125 



The Secretary having reported that the total contributions receiv- 

 ■ed by him to date amounted to $350, Mr. Gumming impressed upon 

 the meeting the importance of making a first class show, and said that 

 the sooner funds were available the better. An exhibition would be 

 held in the Masonic Hall, Kuala Lumpur, at the beginning of April 

 to pick out the best rubber to send Home. Samples should be 25 lbs 

 in weight. He also mentioned that while subscriptions were voluntary, 

 $200 per thousand acres planted was thought to be a fair basis for 

 subscribing. 



4. GRADING OF EXPORTS. 



The Secretary read the following letter : 



Kirby Estate, Labu, 24th January, 191 1. 



Dear Sir, 



RE COMPULSORY GRADING OF AGRICULTURAL EX- 

 PORTS. — As Chairman of the Conference held by our Sub-Committee 

 with the Commissioner of Trade and Customs and the Director of 

 Agriculture on the iith instant, I have to inform you of the result of 

 our deliberations. 



In the absence of evidence to prove that immature rubber (so 

 called) is inferior to other qualities of rubber it was considered un- 

 desirable to recommend the introduction of regulations to compel 

 grading and classification of other exported articles. 



The Secretary, Yours faithfully, 



Planters' Association of Malaya, (Sgd.) A. DUPUIS BROWN 

 Kuala Lumpur. 



5. STRAITS MEDICAL SCHOOL. 



The Secretary reported having received to date donations total- 

 ling $779.28. 



6. ACREAGE UNDER RUBBER. 



The Secretary read the following letter : 



H. K. Rutherford Esq., 24th December, 1910 



20, Eastcheap, 



London, E.G. 



Dear Sir, 



I thank you for your favour of October 7th, which I have laid 

 before my Association at their recent Meeting. 



Much as we would like to compile the statistics you refer to, it 

 has unfortunately been proved to be utterly impossible for us t6 get, 

 together anything like comprehensive information. For years we 

 have tried to get at the close of every year particulars of acreage and 

 coolie population ; but, even when the planting industry was still quite 

 small and practically restricted to European planters, all personally 

 known to each other, we have never been able to compile any statis- 

 tics, that could be called even approximately reliable. 



