0 
gardener is now 53.20, plus an allowance of 51, a total of $4.20. Salary 
scales increased in the various grades of technical staff to a maximum of 
‘57.75 per day for a mechanic. Grade II, 
7. It is with regret that I record the death of Mr. Cheong Swee San, 
who served the Gardens faithfully for about thirty years, and who was for 
many years responsible for the display of potted plants. He collapsed at 
work on the 28th October and died about an hour later. 
8. During the year five men !£rom 'the Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis 
Association and the Rehabilitation Section of the Labour Department spent 
several months in the Gardens as gardener trainees. 
III. METEOROLOGICAL 
9. The total rainfall for the year of 117 inches was above the average 
of 104.35 inches for the last ten years. It was due largely to the phenomenal 
and almost continuous rain which fell in the second week of December. 
The total rainfall for December was 26.77 inches. This caused serious flood¬ 
ing in parts of Singapore, but did little serious damage in the Gardens. The 
highest shade temperature recorded during the year was 90° F. and the 
lowest 70 F.; the mean maximum temperature being 86° F. and the mean 
minimum 74.4 F. The average temperature at 9.30 "a.m. was 80.5° F. and 
the mean relative humidity was 84.1 per cent. The meteorological records 
for the year are given in the Appendix //. 
10. A freak storm with a series of small whirlwinds struck the Gardens 
on the afternoon of 12th April and did severe damage in several patches, 
but had no well-defined path. The general labourers spent the rest of April 
and the greater part of May in clearing away the debris. 
IV. BUILDINGS AND ROADS 
11. The redecorating of the offices and herbarium was begun towards 
the end of the year and has made a vast improvement. The herbarium is a 
two-storey building and the upper storey consisted of a gallery round the peri¬ 
phery. A floor has now been added thus making room for more herbarium 
cases. The fitting of glass-tiles in the roof eaves above the windows has 
dispersed the stygian gloom, so that electric lights are no longer necessary 
throughout the whole day. Work began on the new single-storey building 
behmd the herbarium to house the spirit collection of plants, but which 
will be used temporarily to house the library. All the above work was done 
'll 1 c ° atract f rom the Public Works Department and I am most grateful to 
that Department for their great help and co-operation in this matter, which 
has done so much to improve the appearance of the buildings. 
12. Part of the south-end of the Plant House was reconstructed. The 
benches were demolished and replaced by beds retained by brick or coral 
walls. The old pipe-and-wire-netting arched pergolas were replaced by a 
flat-topped pergola on tembusu posts. A new orchid seedling house. 36x12 
feet, was built on Lawn X. It was of a similar construction to the houses 
built in 1953 and consisted of a corrugated aluminium roof with Perspex 
lights on a wooden frame-work. A somewhat derelict plant house near the 
potting shed was demolished by a large Alstonia scholaris, which fell during 
