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STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, 1917. 
AGRICULTURE. 
13 
The agriculture of the Straits Settlements continues to 
expand, but the conditions are very artificial in consequence of 
high freights and unusual demands. 
Labour has been in deficit: and higher wages resulted from 
this and from the increased cost of all imports, burtnei as it 
has been necessary that the management of the British-owned 
estates should spare a part of their supervising staffs for tue 
war, it has been difficult to attain estimates in some cases. 
The premier crop, rubber, has paid very well; and the 
market has been without the large speculative element which was 
present in 1916. Local selling has greatly increased, and with 
profit to the Colony, because freight to Europe for re-export to 
America can thereby be avoided, and for the reason that the 
manipulation of the market becomes harder for dealers when 
selling can be done in many places. 
But the profits from rubber production have decreased, 
because while prices fell throughout the year, expenses rose, 
both in increased wages and from the high cost of tools, 
machinery and chemicals. However, many estates are achieving 
production at what may be regarded as the minimum current 
rate: and the-market price has been about twice this or higher. 
On the other hand coconut produce paid meagrely at the 
beginning of the year, prices declining further as the year passed; 
in consequence of which the already established tendency to remove 
the palms for rubber took further hold, and while leading to but 
little destruction of trees in bearing in Malacca, led to moie m 
Singapore and to much in Penang or Province Wellesley, until 
an Enactment was called for to restrain it. ■ The crop of nuts 
was good in the early part of the year, and fair genonalh. I be 
difficulty of selling the copra to Europe appears to have favoured 
crushing for oil in Penang; for exports thence continue to 
increase. That this should occur is good, for it is of advantage 
to retain the cake in the country. 
The tapioca market was speculative; but prices were 
generally good. A slight increase of the crop in Province Wel¬ 
lesley has taken place, but nevertheless the total production is 
small, as the cultivation has moved northwards. 
Pig and poultry raising, which arc partly subsidiary occupa¬ 
tions of the tapioca industry, and partly of vegetable-growing, 
tend more and more to desert the Colony. So much has this 
been so in Malacca that there is now an import of twelve 
thousand pigs in the year, whereas there w r as an export of as 
many in 1910: and Malacca has now but a very small export 
of poultry. Penang, whigh had a very large export of poultry, 
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