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those of the other Malay States. The padi crop for the year 1324 was 
an exceptionally good one as is fully testified by the large amount of 
padi exported and the low price of rice which has obtained locally 
since the crop was reaped. A large area of new padi land was opened 
up and it seems that this form of agriculture is about to develop 
extensively under the new condition of Government. Although more 
copra was manufactured than during last year, the coconut crop was 
not up to the average, and this seems to have been the case elsewhere 
judging by the high prices which were paid in Singapore for copra,. 
The number of young coconut trees planted was less than at any time 
during the past three years, available land being now all required for 
rubber. The planting of rubber has quite caught the fancy of the 
Malay cultivator. Stories of the large profits to be secured from rubber 
and of the great areas which are being devoted to this form of agri- 
culture in the Federated Malay States, have reached Kelantan, with 
the result that everybody who has a piece of land lying fallow now 
wishes to see it covered with Para rubber trees as soon as possible. 
For this purpose a considerable number of seeds and young plants 
have been imported from Singapore and from the Perak State. Seeds 
were preferred, the plants supplied by the rubber estates being too 
highly priced to suit Malay ideas, but lately large numbers of young 
plants have been brought into the State for sale by Chinese growers 
and these, being much cheaper than the plants formerly obtainable, 
have come very much into demand. What will be the outcome of 
these small plantations it is difficult to foretell. The possibility is that 
many of them will come to nothing, but it is also clear that in a few 
years’ time there will be a considerable number of trees in the State of 
tappable size though probably of slightly inferior rubber producing 
quality owing to want of sufficient care during the early stages of growth” 
There should however be a regular supply of rubber and if the price of 
the article is maintained there should be a good opening for a rubber 
buying agency to take the produce of the lands off the Malays.— 
Times of Malaya, 
DISTILLED SPIRITS INDUSTRY 
IN THE PHILIPPINES. 
By Daniel T. Brown, Internal Revenue Agent. 
The manufacture of distilled spirits in these islands is to-day in a 
healthy and thriving condition. The industry is riot a big one, nor is 
it a new one. As far back as the year 1712 the Governor of the Islands, 
Don Martin de Urzua, we find, had a monopoly of the business of 
distilling spirits from the sap of the nipa palm and the sap of the coco 
palm, and farmed it out for the sum of P10,000.00. Since these early 
times there have been many steps in its development, the latest 
and greatest stride forward being the regulation and control of the 
industry by the present Government, as provided by the Internal 
Revenue Law of 1904. This law has put the business on a stable 
foundation. During the year 1905 there were removed from the 
distilleries for domestic consumption over 5,000,000 proof liters ; in 
