487 



Mr. Lake supported Mr. Skinner, and urged that it was impossible 

 to do anything definite until they knew what the financial position was. 



Mr. J. Gibson said that the rebate should be on coolies already 

 paid for. There should be no differentiation between old and new es- 

 tates. Many young estates had recruited an enormous number of coolies 

 to get through with the programme laid down for them. Now many 

 had completed this, in fact wanted to get rid of coolies. He knew one 

 estate with a force of 800 which wanted to get rid of 300. It would 

 be an injustice if such estates were treated differently from older estates. 



Mr. Macfadyen said that in 1906 he imported 85 coolies with five 

 free tickets. If we confine ourselves to the present year we do what is 

 fair. If we extend the rebate outside this year, we shall gratify few, 

 waste money, and be unfair. 



Mr. Darby really thought that nobody wanted rebates at all for 

 what had happened in the past. All they wanted now was to ensure 

 that for the future the cess would be levied on newly -engaged coolies 

 only. 



Mr. Clayton thought that that would give a loophole to the miners 

 to get out of paying the cess altogether. Another difficulty was with 

 temporary workers. They had to follow up contractors whose labour 

 force varied very much, one day 10 and another 200. Mr. Darby's 

 suggestion made it unworkable as regards contractors, though simple 

 with estates. 



Mr. Macfadyen moved that the rebate be confined to 1908 coolies, 

 by substituting "1908" for "1905" in § 7, 1. 



Mr. Fox reminded Mr. Clayton that no free tickets had been in 

 force during the first six weeks of this year, and he thought those 

 estates who had recruited during that time were entitled to first relief 

 out of any accumulated funds. 



Mr. Harrison said that his personal idea to deal with any surplus 

 was to give a free return ticket to any coolie who had uninterruptedly 

 served one employer for, say, two years. At present Selangor was full 

 up with labour and the other States would shortly be so too ; but enor- 

 mous acreages were coming into bearing in another three or four years 

 and the labour force required then would be as nothing compared with 

 what filled their requirements now. By adopting his suggestion he felt 

 sure they would break the back of the bolting difficulty. The coolie 

 getting a free passage would be able to take his savings back with him 

 intact. This would popularize the country and would represent an 

 advance over anything done by the countries with which we have to 

 compete. 



Mr. Macfadyen then proposes and Mr. Fox second s: — 

 "That the Immigration Committee be asked not to take any 

 action in regaud to rebates until the accounts for the working of the 

 Indian Immigration Fund Enactment during 1908 have been presented 

 to and considered by this Association." 



Mr. Skinner having withdrawn his original motion, Mr. Macfadyen's 

 motion is put to the Meeting and carried unanimously. 



