II. WHITE ANTS. 
The Secretary reads the following correspondence : 
No. 5089/1909. IIth November, 1909. 
$ir } — W ith reference to your letter of the 9th October, 1908, in 
which you state that the Planters' Association of Malaya is prepared 
to guarantee £2,000 as their share of a £5,000 reward to be offered to 
any person discovering a cheap and effective method of exterminating 
White Ants, I am directed to inform you that the Director of Agricul- 
ture has addressed this office, and has submitted a report on the 
applications sent in by persons desirous of competing for the prize. 
2. Mr. Gallagher has recommended that the prize be withdrawn, 
and he has stated that the Director, Botanic Gardens, Singapore, and 
the Chairman of your Association are in agreement with his opinion 
that none of the applications merit the award, that it is unlikely that 
the prize will ever be awarded, that the offering of the prize is only 
giving unnecessary trouble to his Department and that the award 
should therefore be withdrawn. 
3. Mr. Gallagher’s recommendations have been submitted to 
His Excellency the High Commissioner who has approved them 
and I am to enquire whether your Association agree to the with- 
drawal of the award. 
4. The Honourable the Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements, 
is being addressed in similar terms as regards the opinion of the 
Colonial Government with reference to the proposal of withdrawing 
the award. 
I have, etc., 
(Sgd.) R. G. Watson, 
Federal Secretary. 
The Federal Secretary, F.M.S., 
Kuala Lumpur. ^th November , 1909- 
Sm —I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of Jour letter 5089 
which I will lay before my Association at their next Meeting on the 
5th of December, when I have no doubt your suggestion will be 
adopted. 
I have, etc., 
(Sgd.) H. C. E. Zach arias, 
Secretary 
Agreed unanimously, to withdraw the award, as suggested by 
the Federal Secretary. 
12. BENEVOLENT FUND. 
At the Chairman’s suggestion, this matter is allowed to stand 
over until the next Meeting. 
The Meeting terminates at I p.m. 
H. C, E. Zacharias, 
Secretary. 
