68 



If the Chinese traders of the Straits Settlements de- 

 serve to have a representative on the Legislative Council of 

 the Colony, it seems surely more than anomalous, that the 

 British Planters of the hinterland should be without any 

 official voice in legislation, that vitally concerns them and 

 the large Industry they represent. 



The agricultural interests of the Colony have for some 

 time had the great advantage of being represented by the 

 Hon. John Turner, but nobody recognizes more readily than 

 this gentleman himself the inadequacy of one member hav- 

 ing to represent so widely divergent interests as the plant- 

 ing Industry of the whole Peninsula involves. Of the 365 

 Estates in the Peninsula, with an acreage of 188,000 acres 

 of rubber planted up, only 60 odd with an acreage of 40,000 

 acres are situated in the Colony. But apart even from 

 merely quantitative consideration, it is well known that 

 conditions and methods in the North are quite different 

 from those prevailing in the South, a difference that is 

 strikingly illustrated by the respective employment of in- 

 dentured and kangany recruited laborers. - 



Under these conditions it would seem a great econom- 

 ical and political loss to the country at large that objec- 

 tions should exist against the creation of a Federal Council, 

 even if such council were purely deliberative and merely an 

 Advisory Board, assisting the Resident General of the F. 

 M. S. in initiating legislation. 



If however such objections are really quite unsurmount- 

 able, I would respectfully submit that the vastly increased 

 interests of the Industry, which this Association represents, 

 demand some other means of providing more adequate rep- 

 resentation, and would in that case pray, 



"That it may please Your Excellency to appoint an 

 "additional planting representative on the Legislative 

 Council of the Colony. " 



I have the honour to be, 

 Your Excellency's 

 Humble and Obedient Servant, 

 (Sd.) R. W. Haeeison, 



Chairman, Planters' Association of Malaya. 



Kuala Lumpur, F. M. S. 



3rd November, 1908. 



No. 5456/1908. 



Sie, — With reference to your letter of the 21st October, 

 1908, addressed to his Excellency the High Commissioner 



