120 



which ought to help matters considerably. 1 he scheme had been 

 adopted unanimously and he would ask the Secretary to read the 

 resolution which had been passed. 



The^Secretary then read the proposals. 



Sir John Anderson, who was greeted with applause on rising to 

 address the meeting, then said that he was very glad to have an 

 opportunity of meeting the members of the Planters' Association of 

 Mataya to discuss this matter, because it was recognised as one 

 affecting the whole community of the Federated Malay States and the 

 Colony. The Government was interested in the question of labour 

 for two reasons, not only because the matter was one affecting the 

 whole community but also because the Government was itself a large 

 employer of labour. Therefore they had to regard the matter from 

 two points of view. The resolution which had been read out was one 

 Wh4ch required a very great deal of consideration. It was proposed 

 to have a recruiting allowance of $15 per head, but he had been told 

 that the average time a cooly stayed in this country was two years, 

 therefore, it would be necessary to get back $7.50 per year. Further 

 the assessment was based on the day's work which reduced it to sixty 

 cents in the dollar so that it would be necessary to recover not only 

 $7.50 but eleven or twelve dollars. He thought that, if the money 

 was going to be recovered in the ordinary time a cooly remained in 

 the country, it would be necessary to make the assessment very much 

 higher. It would be no good making a large loan and then having to 

 take some drastic measure to recover it. He had discussed the 

 matter with his colleagues, the Residents and the Chief Secretary, and 

 they had come to the conclusion that, unless the assessment was in- 

 creased beyond $2.50, the scheme would not be feasible. The Tamil 

 Immigration Fund, if it was to meet its liabilities, could not pay more 

 than $5 recruiting allowance. Where was the other $10 to come from ? 

 It was proposed that the Immigration Fund should pay $15 but it 

 would only recover two or three dollars and there was the difference 

 of $12 to be found somewhere. As far as the Government was con- 

 cerned, it would, as an employer, pay any increased assessment. As 

 regards the proposed loan, it must be possible to see a way, sooner or 

 later, to replace what had been taken out of the Government's purse. 

 If the Immigration Fund paid $15 he could not see, on the figures sup- 

 plied to him of the average stay of coolies in the country and the 

 average day's work performed by the coolies, that it would ever get 

 back anything more than $4. There vv'as, however, an alternative 

 suggestion, made by the Resident of Negri Sembilan, and he should 

 like, with the permission of his audience, to ask Mr. Wilkinson to put 

 it before the meeting. 



Mr. Wilkinson, Resident of Negri Sembilan, said that the scheme 

 which he was about to detail was one of two alternatives. There 

 were two courses open to them. One was to raise the assessment all 

 round and use the money to pay bonuses to those who recruited 

 jabour. The alternative was not to raise the assessment all round 



