162 
end, and therefore he did not think there could be any ex- 
cessive call upon his time. 
The motion is then put to the meeting and carried nem . 
con. 
VIII. Recruiting Allowance. The Secretary reads 
the following correspondence: 
14th December, 1908 . 
The Chairman, 
Immigr ati on Comm i ttee, 
Penang. 
Sib— I have the honour to inform you that at the last 
meeting of mv Association, held on the 6th instant, the re- 
cent rule made by your Committee, fixing the total of re- 
coverable advances at $3 per male immigrant, was made the 
subject of much adverse criticism. 
The members of my Association wish me to this point 
to entirely leave out of the question the merits of the new 
rule itself, but they feel that they cannot too strongly pro- 
test against the manner in which your Committee make 
drastic financial changes affecting the interest of employers 
of labour, without giving this Association any opportunity 
of expressing the opinion of its members. 
Rush legislation of this sort, as inaugurated by the 
advent of the Indian Immigration Fund Enactment, is 
hardly likely to produce good results, nor is it conducive to 
that co-operation between your Committee and the Planting 
Community, which to foster is in the best interests of the 
Industry in particular and of this country in general. 
(Sgd.) II. C. E. Zachaeias, 
Secretary. 
24th December, 1908. 
Sir, — In reply to your letter dated December 14tli, I 
have the honour to inform you that no rule fixing the total 
of recoverable advances at $3 per male immigrant has been 
passed by the Immigration Committee. 
2. In connection with the question of recoverable ad- 
vances, 1 would call your attention to the terms of Section 
26 of The Labour Enactment 1904, No. 1 (General). 
(Sgd.) L. H. Clayton, 
Chairman, Immigration Com mittee. 
To The Secretary, 
The Planters’ Association of Malaya, 
Kuala Lumpur, 
