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to obtain regarding the number of desertions from estates 
in the State of Selangor during 190a . 
The number of coolies on the estates during the year 
was 28,313 and the number of desertions was 6,114 or 
rather over 21% of the total. When it was remembered 
that Selangor was probably the most popular State m the 
Federation with the Tamil cooly he considered that this 
state of things was little less than scandalous and called lor 
searching enquiry as to its cause. t 
His views as regards the immigration cess were well 
known, and the results of the first year’s working were 
quite satisfactory, though the total number of arrivals was 
less than in 1907, but it must be remembered that a great 
many estates reduced their labour force during 1908, thus 
freeing labour for other estates that were not so well oft, 
and in addition they stopped all recruiting for a time I lie 
coolies recruited under licenses issued m 1909 were landed 
on estates free of all d*bt, and this, though no doubt excel- 
lent in theory, would, he has very much afraid, prove the 
reverse in practice. He firmly believed that the result 
would be to put the coolies more into the hands oi then* 
kanganies and headmen. In the past their debts were col- 
lected through the check-rolls by the superintendents with 
no charges for interest : now their debts would be private 
transactions between the coolies and the kanganies, and the 
result would be that the cooly would be swindled He 
would like to have seen all the surplus m the hands of the 
Committee devoted towards free return passages to coolies 
after a given period of service under one employer, and lie 
was convinced that if this was ever done one of their mam 
grievances, namely bolting, would right itself. 
A satisfactory arrangement had, he was glad to sa> , 
been arrived at between Government and a delegate ap- 
pointed by the E. G. E. in the matter of the Kapar drainage 
assessment, which during the year was the subject oi such 
discussion and correspondence with Government, borne 
estates had been rather hardly dealt with, far more so m 
fact than was ever contemplated when the matter was under 
discussion between Government and the local represen- 
tatives of those interested. 
The feeling was growing that representation at Asso- 
ciation meetings should be more general, and the consider- 
ation of the advisability of reconstituting the Association 
would probably require a good deal of attention from their 
new chairman and delegates during the year, the general 
prospects ahead of them in rubber appeared to be thoioug i- 
