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from  the  Federated  Malay  States.  The  e.xports  of  cotton  from  the 
United  States  of  America  amount  to  not  less  than  an  annual  average 
of  ^35;Ooo,ooo,  while  Egypt  and  India  annually  export  on  an 
average  12,000,000  and  ^'7,000,000  worth  of  cotton,  d'he  im- 
portance of  the  cotton  trade  to  the  United  Kingdom  can  be  guaged 
by  the  fact  that  while  their  imports  of  raw  cotton  amount,  as  1 have 
said,  to  not  more  than  ;^40,ooo,ooo  worth,  the  annual  exports  of 
manufactured  cotton  goods  are  valued  at  ^^75,000,000 ; {/?)  in  regard 
to  the  steadiness  of  prices,  in  spite  of  varying  supplies,  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  except  in  the  case  of  temporary  enhancement  of 
prices  (owing  to  purchases  made  in  order  to  meet  speculative  sales) 
the  price  per  pound- of  cotton  classed  as  Sea  Island  can  be  taken 
year  by  year  for  the  past  twenty  years  at  similar  seasons  as  varying 
less  than  20  per  cent. 
6.  Ihe  improbability  of  cotton  being  ousted  Iroin  its  present 
position  as  the  staple  fibre  of  the  spinning  Industry  is  instanced  by 
the  difficulty  of  finding  a market  for  ramie — w hich  is  stated  to  sur- 
pass cotton  in  nearly  every  essential  respect,  as  a fibre. 
Seeing,  however,  that  ramie  cannot  be  woven  by  cotton  machi- 
nery, it  is  a drug  in  the  market  at  a third  of  the  price  given  for 
ordinary  cotton. 
7.  To  describe  tersely  the  comparative  merits  of  cotton  and 
any  other  staple  product  which  can  be  generally  cultivated  through- 
out the  Federated  Malay  States,  it  may  be  said  that  the  yield  of  an 
additional  i, 000,000  acres  of  cotton  would  not  very  appreciably 
affect  the  cotton  market,  whereas  the  successful  cultivation  of  the 
same  acreage  of  any  other  product  with  which  we  need  be  con- 
cerned, would  cause  a collapse  in  its  price. 
8.  Though  I have  been  at  some  pains  to  collect  data  regarding 
the  experimental  cultivation  of  cotton  in  the  Malay  Archipelago,  1 
regret  to  say  I can  quote  no  authentic  figures,  but  I am  in  posses- 
tion  of  a few  facts  that  appear  to  me  to  dispose  of  the  statement 
that  the  soil  and  climate  of  the  Federated  Malay  States  are  not 
suitable  to  this  cultivation. 
9.  I would  refer  particularly  to  what  is  known  by  Javanese  as 
the  “Kala-kala.”  (I  understand  from  the  Director  "of  the  Singa- 
pore Botanical  Gardens  that  this  shrub  is  a variety  of  the  Gossypium 
herbaceum.) 
10.  I have  seen  this  plant  carefully  cultivated  and  have  seen  it 
practically  untended  producing  what  appeared  to  me  to  be  fairly 
large  crops.  In  no  case  of  which  I have  heard,  has  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  been  made  on  this  Peninsula  to  grow  it.  The  question  of 
w'helher  its  cultivation  would  result  in  success  from  a commercial 
point  of  view  has,  I believe,  never  yet  been  tested  in  the  Federated 
Malay  States  ; planters  having  seemingly  accepted  without  question 
the  statement  tliat  ‘‘cotton  requires  a dry  clim.ute.” 
I r.  In  addition  to  the  fact  that  j)lants  may  be  seen  in  manv 
parts  of  these  States  apparently  thriving  in  a moist  climat(‘,  I would 
