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in perpetuity, subject to the payment of an annual 
quit rent (which may be revised after 15 years), 
and to certain conditions of cultivation or such 
special conditions as may be endorsed on the title. 
Alienation or transmission are subject to the law 
that no one, not being by birth a native of Kelantan, 
may acquire any interest in land, except with the 
permission of H.H. the Sultan in Council. This 
permission however is freely given in all cases 
where the interests of the State are not affected. 
No dealings in land are valid, unless registered, and 
on registration an endorsement of the transaction 
is made on the title, which thus contains a full 
record of all changes and permutations of ownership. 
Land Rents are practically the same as in the 
E.M.S., but with considerable concessions to com- 
pensate for the present lack of communications, e.g. 
Premium is rarely charged on grants for large 
estates, but may be imposed in cases of alienation 
after the completion of through railway communica- 
tion. Concessions are also made as to annual rent. 
5. LAND ACQUISITION AND LAND LAWS 
KEDAH. 
By H. C. Eckhardt. 
Titles, for land, known as “ surat putus ” have 
been issued by the Sultan of Kedah since an early 
date. Originally, as the name implies, the document 
was the formal written decision of a Judge, recording 
his finding on a dispute as to ownership of land, 
which on being signed and sealed by the Sultan 
became an absolute title to land. It became cus- 
tomary in transferring land to obtain the signature 
and seal, of the Judge and the countersignature and 
seal of the Sultan to the document evidencing the 
US-'WtfO 
