29 
PRELIMINARY REPORT BY THE BRITISH RESIDENT, SELANGOR. 
[No. J*] 
British Residency, 
Selangor , Jth March , 1892. 
Sir, — I have the honour to report, for the information of His Excellency the 
Governor, that I was at Kuala Selangor on the 3rd instant, and saw the principal in- 
habitants there. I took notes of a discussion which took place on the subject of the 
promotion of agricultural enterprise, and enclose a copy for the perusal of His Excel- 
lency. 
2. 1 make no recommendations regarding the matter at present, as I have the 
whole question under consideration, and shall shortly deal with it in an answer to His 
Excellency’s recent Circular letter, 
I have, &c, 
i 
W. E. MAXWELL, 
British Resident , Selangor . 
Kwala Selangor , 3rd March t 1892. 
ENCOURAGEMENT OF PADI CULTIVATION, 
KUALA SELANGOR DISTRICT. 
r. I have to-day seen the following headmen at Kuala Selangor:— 
Raja Jafar. 
Raja Dollah. 
Imam Prang Perkasa. 
Haji Ahamad. 
Haji Samsuddin. 
Haji Mohammed. 
c 
2. Raja Jafar, as the spokesman of the Kuala Selangor Penghulus, complains 
that cultivation is little attended to, and that if he attempted to bring pressure to bear 
upon cultivators to induce them to work their lar^d, they reply that they have no 
capital and cannot afford to give time to work which is not immediately remunera- 
tive^ Consequently they go off to other occupations — fishing, timber-cutting, attap- 
making, etc.— and leave their fields untilled. The agricultural resources of the district 
are great, but it has been little opened up and is little known. Chinese capitalists 
are not forthcoming who will make advances to padi-planters on the security of their 
crops, as in Province Wellesley. There is no chance of getting loans, except from 
Government. If Government will make advances to cultivators the Penghulus will 
see that they are rightly applied and will be personally responsible. 
3. The Resident asks what advance would be thought sufficient for a family. 
4. Raja Jafar says $25 ; Imam Prang Perkasa says '$15; Raja Jafar calcu- 
lates that to be successful a cultivator must devote himself steadily to his land for four 
months, seeking no other occupation or source of income. He has also to buy seed- 
corn. 
5. The Resident says that $3 or $4 a month will support a family easily, and 
that Government might perhaps lend seed-corn and make proportionately smaller 
cash advances. 
6. Raja Jafar says that he would want assistance for 20 or 30 families at 
Pasangan; Raja Dollah, Jeram, 5o or 60 families; Imam Prang Perkasa, Telok Piai, 
30 families; Haji Ahamad, Asam Jawa, 30 families; Haji SAMSUDDIN, Sungei Kalkati 
and Sungei Tengeh, 20 or 30 families; Haji MOHAMMED, Panchang Pedena, 20 or io 
families. 0 
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