Nov. 1, 1899.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTUEIST* 
313 
UNITED PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION OF THE 
FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 
Parts of Minutes of a General Meeting held in 
the SelaDgor Club, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday, 14th 
August, 
Present : Messrs. E. V. Carey (.Chairman), W. W. 
Bailey, C. Meikle, L. Dougal, C. M. Cumming, W. 
Coates, H. d'E. Darby {Members of Committee), W. 
Meikle. G. Shepherd, E. B. Skinner, A. Gathcart, 
W. Irvine, J. H. Power, A. B. Lake, R. C. ToUemache, 
J. D, Toynbee, M. Stonor, L. Brooke, E. Callaway, 
A. Barnwell, W. Greig, K. M. Darby, F. B. Hicks 
and Tom Gibson (Hon. Secretary). Represented by 
■proxy. — Messrs. L. Hawkins, V. R. Wickwar, James 
McClymont, Quintin MoClymontand W. R. Rowlands. 
Plantain Trade v:ith West Australia. — The Hon. 
Secretary read a letter from the Resident-General 
forwarding copy of an inquiry from the Secretary 
to the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, 
as to the possibility of exporting bananas from the 
Straits Settlements to Western Australia. The Chair- 
man said he had replied to the Resident-General's 
letter giving him particulars as to the area under 
plantains cultivated by Europeans in Selangor and 
asking for information as to prices and demand in 
Australia. A day or two ago he had heard from the 
Resident-General in reply forwarding copy of a further 
letter from the Secretary to the Department of Agricul- 
ture, Western Australia, giving information as to best 
way of packing, quantity likely to be in demand and 
prevailing prices, and from this letter he had come 
to the conclusion that the suggested trade was such 
an extremely small business that it was scarcely worth 
while pursuing the subject any further, and had written 
to this effect to the Resident-General. 
Eor the information of the meeting he would men- 
tion that in 1898 it appeared that 14,000 cases of plan- 
tains were imported into Western Australia, and 
that, roughly speaking, meant 42,000 bunches. 100 
acres, planted 20' x 20', could safely be counted on 
giving 43,600 bunches per annum and, as there were 
about 325 acres under plantains on European-owned 
estates in the Klang district alone, it must be patent 
to all that there was nothing in it. 
Supply of I'ara Rtibher Seed from Singapore Gardens, 
— The Chairman said that in consequence of the atti- 
tude taken by the Singapore Government with regard 
to the supply of rubber seed to applicants from the 
Federated States, he had interviewed the Colonial 
Secretary in Singapore and had been told that, in 
booking orders for rubber seed from planters in the 
Native States, Mr. Ridley had acted without authority 
from Government, and it was the intention of the 
Singapore Government to repudiate liis action, as all 
orders for seeds from the Colony must be first execu- 
ted. In consequence of this it had been decided at 
a Committee Meeting, held on the 22nd May last, 
that a sub-Committee consisting of the Chairman, 
Secretary and Mr. Bailey should interview the 
Resident-General, laying all the facts of the matter 
before him for consideration and asking for his 
advice and support. He (the Chairman) and Mr. 
Bailey had seen the Resident-General, who said that 
those applicants who held no distinct promise in 
writing from Mr. Ridley had only a moral claim 
against the Government, and he doubted whether it 
could be enforced, but the case of Mr. Bailey was 
very different and he did not see how it could be 
disputed. Tho.t was how the matter stood so far, but 
Mr. Bailey would tell them what his case was and 
what action he was taking. 
Mr. Bailey said that early in 1897 he ordered 
600,000 Para Rubber seeds from the Botanic Gardens, 
Singapore, and on 1st April, 1897, Mr, Ridley wrote 
saying he would supply him with that number as 
soon as he could at iSlO per 1 ,000. As he was 
forming a company to plant rubber in Selangor, he 
wrote officially to Mr. Ridley on 12th August, 1898, 
asking him what number of seeds he could 
supply him with from Ist September, 1898, to 1st. 
September, 1899, as it greatly depended on the num- 
ber of seeds available as tg whether the company 
went through or not. In reply Mr. Ridley said he 
would be unable to supply the complete order from 
the present crop, but, as he was the pioneer of 
the cultivation, he would guarantee that he should 
have half each crop of seed till his orders were 
filled. The present crop of seed is expected to be 
150,000, yet he is now offered only 15,000, which is a 
very different thing to above promise from Mr. Ridley. 
The Resident-General, at the interview mentioned 
by Mr. Carey, had stated that he had a legal claim 
and he had already put the matter into the hands 
of his lawyers. 
The Chairman said he hoped the meeting would 
express their willingness to support BIr. Bailey in 
his action. 
Mr. Lake asked if this expression was meant to 
imply that the Association should support the action 
in a monetary sense if necessary. 
The Chairman said he certainly considered SO) 
but there was not much likelihood that such help 
would be required. 
The proposal met with the unanimous approval 
of the meeting. 
Proposed Agricultural Department. — The Honorary 
Secretary read a long letter from the Resident- 
General in reply to one from the Association urging 
on him the desirability of forming an Agricultural 
Department for the Federated Malay States. The 
Resident-General, while assuring the Association that 
the proposal is one which has his fullest sympathy, 
as the benefits to be derived from such a Department, 
if properly managed, are unquestionable, said the 
only point to be considered is whether the Federated 
Malay States can afford the funds required for such 
a purpose — he points out that the Association is 
mistaken in supposing that the present high price 
of tin is making such an increase in the revenuue, 
that, after meeting the charges for railway construc- 
tion, there are funds available for other purposes. 
On the contrary, the question is whether the funds 
can be found to complete the railway by the year 
1902, a date which it was originally hoped would see 
the whole extension completed. The Government, 
however, has recently begun the organisation of a 
Forest; Department to the prospective value of which 
they attach very great importance, and it might 
be possible for this Department to undertake some 
of the work the Association think should be entrusted 
to a new Department of Agriculture. The Resident- 
General further says that the question will receive 
his best consideration and asked the Association 
to favour him with an estimate of what the Com- 
mittee, as experts, consider would be the annual 
cost of such a Department as they would recom- 
mend, for, say, a term of three or five years, show- 
ing the approximate area to be cultivated and the 
probable revenue that might be expected from the 
sale of seeds and plants. 
The Chairman said that the above letter had been 
considered by the Committee on 22nd May, and the 
Honorary Secretary had been instructed to write 
thanking the Resident-General for his obvious sym- 
pathy with the request of the U.P.A., particularly 
with regard to the last paragraph, and informing 
him that the Committee hoped to submit certain 
suggestions on the subject at an early date. With a 
view to doing so, the Hon, Secretary was also in- 
structed to send a circular to all members asking them 
what particular products they think should be experi- 
mented with and what information is wanted. This had 
been done and a number of replies had been received. 
It was quite evident from the Resident-General's 
letter such a comprehensive scheme as that laid 
before him originally would not go through, so they 
had now to confine themselves to the Resident- 
General's suggestion in the last paragraph. The 
Committee had gone carefully into this matter and 
had come to the conclusion that if Government 
could be pot to carry out certain experiments with 
those products at present of most importance to 
planters — viz., rubber, coconuts and coffee — 
great benefits might be derived by the planting 
community, It must not be thought that tb^ 
