THE MALAY STATES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2673, 1 December 1909, Page 7

THE MALAY STATES.

A NEW ZEALANDER’S IMPRES-

SIONS

RUBBER-GROWING AND ITS

PROFITS

'Mr John' Mouat, formerly a surveyor in the Lands and Survey Department, Gisborne, has just returned from three years’ service with the trigonometrical staff of the Federated Malay States Government. Mr Mouat’s work took him all over the Straits Settlements, which he describes as a grand country offering unlimited openings to single young men with small capital. Ihe climate is tropical though healthy. Tin mining, gold mining, and agriculture are the main industries, but the former is just beginning to recover from a, period of depression. However, everything is now meeting _a rising market and! good times are in store. The soil, according to Mr Mouat, will grow anything aud requires very little cultivation. The question of paramount importance in the federation at present is rubber-growing and great attention is being paid to it. Owing to the suitability of the country and the value or the commodity, rubber-growing is being carried on extensively, and large numbers of Englishmen and Australians are forming plantations. The required land is obtained from the Government on a 999 years’ lease (there being no freehold) at a quit rent, which means*that if the land is neglected for three years after being taken up it .reverts to the Government. Some very interesting figures bearing on the cost and returns from a plantation were given by Mr Mouat, and a perusal of these will , show the profits to be derived from same. The following are based on a plantation of 4000 acres with 432,000 trees for a period of ten years: —Without) catch crops: Expenditure £217,866, returns £503,118. .With catch crops: Expenditure £257,900, returns £587,118. The above figures were based on a valuation of 3s Id per lb., but when, Mr Mouat left Singapore the •ruling price of rubber was),9s 7d per lb. Considering that some plantations are paying dividends of 76 per cent, some idea of the remunerative nature of the investments can be gathered. The rubbr trees do not yield until five years, of age, and catch crops, such as tapioca, pineapples, essential oils (lemon grass, citronella grass, patchouli, etc.), chillies, ginger, tobacco,, fibre'producing'plants, bananas, plantains, maize and paddy can be grown at a profit for the first three years, after which the size of the trees do not allow of intense cultivation. The fifth year after planting a tree will yield lib of dry rubber, the sixth .year; Islb,' the seventh year If lb, the eighth year 21b and so oh with the age of the tree. Labor for-the plantation is cheap and abundant, the wages of Tamil and Javanese coolies and Malays being 9d per day. The industry has a great future before it, and promises to be the leading industry of the Malay States. , New Zealanders and Australians are to' be met in all parts of the federation, the former being principally ,in Government service and/the latter engaged in mining and planting. Mr Mouat, who did not wish to renew life engagement, returned by way of Hong‘' Kong, Manila, German New Guinea s and Australia.