10 
Pengkalen Pegoh, and 2,000 acres in Sungei Raia mukim. The Kampar land could 
easily be irrigated by bringing the water of the Kampar river some five miles. The 
Pengkalen Pegoh land can be irrigated with water from the Penjih river, and would 
require a water-race of some two miles in length. Toh Muda Wahab has made part of 
this race, and proposes to bring the water in himself, but, although he has spent some 
money, he has not taken up the work seriously. 
The Sungei Raia land can be irrigated by bringing the water of the Raia river 
some two and a half or three miles. None of these works would be very costly, and 
I have no doubt that a reasonable water-rate, collected from the planters, would soon 
repay the cost of construction ; but I am not in a position to furnish estimates, as my 
opinion is only founded on a knowledge of the country, and I have no engineering 
opinion to go by. 
6. I have now the honour to recommend that the Public Works Department be 
instructed to make the necessary surveys, and to furnish estimates of the cost of the 
dams and water-races which will be necessary to irrigate these three blocks of land, 
and I shall then be able to furnish an estimate as to the number of people who will 
take up padi land and as to whether the Government would be justified in undertaking 
the expense of construction. The department can, 1 have no doubt, easily supply an 
officer for this duty, as, owing to the late reduction in the Estimates, they are not at 
present pressed with work. 
7. 1 have not been able to obtain any information on the question of dholl and 
ragi cultivation, as the Indian population in this district are either road coolies or cattle 
keepers, and plant nothing. 
1 have, &c., 
J. B. M. LEECH, 
Collector and Magistrate , Kinta. 
VII. 
Collector and Magistrate’s Office, 
Matang, 24 th February , 1892. 
To the Secretary to Government, 
Taiping. 
Sir —In reference to the Acting Colonial Secretary’s letter, dated 18th December, 
on the subject of the rice supply, I have the honour to inform you that the Land 
Office surveyor roughly computes the area of the flat land in the Matang district at 
147.000 acres, of which, I should think, a quarter would be mangrove swamp on the 
coast and the’ banks of the numerous rivers and creeks intersecting the district, and 
not available for agriculture, which would reduce the above acreage to 110,250 acres. 
From this must be deducted about 10,000 acres already under cultivation, leaving, say, 
100.000 acres still available for bendang cultivation. 
2. Besides this, there must be about 8,000 acres of hill land suitable for coffee 
tea, &c., and there is a great deal of capital pepper and gambier land, and some 
plantations of the former are doing very well in the Temeloh district, and its culti- 
vation is spreading. 
3. The steps necessary to open up this fine land are, in my opinion, by the 
introduction of new settlers ; but to induce them to migrate from their own countries 
and start on their arrival opening up new jungle, which all entails a considerable 
amount of expense and tax on their slender means, sufficiently attractive prospects 
must be held out to them, such as land rent free for, say, three or more years ; and after 
they have arrived, a good deal of fostering care and interest in their welfare on the 
part of their District Officers and assistants, and a particularly watchful eye kept on 
the headman over them, lest he should be tempted to push his own advantage at their 
expense. 
4. This concession of land, three years rent free, has just been conceded, at my 
request, in this district to bond fide new settlers, with the result that 130 men have 
taken up land, about five acres each, and 500 more are shortly expected, so this policy 
seems to speak for itself. 
5. I may mention that I adopted this policy at the Dindings in 1884-86, and 
when I left there was a large number of new settlers, whom I had induced to come 
and settle in that sparsely peopled and unhealthy country by these means. 
/ 
