479 



Labour Committee has placed it on record that the policy 

 of his Committee is to increase this allowance, as the funds 

 permit, to such an amount as will enable the importer to 

 bring over labour free of all cost beyond the assessment. 

 Gentlemen, this is the position, and I believe if we work 

 together and are enabled to give fair advances in India we 

 shall be able to compete with any country in the world with 

 regard to cheapness of work. 



You must not be too hard on the Labour Committee. 

 They have a big contract and are doing, as we are all doing 

 to-day, feeling their way slowly and of course making some 

 mistakes. 



Before finishing I wish to say that what I have said 

 does not emanate entirely from myself, but is the result of 

 arguments, conversations, etc., in rambles round the coun- 

 try for six months, and 1 have only endeavoured to express 

 the genera l pi anting opinion. With regard to the Perak 

 Planters' Association, I think we shall all agree that the 

 action of the P. P. A. is a wise one, and the suggestion of 

 District Associations at Ipoh, Krian, Taiping, and Teluk 

 Anson is also a wise one. 



Gentlemen, we of the F. M. 8. thank the Penang com- 

 munity for their hospitality, and the Show Committee for 

 the very excellent Show. (Applause.) 



II. The Minutes of the previous meeting are taken as 

 read and confirmed. 



III. Indian Immigration Committee. The Secretary 

 reads the following letter : 



23rd July, 1909. 



The Federal Secretary, F. M. S. 



Kuala Lumpur. 



Sir, — With further reference to your letter No. 1397 

 of the 25th March, and my reply thereto of the 6th May, I 

 have the honour to point out that this Association agrees 

 with the Resident-General in his belief that the Indian Im- 

 migration Committee would never intentionally frame any 

 rule opposed to the interests of the Planting Community. 



With regard to the qualifications of the Planting Mem- 

 bers, my Association agrees that these Members are 

 amongst the leading and most experienced Planters in the 

 Peninsula. 



Differences of opinion were due to the fact that the 

 Planting Members, of the Indian Immigration Committee 



