266 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct. 1, 1903. 
you may be aware of the costs and attractions with 
which our employers have Lo compete. 
Our employers offer constant employment (not 
available in ail parts of India or Buriuah), pay- 
ment of passages for indentured immigrants, short 
term of service, and the Government gives subse- 
quently full rights of a British subject to reside, 
to acquire land or property, and no restrictions 
or license fees to reside after expiration of inlen- 
tares. Combined, these ar^ great advantages 
and, when sufficiently known will, I hope, prove 
very attractive to indentured immigrants. It is 
well to record that the Madras Government value 
their labourers humanely, and as revenue-produ- 
cers ; and it is only to such places as it is 
shown to be clearly to the advantage of the 
emigrant to go, that they will favour emigra- 
tion. In all cases collectors are particular 
to enquire into death-rates and the care 
taken of women and children. Thus taking 
provident care for increase, as Emigration develops. 
The Indian labourer's lot in normal years is not 
miserable, but, to the industrious, in normal 
years comfortable,' and, from the number of 
festivals and ceremonies, even bright. Year by 
year his position has improved, is improving, and 
will improve. He is a much more upstanding, 
look-you-in-the-face individual than he was 25 
years ago when I first knew him in his home. It 
is well with him in normal years in his home. 
Total Indian Population in the F.M.S. — 
31st December, 1901 ... 58,615 
31st December. 1902 ... 59,771 
Increase over last year .„ 1,156 
Total Indentured Indian Immigrants. — 
31st December, 1901 ... 4,512 
31st December, 1902 ... 3,031 
Decrease accounted for by expiry of indentures 
and sufficient men to take up their places. 
Anivals ot Labourers ac Peuang tor the F.M.S. 
during 1902 :— 
Indeni.uied Labourers 1,433 
Kangany recruited Coolies ... 1,420 
Indian Population : — Statement of Births, 
Deaths, etc. 
Yeiir. Births. Deaths. Birtli-rate. Death-rate. 
1902 = 677 3,2l2 6.97 43.7 
■Government Savings Bink Returns (Selangor 
returns alone are available) : — 
Year. Depositors Deposits 
at end ofyear. at end of year, 
1901 ... 207 Not known 
1902 ... 270 121,767-65 
Money Order Remittances on lodia by In- 
dians : — 
Year. Money Orders. Amounts. 
1901 ... 13,682 R715,322 6 0 
1902 .. 11,454 K569, 139-0-0 
The lowness of exchange during 1902 pro- 
bably largely accounts for the falling off in 
remittances. 
These last two by no means will complete the 
benefits to India by our immigfration ; coolies have 
brought chetties. There are the sums paid for 
income-tax by our F.M S. clietty community to 
the Indian Government on profits earu^d. I have 
made many enquirie? and thiak §10,00 J to $30,030 
will be somewhere near the in irk. — I have, etc. 
Thos. H. Hill, Protector of Labour, F.M.S. 
COCONUTS IN THE MALAY STATES. 
(Extract from the Diary of the Inspector oj 
Coconut Trees, FM S, for the months of June 
and July, 1903.) 
July 15th. I left thia morning per sa. " Amherst " 
for Singapore. This ended my ficst tour throagh 
PahiDg, and it may not be out of place if I here make a 
few genet-ai remarksas aeiimmary of my visit. Between 
Lipis and Pekanl am pleased to say thiit the area under 
coconut cultivation is much larger than I anticipated, 
although there is* really no exportation of copra from 
these parts. The pioduot, except for internal con- 
sumption, seems to liiid its way up to Lipis. The usual 
price obtained for the uats ia 2i to 3 cents, which 
certainly ought to pay proprietors exceedingly well. 
They are again resold at Kua-la Lipis at about 7 cents 
each. As I have said, the plantations as a whole are 
fairly well kept and compare most favourably in 
this respect with the native holdings in - Perak, 
Selangor and Negri Sembilau. There ia however 
good room for improvement and I may 
mention it is chiefly due to the number of 
buffaloes in these parts_ that keep down the under, 
growth, rather than to any particular attention of the 
owners that the holdings are kept in better condition. 
It ia, nevertheless, well worthy of notice that real 
care ia taken to protect the young trees from harm 
by the buffaloes ; they are pi-otected by a stout fencing 
of jungle wood posts, TJutil nearing Pekan the plan- 
tations are practically free from the beetles ; at the 
same time, to prevent any evil arising from this 
source, the plantations should be periodically super- 
vised. The trees are mostly in bearing on the aides 
of the river, and although I saw a few young trees 
being planted out, the cultivation does not seem 
extending much. At Pekan the beetles are un- 
doubtedly giving trouble, also between there and Euala 
Pahang; but I trust, with precaution and iustruc- 
tions I have given, with the aid of the staff now at 
work, that the ravages of the beetles will be 
sufficiently checked to prevent any further serious 
harm being done „by these pests. In these planta- 
tions the trees are greatly used for obtaining an 
extract from the stem of the fruit for making what 
is known as " Gula Malacca " and I did not notice any 
copra being made. As regards Kuantan I trust with 
the steps I have taken the evil here may in coarse of 
time be eradicated and kept from spreading further 
abroad. I thought the nuts themselves in some plan- 
tations on the upper part of the Pahang river were 
small, bat all round I found the soil excellently suited 
for the coconut trees and I am glad to see that the 
area of cultivation in the Kuantan district may soon 
be very considerably iucreased. Judging from what I 
have seen and the information obtained I should say, 
generally, as an average, the trees do not come so 
quickly into bearing by perhaps a year or so, as com- 
pared to a few of the best plantations in the other 
States, although the trees at Nga Menteler. which I 
have alluSed to before, certainly prove an exception. 
My tbauks are due to the District Officers at Kuala 
Lipis, Temerloh and Kuantan for the kind assistance 
and attention to me during my stay in their districts. 
li. C. Brown, Inspector of Coconut Trees, F.M.S, 
— Pahcmg Oovermnent Gazette, Sept, 1. 
CoFKiiii Planting l^^ Kuodesia — We have a 
letter from a youag plaater stating that he is 
just starting cott'ee-planting in Kliodesii, near 
Melsetter. 
Good Pbospegts fob Kubbsb.— We learn 
that a Ceylon Planter who applied to a 
London Rubber firm for information as 
regards the prospects of that staple waa 
assured in reply that they were ready 
to take a contract for ten years in advance 
for the delivery of good Ceylon Kubber at 
a fixed price per pound. This shows what 
confidence there is in the future demand for 
rubber, the explanation being the ever- 
spreadin.g supply of electrical machinery of 
all kinds, the wirtis of which have to be 
protected with rubber. 
