The cost of production for the year was slightly higher than the previous year, this being due to the lower exportable allowance, regards the working of Kota Bahroe and Canning Estates, there is nothing special for me to comment upon, but at Gunong Rabat it was found that many of the trees were suffering from root disease. This is a fairly common disease on old properties, particularly where jungle timber had not been removed until late in the history of planting and while the position may be regarded ay serious, Mr. Pinching, the Senior Scientific" Oficer of the Rubber Growers' Association, considers that there is no cause' for panic or alarm and that the matter can be proved by digging isolation drains round the areas known to be infected and improving the soil by means of cultivation, It was decided to stop tapping and concentrate on disease preventive and eurativa state's crop allowance being handled by Canning Estate.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.