on Mr. 

 Arden's letter in a more particular manner, I will therefore proceed 

 to take up some of the more salient points that occur to me. 



7. Jam Making Fruit Preserving Etc. — It is well-known that 

 many of the fruits of the Peninsula make admirable preserves, I 

 may instance rulul, which makes a jelly quite equal to, and veri- 

 similar to red currant jelly. Belimbing buloh (the smaller species), 

 which when preserved is very much like gooseberry jam ; and the 

 well-known guava, the guava jelly of India — which is unfortunately 

 generally made for sale with coarse sugar, whereby all the best 

 qualities of the fruit are so disguised that one might as well be 

 eating sticky treacle, whereas if carefully preserved with refined 

 sugar it is most excellent. There are, of course, many other varie- 

 ties which could also be brought into use. 



The canning of pine apples has for a long time been one of the 

 staple industries of Singapore, and might easily become so here. 



The Chinese Babas and Portuguese of Malacca have acquired a 

 reputation for preserving many varieties of fruit in syrup, and as 

 dry candied sweetmeats. 



I think that the first and most important industry to start would 

 be this, because it would give an impetus to a class of agriculture 

 which is essentially a part of Malav life, and certainly the factorv 

 which could put on the London market mangosteens or duriens, 

 preserved in such a way as to retain their distinctive flavour, need 

 not doubt of commercial success. 



The proper way in my opinion to start such an industry would 

 be, in the first instance, to obtain the services of an expert man 

 who had learned the trade in one of the large preserving houses of 

 England, such as Crosse and Black well. He should be established 

 in a small factory, in or near a large town, so that the fruit brought 

 to the markets could be diverted to his place of business, the com- 

 petition thus set up would at once encourage a larger plantation. 



