I. FUNCTION 
To provide a botanical and horticultural service 
II. STAFF 
2. Mr. Lam Hin Cheng, Curator, remained on secondment to the Trees 
and Parks Division of the Public Works Department for the whole of 1968. 
Dr. Chang Kiaw Lan, Botanist, was seconded on 2nd May to the Primary 
Production Department. Mr. Tan Kim Ho, Librarian since 1st April, 1958, 
resigned and left the service on 1st June. The post of Librarian has been 
retitled Library Officer as an appointment in the Common-user Library Service, 
and arrangements have been made with the Director, National Library, to fill 
this vacancy in early 1969. Mr. Ang Gek Choo, Horticultural Assistant, acted 
as Curator throughout the year until he left for Australia on 3rd November 
on a U.N. Fellowship in Landscape Design. He will be away for six months. 
Mr. Herbert Wee, Junior Horticultural Assistant, acted as Horticultural 
Assistant since 3rd November and Mr. Kadim bin Tassim, Plant Collector, 
acted as Junior Horticultural Assistant vice Mr. Wee. 
3. In the subordinate grades, one post of Ranger, Nature Reserves, and 
one of Plant Collector were filled by promotion. Inche Rohani bin Arip, 
Office-Boy, was transferred to the Postal Services on promotion to Postman 
on 2nd December, 1968, and the post of Office-Boy remained vacant for the 
rest of the year. 
4. The Botanic Gardens records with deep regret the death on 15th 
February, 1968 of James Sinclair, Botanist 1948-62, who worked in an 
honorary capacity at the Singapore Herbarium till May 1967 in order to com- 
plete his work on the Myristicaceae. The progress of this work is reported in 
para. 24. 
III. LABOUR 
5. The labour force numbered 107. This figure included two men and 
five women employed at the Herbarium and eleven daily-rated watchmen. 
The distribution of grades was: Overseer one; Head Mandores four; Mandores 
six; Gardeners 22; Labourers 51; Motor Mower Drivers six; Tree Climber 
one. Mechanic II one; Carpenter II one; Mason II one; Signwriters II two; 
Watchmen eleven. In addition to the foregoing, six labourers and one mandore 
were employed at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and two at Kranji Nature 
Reserve. Inche Martorojah bin Kassan, Mandore, Nature Reserves, was 
awarded the Long Service Medal on retirement. 
6. With promotions, retirements and resignations, five new daily-rated 
officers were appointed, but four of them had either resigned or absconded 
within three months of appointment. The fifth, a son of a member of the 
Gardens Labour force, remained in service, 
