237 



use, and have made mention of all the more important dyes now 

 known to Balau and Sarebas Dyaks. 



JOHN HEWITT. 



MINUTES OP THE MALAY PENINSULA 

 AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



A general meeting of the Malay Peninsula Agricultural Associa- 

 tion was held on Tuesday June 26th at 5, Weld Quay, Penang, the 

 following members being present. 



The Hon : J. TURNER, President, in the Chair. 

 Mr. T. Boyd, Vice-President 

 „ T. Symons 

 „ A. Crawford 

 ,, G. Stothard 

 W. M. Miller 

 ,., D. Ritchie 

 „ G. Palmer 

 „ G. Palmer (Junior) 

 „ H. Sperling 

 ,, Wilson 



„ M. H. Graham, Acting Secretary. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. 



The President asked what success had attended the effort to 

 obtain medically examined free coolies. The Acting Secretary replied 

 that so far not a single one of these coolies had come over and that 

 Mr. Davies, the Association's Agent at Negapatam, held out no 

 hope of getting any unless the recruiters fee was raised from that 

 now offered, viz.: Rs. 15 to Rs. 24 the same as for Statute Immi- 

 grants as the recruiters had to take the same risk of rejection by the 

 doctor in both cases. 



After some discussion as to the fitness of the free coolies now 

 coming over without medical examination Messrs. PALMER and 

 SPERLING decided to each take a trial shipment of twenty-five. 



A letter dated 29th March from the Secretary of the United 

 Planters' Association was read in answer to this Association's Secre- 

 tary's letter of 8th March giving its views on the necessity for levy- 

 ing an acreage tax to cope with the Immigration difficulty and of 

 asking Government to form a Labour Bureau. In it full sympathy 

 with these views was expressed. 



Mr. TURNER said that many people at home who are floating 

 rubber companies seem to think that the labour supply in the country 

 is ample for its need and entirely overlook the fact that a large 

 proportion has to be imported. That this fact led to keen competi- 

 tion for the free labour already in the country and that even now 

 the rate of wages was rising. This condition would undoubtedly 

 become more and more acute as rubber came into bearing. For to 



