6 
tropical botanical institutions” in which papers by Mr. Purseglove O' A brief 
history of Botanic Gardens with special reference to Singapore”) and him¬ 
self (“Some current problems of the Botanic Gardens, Singapore”) were 
presented. Mr. Burkill also attended the section on Conservation in which 
he read another paper (“A Survey of Nature Conservation on Singapore 
Island.”). 
25. No representative of the Singapore Government was able to attend 
the meeting of the Plant Protection Committee held at Kandy, Ceylon, in 
December, and the interests of this Government were cared for by the repre¬ 
sentatives of the Government of the Federation of Malaya. Nor was there 
any representative from this Department at the Third Pan-Indian Ocean 
Science Congress held in Madagscar in September. 
XI. PLANT PROTECTION SERVICE AND AGRICULTURAL 
PESTS SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE 
26. The Borneo Territories turned down a regional scheme for a plant 
protection service and plans on a pan-Malayan basis were agreed between 
the Governments of Singapore and the Federation of Malaya. Singapore will 
meet 27 per cent of the cost and the Federation 73 per cent. The Service 
will be based on Singapore and the staff will be on the establishment of this 
Department. Recruitment of a locally-domiciled honours graduate in agri¬ 
culture or botany proved impossible owing to the lack of suitable candidates. 
Arrangement in principle has however been made that a selected person will 
be attached to the Australian Plant Quarantine Service for one year to under¬ 
go training. In the meantime requests have been made under international 
aid agreements for an “expert” to initiate the service. 
27. Mr. Purseglove served on the Agricultural Pests Supervisory Com¬ 
mittee established under the Agricultural Pests Ordinance, No. 37 of 1952, 
up to 7th March. Mr. Burkill served from 7th June and was Chairman from 
26th June. 
XII. IMPERIAL WAR GRAVES COMMISSION CEMETERY, KRANJI 
28. Work was concentrated during January and February in turfing as 
much as possible of the grounds with a fine-leaved Zoysia sp., giving a dense 
but springy mat, in preparation for the official opening ceremony in March. 
The permanent staff of 1 caretaker and 13 gardeners was augmented by 24 
extra labourers and by the end of February one third of the grounds had 
been so turfed, the rest remaining under Axonopus compressus. 
29. His Excellency the Governor, Sir, Robert Black, k.c.m.g., o.b.e., 
declared the Cemetery and War Memorial officially opened on 2nd March. 
The ceremony was attended by a large crowd of people from Singapore, 
Malaya, the Commonwealth and late allied and enemy countries. The 
Botanic Gardens supplied extra pot plants for the occasion. During the year 
over 29,000 visitors are estimated to have come to the Cemetery. In March 
there were 15,020 visitors. 
30. The work of returfing with Zoysia was continued for the rest of 
the year. It is a small but noteworthy disability of this strain of Zoysia that 
it carries a considerable quantity of dead herbage below its topmost growth 
