546 



The total number of coolies employed on estates in the Malay 

 Peninsula in 1907 was 74,911, of which two-thirds are Tamils from 

 Southern India. 



Estate Labour, Federated Malay States, 1907. 









T*Tp£*ri 









Selangor. 



Perak. 



Sem- 



Pahang. 



Total. 









bilan. 







Tamils 



25,440 



13,970 



4,165 



249 



43,824 



Javanese 



2,674 



2,552 



773 



30 



6,029 



Malays 



755 



1,608 



419 



90 



2,872 



Chinese 



1,808 



2,271 



1,226 



43 



5,348 



Total ... 



30,677 



20,401 



6,583 



412 



58,073 



Coolie Sanitation. 



The health of coolies on estates has improved during the past year, 

 and while owing to the conditons associated with opening up land in 

 large areas a great deal of malaria, dysentery and other diseases prevails, 

 there has been a diminution of these cases compared with the previous 

 year. 



This is due to increased care for the sanitation of the coolie in 

 draining and clearing ravines and swamps which harbour the mosquito, 

 in building healthy weather-proof lines and in providing pure water 

 supply. The coolies which have been introduced during the year are, 

 as a rule, of rather better physique then previously. Many coolies are 

 still passed from India and admitted to the Federated Malay States 

 without the requisite amount of reserve health to fit them to be useful, 

 and hardworking labourers, but the proportion of such undesirables is 

 becoming less, and when all coolies are in a vigorous state of health 

 when recruited there will be little trouble in dealing with the sickness 

 afterwards acquired. 



The site for lines should not be chosen until all the desiderata for 

 health are satisfied. I have known cases where lines have been built in 

 unsuitable spots and the coolies suffered continuously in health until 

 the lines were abandoned and others built on better sites. 



The planter is careful to provide healthy conditions for his labour 

 force, but is frequently not so solicitous about the conditions under 

 which he himself lives. In a country where malaria is rife, and in con- 

 ditions which lay him specially open to infection, it is most unwise not 

 to be extremely careful that the conditions of his board and lodging are 

 such that he can live well. Among the European planters of the Feder- 

 ated Malay States it is unusual to find one who has not been in hospital 

 once or more. In Ceylon, it is as unusual to find a man who has been 

 an inmate of the hospital, and many planters there have spent long 

 periods in the low country without ever having been ill enough to 

 require treatment in hospital. 



