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l;2th March, 1909. 



The Federal Secretary, F. M. 8., 



Kuala Lumpur. 

 Indian Immigration Committee. 



Sir, — I have the honour to draw your attention to a 

 Rule, which the I. I. Committee have recently issued in re 

 Recruiting Allowance. 



The opinion, as to the good effect or otherwise of this 

 new Rule, seems to be somewhat divided, but I would men- 

 tion that at the last Meeting of this Association a motion 

 was carried by 10 votes to 6 (there being 5 abstentions), 

 viz., "that the Recruiting Allowance is against the interests 

 of the Planting community. ' ' 



However, as regards the method of deciding upon this 

 Rule, the Meeting was unanimously and emphatically of 

 opinion, that drastic financial changes of such far-reaching 

 consequences ought never to have been made, without in- 

 viting first an expression of this Association's opinion 

 thereon. 



The Chairman of the I. I. Committee, who has been 

 appealed to in this matter, refers us to the Tamil Immi- 

 gration Fund Enactment, which indeed would seem to 

 confer upon the Immigration Committee well nigh unlimit- 

 ed powers, and he assures us that the views of this Asso- 

 ciation will be carefully considered. 



The members of my Association however feel very 

 strongly, that such consideration would be of considerably 

 greater usefulness, if extended to the opinions of the Plant- 

 ing Industry before and not only after any new Rules are 

 issued. 



The whole position of the Immigration Committee, as 

 at present constituted, seems all the more anomalous, as the 

 Planting Community have no say whatever in its com- 

 position, and although there are three seats on the- Com- 

 mittee filled by planters, the selection of the individuals is 

 entirely outside the control of the Planting Community, 

 who have no guarantee that the three gentlemen selected 

 represent the opinions of the majority of planters in the 

 Peninsula. 



I have therefore been instructed to submit to you a 

 resolution, which was carried unanimously at the last Meet- 

 ing of this Association, held on the 28th ultimo, viz. 



"That with a view to securing a representative opinion 

 of planters, the Government be asked, that the Planting 



