Botanic 
S i r t 
wardens, Singapore 
i ^ si. F sb ru ary, 19X8 
o 
, >1 
/ 
X l ave the honour tr acknowledge the receipt 
rf your letter of the 13th. instant, asking me tr 
give evidence before the Singapore Hrniinn Commission 
at 3,15 p.m. or, Menday the 3 R th. 
3. The time and day are nr.it inconvenient for I have 
tr be at tl.e Secretariat at 10,38 on that day, and 
in Singapore again at 5 p,m. Three trips tr town will 
mean that I spend the day on the road. X would ask you 
it you o an not alter the hour. 
3* As tr the subject, namely the building over of 
the Economic ^arden, it seem tr me that the Garden is 
nrre utilised than your Connittee can have realised. It 
ormi iti of two parti, low land about 48 acres, and 
foukit lard about 53 acres. Of the low land, 
35 acres are in rubber in tapping (blocks 1,3,3,41,5 and 13) 
if are now being planted with selections from the tapped 
trees (block 15), 
13 acres are in sago pairs, partially developed only 
(blocks 8—11) 
li fff]\ a transition from the rubber to the arboretum 
8 are in miscellaneous crops, chiefly ford crops 
(blocks 7,13 and 14), 
of the hubit land :~ 
38% acres form the Arboretum, an overflow of economic 
speoimen trees f roth tJ .e Bo tani c „ arden, 
many of them not elsewhere represented, 
in the Gardens, and mostly planted between 
1856 and 19CC. 
?*J terraced acres or the hill top are now being planted 
with fruit trees under selection 
3j rf the dopes to the west are decupled by Gutta taban 
planted under trees as naturally in forest 
3 form, the nursery Whence is3ua economic plants for 
sale, and where new plants are tried 
71 are occupied by Garden* buildings 
are at present only used for the supply of p&les 
but are destined tr devijrfment when con¬ 
ditions r'emAt. 
*■ 
4, The Government has sunk about 88,080 dollars 
in the ‘planting of these trees, exclusive of the pay 
of officers. 
I have etc. 
The* President, 
Singapore Housing Commission, 
Singapore-- 
