9 o 



Office of the Inspector of Coconut Trees, 



Federated Malay States, 



Kuala Lumpur tith January, 1904, 

 Subject. 



ENCOURAGEMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 AMONG NATIVES. 



Sir, — I have the honour to refer to my letter No. 174-03 to the 

 Resident-General of 1 ith November, 1903, on this subject as I have 

 some further suggestions to offer which the Government may per- 

 haps care to take into consideration. 



2. In the first place, I am of opinion if Government were to 

 erect central depots or store-houses for the collection of coconuts 

 to be converted into copra in the districts where there are numerous 

 native holdings scattered about and the means of transport both 

 difficult and costly it would afford considerable assistance to the 

 owners. 



3. My scheme is that the natives should bring in all their sur- 

 plus coconuts which they have to dispose of to this ''central depot" 

 and that Government make arrangements with some Chinese, who 

 are well up in the business, for purchasing the nuts so collected 

 for the manufacture of copra. I do not anticipate any trouble 

 about this, as provided the nuts are collected in sufficient abundance 

 to allow of constant employment and this certainly should be so, it 

 ought not to be difficult to find as at Jeram and other places, many 

 small Chinese traders of this class who, I feel sure, will be very 

 glad of such an opening. The agreement between the contractors 

 and the Government being that the former^ shall pay cash for the 

 coconuts as received or delivered by the natives at the depot. 



4. The native owners themselves would profit by being immedi- 

 ately able to dispose of their produce and in addition they ought 

 to obtain a better price than at present and these advantages might 

 induce them with more ready cash in hand, to give more attention 

 to their plantations. 



5. The material gain and saving is in the transport and the 

 producer should certainly reap his share of it. Suppose for instance 

 such a depot was erected at Rembau in Tampin District, Negri 

 Sembilan, where there is a large area under coconut cultivation 

 belonging to natives and there is no nearer market at present for 

 their surplus than Seremban. The cart hire to Seremban from 

 Rembau is at least $3 per cart carrying say only 300 to 360 nuts 

 whereas quite seven times this quantity of nuts made into copra 

 could be carried at same cost. Kuala Pilah is also similarly situ- 

 ated and I should say there are other districts where the assistance 

 I have suggested might be found beneficial to the natives. 



6. Another matter I would mention is that I consider a greal 

 deal might be done in the way of catch crops by the natives. Of 

 course as long as many of the plantations were in the lamentable 



