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VII. CREATION OF A DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION DEPARTMENT.

0.82483/31 [No. 1].

No. 50.

FEDERATED MALAY STATES.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 21st December, 1931.)

(Confidential.)

[Answered by No. 51.]

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to seek your sanction for the creation of a Drainage and Irrigation Department in place of the present Hydraulic Branch of the Federated Malay States Public Works Department. The scope of the new Department will, as explained in the succeeding paragraphs of this despatch, cover the whole of Malaya.

King's House, Kuala Lumpur, 26th November, 1931.

3.

On my

2. A proposal for the creation of such a Department for the Federated Malay States was first made by His Highness the Sultan of Perak at a Durbar held at Klang in 1930. This proposal was approved and elaborated by the Rice Cultivation Com- mittee appointed that year. The Committee's report was transmitted with my despatch, Federated Malay States, No. 593 of the 12th September, 1931,* and I now enclose for facility of reference an excerpt† containing the paragraphs relevant to this question. instructions a definite scheme for a Drainage and Irrigation Department was prepared in June by the Acting Chief Secretary to Government, and embodied in a memorandum which he read at the Durbar held at Sri Menanti in August. A copy of the memorandum is enclosed.† As you will see from the report of the Durbar prо- ceedings, which was transmitted under cover of my despatch, Federated Malay States, Confidential, of the 1st September, 1931. Their Higlinesses the Rulers of the Federated Malay States were unanimously in favour of the creation of the Department on the lines adumbrated in the memorandum, and were agreed that great benefits to their States would result therefrom.

4. The possibility was then investigated of creating the Department as a joint one for the whole of Malaya on the lines of the joint Medical and Public Works Departments which formed the subject of my Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Con- fidential despatches of the 29th October, 1931.§ The Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements in its last session approved of the scheme for the creation of the new joint Department so far as the Colony was concerned, and sanctioned the necessary provision in the Budget for 1932, which was transmitted under cover of my despatch, Straits Settlements, No. 557 of the 28th October, 1931.

5. The Unofficial Members of the Federal Council were consulted before these proposals were laid before the Sri Menanti Durbar. and the Federal Council has now approved the scheme so far as the Federated Malay States are concerned, and has sanctioned the necessary provision at its Budget session which has just been concluded. The Council proceedings will form the subject of an early despatch. Meanwhile a copy of the portion of the Federated Malay States Estimates relevant to the new department is enclosed.†

G. I have also in the course of my recent tours had the opportunity of explaining these proposals to the Rulers of the Unfederated Malay States and found them all quick to see the advantages which would accrue to their States as a result of the formation of this Department, the Head of which could be ready at any time to advise them on drainage or irrigation matters.

7. As stated in paragraph 8 of my joint Confidential despatch of the 29th October, dealing with the reorganization of the Public Works Department of the Straits Settle- ments and Federated Malay States, I propose with your approval to appoint Mr. F. G. Finch, at present acting Director of Public Works, Federated Malay States, and the holder of the substantive appointment of Deputy Director of Public Works, to be the Director-Adviser of the new Department with the title of "Director of Drainage and Irrigation, Straits Settlements, and Adviser on Drainage and Irrigation to the Malay States," at a salary of $1,200 a month. His headquarters should be at Kuala Lumpur, where offices and quarters are already available. Kuala Lumpur, moreover, is geo- graphically the best centre for his work, as it is approximately in the middle of the

+ Not printed here.

‡ No. 6.

* C. 82459/31 [No. 1].

§ No. 57 and 69.

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Western States and Settlements. Visits to the Unfederated Malay States would be made on payment of fees, as proposed in the case of the joint Departments referred to in paragraph 4 of this despatch.

8. Mr. Finch, who acted as Chief Hydraulic Engineer, Federated Malay States, in 1925 and 1926, is an officer of great ability and wide experience, and it is particularly fortunate that the retrenchment of his substantive appointment in the Federated Malay States Public Works Department on the reorganization of that Department on Malayan lines makes him immediately available for the appointment for which he is now recom- mended, and for which he is so eminently suitable.

The other superscale posts in this new Department will, subject to your approval, consist of the three following appointments transferred from the existing staff of the Public Works Department:-

Present title.

Holder.

Salary. Chief Hydraulic Engineer A. G. Robinson. $950-A50-$1,050.

***

Senior Executive Engineer... W. J. D. Pinkerton.

Ditto

New title. Assistant Adviser

$850.

$850.

on Drainage and Irrigation. Senior Drainage and Irrigation Engineer. Ditto.

The following Engineers are senior to Mr. Bush on the time-scale :-Messrs. P. A. Molloy, G. C. Bedington, W. W. Davidson, I. D. Robertson, S. Brayshay, J. B. MacLachlan, W. H. Hipwell, T. R. Hutton, G. R. Percy, J. Clegg, J. M. Noble, and F. W. M. Burr.

Of

As regards the first five of these officers, I would invite reference to my Federated Malay States Confidential despatch of the 10th February, 1930,† and to Sir Hugh Clifford's Federated Malay States Confidential despatch of the 27th March, 1929. the remainder, Messrs. MacLachlan, Hipwell, Percy, and Noble will probably attain the grade of Senior Executive Engineer in the Malayan Public Works Department, but none of them has the special qualifications for the new Drainage and Irrigation Depart- ment which Mr. Bush has to a marked degree. Mr. Clegg is 54 years of age and cannot expect further promotion, and Messrs. Hutton and Burr are not conspicuously competent and are scarcely likely to attain to superscale rank.

9. I have not yet transmitted the views of the Malayan Governments on the recommendations of the Irrigation Research Committee of the Economic Advisory Council, a copy of whose Report was sent to me under cover of Lord Passfield's Confidential Circular despatch of the 22nd August, 1930.§ I have delayed doing so purposely until the formation of this Department, and, if you approve of my proposals in this despatch, Mr. Finch will be instructed to make a close study of the report in order that the views of the Malayan Governments on the Committee's recommendations may be communicated to you at an early date in 1932.

10. I would ask for the favour of a telegraphic reply.

I have, &c.,

C. 82483/31 [No. 3].

No. 51.

C. CLEMENTI,

High Commissioner.

FEDERATED MALAY STATES.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.

(Confidential.)

[Answered by No. 52.]

SIR,

Downing Street, 12th February, 1932, I HAVE the honour to refer to your Confidential despatch of the 26th November, 1931, seeking my sanction for the creation of a Drainage and Irrigation Department

* For the second post of Senior Executive Engineer I recommend the promotion of Mr. B. (). Bush, a highly qualified and very able officer, who has acted with success as a Senior Executive Engineer on two occasions.

† C. 72351/90 (No. 1]: not printed.

§ Not reprinted.

C. 62388/29 [No. 1]: not printed.

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