54 r 



" I quite agree that Dr. FOSTON should be empowered to extend 

 the period of Licenses at his discretion, and I also think with the 

 Resident-General that all Recruiters of free labour should be provi- 

 ded with Licenses. It is the simplest matter for employers to ob- 

 tain these Licenses in the Federated Malay States and such slipshod 

 methods as sending Recruiters over, fortified only with letters, 

 should not be encouraged, otherwise there would appear to be no 

 object in having the License system at all. 



" It sometimes occurs, however, that a cooly, who has returned 

 to his country, is anxious after a while to come back to his old 

 estate and bring some of his friends with him. In such a case it 

 would be rather hard if the planter or employer at this end were 

 compelled to send a special man with a License to bring the coolies 

 over, and I think that Dr. FOSTON should be empowered, under 

 these circumstances, to issue State-aided tickets upon receipt of 

 a communication from the employer explaining the situation, or even 

 upon application from the leading cooly, if satisfied of the bond 

 fides of his story. 



"Having before us the undoubted fact that the country is still very 

 much under-slocked as regards Tamil labour, it would appear to be 

 impolitic to put any obstacles in the way of immigration if sufficient 

 cause can be shown for a departure from the orthodox system in 

 certain special cases." 



(d) Read letter No. H.C 4247/02 from the Resident-General 



to the Chairman enclosing three copies of his Annual 

 Report for 1901 and a copy of a letter from the High 

 Commissioner in which his Excellency refers to the 

 courageous and persistent determination of the European 

 Planters in the Federated Malay States. 

 The meeting heartily approved of the Chairman's reply that the 

 Planters were much gratified at the cordial reference to their work 

 to which both the High Commissioner and the Resident-General 

 had given expression. 



(e) Read letter No. Misc. 3785/02 from the Secretary to 



Resident-General to the Honorary Secretary, United 

 Planters' Association, enclosing for the information of 

 Association copy of a circular Despatch from the Secre- 

 tary of State regarding the recent Sugar Conference at 

 Brussels. 



The papers were laid on the table for the information of the 

 Members of the Association. 



(/) Read letter No. C.S. 3741/02 from the Secretary to Resi- 

 dent-General to the Chairman, covering, for the infor- 

 mation of the Association, a copy of the new agreement 

 between the Straits Settlements Government and the 

 British India Steam Navigation Company, Limited, for 

 a special mail and cooly service between Penang and 

 Madras or Negapatam. 

 The Chairman called attention to the fact that the agreement had 

 been published in the Sclangor Government Gazette of 11th July 

 and said that all employers of labour should pay particular attention 



