i5 
ultimo; Mr. Denison returned. He told me thaffhe was most anxious to get his lands 
.taken up, and wished me to go with him to visit some of the other parts of his district 
where there were good padi lands. Mr. Denison says that a very influential Chinaman 
has applied to him for 1,000 acres of land for padi cultivation, and that he proposes, 
planting 300 acres each year, with Chinese coolies, whom he proposes to bring down 
from Burmah. This will be a great thing if it is carried out, as, if successful, it should 
induce others to do likewise. I should like to go round with Mr. Denison and see 
other parts of his district. 
With regard to the offer of the Singapore Government to get seed as a help to 
the country, I can say very little. The seed here appears to be very good, but of course 
it is always a good thing to change seed as often as possible, but I believe the natives 
are fully alive to the benefit of doing this, and exchange seed amongst themselves. 
The Singapore Government also mentions dholl and ragi as cultivations which 
might be introduced. I do not know anything of either of these cultivations, as there are 
no people planting them here. One Tamil has a small patch of ragi, but simply plants it 
as a curiosity. Dholl is greatly used by several classes of the people, but is considered 
more as a luxury here. Ragi, I was told, would be preferred to rice by the Tamils if it 
were as cheap, but at present it is only sold at one or two shops in the town, and at 
four times the price of rice. 
I have, &c., 
A. B. STEPHENS, 
Assistant Indian Immigration Agent. 
A1 - Plantations Department, 
. Kuala Kangsar, 15 th February, 1892. 
To the Acting Secretary to Government, 
Taiping. 
SiR, I have the honour to forward my report on the question of promoting the 
cultivation of pad! in the Malay Peninsula. 4 * & 
2. My remarks must be limited to this State, and I find it impossible to obtain 
the necessary information to report on the land available, and the extent of land 
already under cultivation, at such short notice. The District Officers will have reported 
on this pait of the question more fully than I could have done in months. 
3. That padi is not cultivated in such quantities as formerly is well known and 
the reason for this is twofold — 
.(1*) The Ra J as 110 longer derive their incomes from the taxation of padi, and do 
not, m consequence, force the natives to cultivate it, as tney did before the British 
came to the State. 
(u.) The lazy and unambitious temperament of the Malays, who do not so much 
begrudge the small rent charged by Government on their padi lands as resent having- 
to pay rent at all. & 
If padi was taxed as in Ceylon, I do not think the Malays would cultivate it even 
m as small quantities as they now do. 
4. I would suggest that land formerly under padi cultivation should be offered 
rent free to natives of the State for one year. There are thousands of acres of padi 
land now lying fallow, and this might induce many to plant padi who would not do so 
i charged even a nominal rent. In this way, land now lying idle might be brought 
under cultivation, and a rent charged the following year, when the planting would-be 
comparatively easy, as there would be no clearing required. 
5 - I would further suggest that Government itself should cultivate padi on a 
large scale. If the Malays and others can afford to dear forest land, pay rent plant 
padi and yet find the industry profitable, surely the Government, with the means of 
obtaining sufficient labour, no rent and efficient supervision could cultivate padi and 
make it a paying concern. To effect this, labourers would have to be employed in 
su cient numbers to plant enough padi to make an appreciable difference in the 
out-turn. I am informed on good authority that all the padi grown and not required 
J le cufiwator is sold as soon as it is ripe, and consequently at its cheapest, 
overnment could store its padi in suitable buildings and sell, when the local crops are 
exhausted, at a reasonable profit, and thus prevent famine prices, which were universal 
a tew months ago. 
D 
