Chief  Planting  Products.— Coffee.— In  spite  ot  the  fact 
that  most  of  the  large  coffee  estates  are  now  thickly  planted  through 
with  Para  Rubber,  which  will  undoubtedly  kill  the  former  product 
in  course  of  time,  the  export  of  coffee  from  Selangor  alone  in  1902 
amounted  to  48,906  piculs,  against  37,664  piculs  for  the  previous 
year,  an  increase  of  no  less  than  1 1,242  piculs,  or  about  30%.  This 
result  can  only  be  due  to  the  fact  that  a large  acreage  has  just 
come  into  full  bearing,  and  your  Committee  consider  that  the  re- 
turns for  1902  will  probably  constitute  a record  for  the  F.  M.  S., 
and  further  that  in  two  years’  time  the  export  will  not  amount  to 
much  more  than  half  its  present  proportions.  During  the  se  ison 
under  review  the  extensions  in  coffee  abne  have  been  practically 
nil,  but  in  some  cases  it  is  being  planted  as  a catch  crop  with  Para 
Rubber  at  varying  distances  through  the  fields,  and  of  course,  if 
this  system  appeals  to  investors,  it  may  be  that  there  will  be  a 
continuous,  if  lessening,  supply  for  same  time  to  come.  The  ouU 
look,  however,  is  by  no  means  encouraging,  and  although  well 
opened  estates  on  rich  alluvial  land  can,  even  at  present  prices,  be 
worked  at  a profit,  still  the  counler  attractions  and  prospects  of 
Para  Kubber,  Rambong,  and  Coconuts,  will  probably  divert  atten- 
tion from  coffee. 
Coconuts. — A return  is  attached  showing  that  the  export  of 
copra  from  Selangor  in  1902  amounted  to  15,146  piculs,  towirds 
which  practically  nothing  has  been  contributed  by  Eurojiean-owned 
plantations,  which  are  only  now  coming  into  bearing.  Splendid 
growth  is  reported  on  all  sides  and  it  seems  probable  that  by  the 
time  the ‘trees  are  5 years  old,  heavy  pickings  will  be  commencing. 
From  an  estate  in  the  Jugra  district,  4 years  and  4 months  old  at  the 
end  of  ig02,  thousands  of  nuts  are  already  coming  in,  and  there  are 
many  individual  trees  carrying  over  100  each.  Given  freedom 
from  the  beetle  pest,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  such  fine  results 
must  very  soon  attract  capital  to  the  country,  especially  as  the 
coconut  planter,  his  estate  once  opened,  can  usually  be  assured  of 
sufficient  labour  for  his  requirements;  Chinese  and  NIal.iys,  neither 
of  whom  are  much  use  on  coffee  and  rubber  estates,  being  generally 
available  when  Tamil  coolies  are  hard  to  get. 
Para  Rubber. — The  attached  statistics  (incomplete  though  they 
are  at  present)  serve  t9  some  extent  to  show  how  important  an 
industry  is  growing  up  in  our  midst.  It  is  a significant  fact  that 
from  Ceylon  comes  the  most  pronounced  inclination  to  invest  in 
this  product.  Ceylon  planters  and  capitalists,  with  the  decline  of 
coffee,  have  had  little  cause  to  congratulate  themselves  on  their 
connection  with  the  .Malay  Peninsula,  yet  it  is  undoubtedly  owing 
chiefly  to  the  visits  to,  and  personal  inspection  of,  our  rubber 
estates,  by  some  of  their  foremost  men,  that  they  are  willing  and 
anxious,  if  thev  can  get  an  opportunity,  to  put  more  money  in. 
Such  support,  in  your  Committee’s  opinion,  is  of  infinitely  greater 
value  to  the  country  and  to  the  enterprise,  than  would  be  the  influx 
of  capital  where  expert  knowledge  on  the  part  of  its  investors,  was 
absent.  As  far  as  it  is  possible  to  judge  at  present,  the  Malay 
Peninsula  appears  to  possess  every  factor  necessary  to  the  success- 
