Superintendence shows an morea of St$1,040.56, due mainly to an increase of St'$209.06 in the salaries of the clerks and conductors, crease of St.$544.25 in the compan) contribution to the provident funds for the sta and the subordinate staff and to the fact that this year the engine drivers salaries, which formerly had been charged to manufacture, and amount to St$496.07, have been charged to this account, Against these the reserve for leave Pay was $420 less.
Hospital and medical expenses show an increase of St$80360 due to the higher wages that had to be paid and to the fact that more Tamil coolies are now employed than was formerly the case, Tamil coolies always need mulch more medical attention than do the Chinese, Upkeop gardens cost S1.$862.16 more owing to the higher wages that prevailed and to the necessity of cleaning up a small dirty area on Batu Dua Estate, Topping and collecting, manufacture, packing and packages show a total increase of S1$12,151.80, which was due to the larger output and the higher wages ruling, the aver= age daily wages being 46.72 cents as against 38.11 cents last year oF approximately 23 per cent, increase.
The amount payable for duty was greater by St$4,065.85 owing to the Targer output and to the higher rate per pound at which the duty was levied.
Shanghai expenses show a decrease of Ch.$2,544.54.
The second letter, which only apeared in one paper, confirms the opinion that T have held for a long time, that the writer is entirely ignorant of the meaning of the words "business. ethics."
He refers to "one of the best known and most high agency houses in Malaya", but carefully refrains from giving any clue as to its identity, as being willing to handle the agency of the bulk of the Shanghai companies at an average fee of St$1.50 per planted acre.
As to this, all that T desire to say without fear of contradiction from Feasonable people is that no firm of repute would ever condescend even fo listen to a proposition of this ature unless it came to them direct from the board of directors of the Company concerned, neither would they dream of quoting a fee to an outsider for doing the work without letting their competitors know that they had been asked to do s0.
T am certain that if you put your affairs into the hands of a firm that would work in this underhand manner behind the backs of others you would very speedily rue the day that you had done so, The writer also makes the statement that at the time that the agencies were transferred to Kennedy, Dburkill & Ca. Ltd. in 1921 this firm Were without any previous experience whatsoever of the business, This is an absolute falsehood, since Kennedy, Burkill & Ca, Ltd. was, fact, the long established firm of Kennedy & Ca. in Penang under 9 new guise, The latter firm had been managing rubber estates since the inception of the industry and their experienced staff were taken over by the new firm practically "en bloc" and strengthened by the addition of two or three senior men previously Jemployed by others in the same line of business.
T will not weary you further by referring to other misstatements in the letters.
Turning now to planting matters 1 wil deal with those of Chemor estate rst, 'No change took place in the planted area of the estate during the' year, Turning now to the balance sheet the changes brought about by. the amalgamation with Shanghai Klebang Estate are clearly set out therein,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.