67 
Mr. Baker’s motion is then put to the Meeting and 
carried unanimously. 
Mr. Macfadyen then proposes: “That with the view 
of clearing up the position of these loans, Government be 
asked, as soon as may conveniently be done, to publish in 
the Gazette an authoritative statement, to be repeated pe- 
riodically, of the financial position of these loans.” 
This is seconded by Mr. Valpy, put to the meeting, and, 
after two re-counts declared lost by 9 — 8. 
VI. Representation on Council. The Secretary 
reads the following correspondence: 
- , 21st October, 1908. 
Sir John Anderson, k.c.m.g., 
Governor of the Straits Settlements and 
High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States, 
Singapore. 
Your Excellency, * 
At the last Meeting of this Association, held on the 5th 
instant a Resolution was considered and passed unanimous- 
ly, directing me to lay before Your Excellency a petition for 
granting to the Planting Interests of the Peninsula a 
greater amount of representation, than is at present accord- 
ed to them, on the Legislative Council of the Straits Settle- 
ments, which body at present seems to initiate all legislation 
affecting our interests, both in the Colony and in the 
Federated Malay States. 
Restricting my arguments by way of illustration to 
the interests involved in the cultivation of rubber alone 
(although of course quite as many acres again are planted 
up in coconuts, tapioca &c. &c.) I would point out: 
1. That the capital value thereof is not far short of 
three million sterling for the F. M. S. alone ; 
2. That the area planted up in Rubber in the F. M. S. 
by the end of last year exceeded 125,000 Acres ; 
3. That the total exports came to 885 tons (of an ap- 
pi oximate value of 4 million dollars and yielding’ in export 
duty alone nearly $100^000) ; 
4. That the total labour force employed was no less 
than 58,000. 
fihese figures, I submit, speak for themselves, al- 
though they cannot and never will adequatelv express the 
value to a tropical country with a large native and alien 
population of Asiatics, of a steadily growing community of 
European Planters. 
