the federated malay states chamber of mines : the report...

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

COUNCIL 1

LIST OF MEMBERS 2

REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1950 9

TIN STATISTICS FOR 1950

ACCOUNTS FOR 1950

MINUTES:-

ApPENDIX A 19

ApPENDIX B 24

30TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

COUNCIL MEETINGS, 1949:

January, 12th

February, 20th

March, 13th

April, 25th

May, 31st

June, 27th

July, 28th

August, 30th (Extraordinary General Meeting)

August, 30th

September, 20th

October, 25th

November, 29th

December, 19th

EXTRACTS FROM PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, FEDERATION OF MALAYA:- ApPENDIX C

19th April

RE THE EMERGENCY. MILITARY REINFORCE-

26

33

44

53

62

72

82

91

101

108

116

120

137

147

MENTS 154

21st November

RE SURVEY OF TIN MINING INDUSTRY 171

LIBRARY-LIST OF BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS 189


9

THE F.M.S. CHAMBER OF MINES.

The Report of the Council

for the year ended the 31st December, 1950.

To The Members:

On behalf of the Council I have pleasure in presenting the Report for the year ended 31st December, 1950.

ACCOUNTS.

The audited Accounts for the period shew an Income of .... $ 23,234 86

against Expenditure totalling 21,522. 9·1

leaving an excess of Income over Expenditure of $ 1,711 92

The Expenditure included the following:-

(i) Donation to the Ross Institute of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (£50) $

(ii) Donation to Poppy Day Fund

(iii) Commissioner of Police towards trophies for Special Constables Rifle Competition

TOTAL $

427 64

100 00

300 00

827 64


]0

MEMBERSHIP.

After recording resignations, and deaths, the Membership as at 31st December, 1950, was as follows:-

1949

2 79

7 6 3

180

277

Other Associations Mining Companies Firms Life Members Honorary Members Individual Members

Total

OBITUARY.

1950

2 78

7 6 3

163

259

Your Council records with regret the death of Mr. G. W. Coffey, President of Pacific Tip Consolidated Corporation and Mr. G. S. Scott, formerly Secretary of the Dredging Association of Southern ~,lalaya.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

Messrs. W. M. Warren and G. H. Fairmaid, J.P., r2turned from leave in January.

In February The Hon'ble Mr. J. D. Mead and 'fhe Hon'ble Col. H. S. Lee were granted leave to attend the Tin Study Group Meeting in Paris, Messrs. P. B. Marriott and Chong Yow Shin being appointed as their Alternates. Mr. N. Cleaveland was also granted leave and Mr. F. S. Miller appointed as hi:;; Alternate. Mr. K. J. Cumming returned from leave.

The Hon'ble Mr. J. D. Mead, The Hon'ble Col. H. S. Lee, and Mr. R. A. Dillon-Corneck returned from Europe in April. Mr. A. R. Bruce was appointed to act as Alternate for Mr. E. B. Davies pending the latter's return from leave.

In August, Mr. W. M. Warren was granted leave and The Hon'ble Mr. D. T. Waring appointed as his Alternate; Mr. E. B. Davies returned from leave.


11

Mr. N. Cleaveland returned from leave in September. Mr. P. A. Delme-Radcliffe was granted leave of absence and the appointment of Mr. H. G. Gordon as his Alternate approved. Leave of absence was granted to The Hon'ble Mr. J. D. Mead and The Hon'ble Col. H. S. Lee to attend the Commodity Conference on Tin at Geneva, and Messrs. P. B. "Marriott and Chong Yow Shin were appointed as their Alternates.

In October Mr. E. D. Bain was granted leave on medical grounds and Mr. F. C. Calvert was appointed his Alternate.

In November, Mr. W. M. Warren returned from 10ave. The Council approved leave of absence to Mr. K Cleaveland and Mr. F. W. Gurr's appointment as his Alternate.

The Hon'ble Col. H. S. Lee returned from Geneva in December.

TIN METAL PRICE.

During the first half of the year the market was steady with a slowly rising tendency-the highest and lowest prices were £612-6-0 per ton ($304.75 per picul) recorded on 28th June, and £578-5-0 per ton ($284.871/~ per picul) recorded on 3rd January, respectively.

Consequent upon the deterioration in the world llOlitical Bituation and the outbreak of hostilities in Korea the prices rose rapidly in the second half of the year with wide daily fluctuations, the highest price attained being £1,280-0-0 per ton ($642.00 per picul) on 7th November.

TAXATION. The Income Tax Ordinance was further amended

during the year, and discus~:;ions took place with the Comptroller-General of Income Tax regarding, inter alia,. proposed amendments to paragraph (b) of Subsection (6) of Section 22C consequent upon which the ~~rious amendments proposed under the amending hIll were agreed as beIng acceptable to the Chamber.

Representations were made on the subject of Double Taxation, as applicable to the deduction of Income Tax from dividends paid by Companie:;;


12

registered in Malaya, consideration of which by the Malayan Board of Income Tax was pending at the end of the year.

A Memorandum relative to Staff Pension Schemes was submitted to the Comptroller-General of Income Tax in 1949. Your Council was subsequently advised that the whole question of the Superannuation and Endowment Benefit Schemes is being reviewed by a Committee in the United Kingdom, and that when their report is available to the Malayan Board of Income Tax the Chamber's Memorandum will receive further consideration.

The Sub-Committee concerned with taxation continued to deal with further queries from Members on questions of general principle.

LEGISLATION.

Measures passed by the Legislative Council of the Federation during the year, which directly affected the Mining Industry, included-

Gazette Notification.

1177/ F

1182/F

1907

2452/F

2774/ F

Page

r The Industrial Rehabilitation (Fin-1179 ~ ance) (Amendment) Ordinance (No.

l 19 of 1950).

1203 {War Damage (Amendment) Ordinance.

1797 { wa:r: Damage (Amendment No.2) Ordmance.

2116 {. Titles to Land (Occupation Period) (Amendment) Ordinance.

2347 {Income Trrx (Amendment) Ordinance.

2778/ F 2373 Electricity (Amendment) Ordinance.

Members of the Legislative Council nominated by the Tin Mining Industry again took an active part in connection with relevant matters.


13

SECURITY.

A considerable portion of your Council's time was again occupied with matters arising out of the Emerg~ncy, and members of the Council were nominated to represent the Chamber on the Federal War Advisory Committee and the Perak State War Advisory Committee.

Problems arising out of the more stringent mea~ures adopted by the Authorities in the second half of the year, including the resettlement of squatters, the re-grouping of labour, and the direction of man-power, received the attention of your Council and were the subject of various representations to Government.

Mine Managements continued to be occupied with the discipline and welfare of Special Constables stationed on their properties.

INSURANCE-RIOTS AND CIVIL COMMOTION RISKS.

Your Council participated in discussions with other interested parties and Government, and two members were appointed in July to represent the Chamber the Committee considering the question of Compulsory Insurance.

INTERNATIONAL TIN STUI:'Y GROUP AND COMMODITY CONFERENCE.

The case for the consideration of a Commodity Agreement together with a Draft Agreement, prepared by the Working Party of the Study Group at the Hague in October, 1949, were considered at a meeting of the Study Group in Paris in March, 1950. The Study Group adopted, by a majority of 9-1, a resolution requesting the Secretary General of the United Nations to convene in accordance with the provisions of the Havana Ch~rter, a United Nations conference at an early date, in order to discuss a Commodity Control Agreement on Tin. Subsequently two documents were puplished by the Study Group-"The Draft International Agreement on Tin, March, 1950" and a "Statement on the Position and Prospects of the Tin Iud ustry".


14

Members were advised, in a circular of the 3rd August, 1950, of the following text of a letter addressed to the President, by the Economic Secretary, Federation of Malaya:-

"With reference to the Draft International Agreement on Tin of March, 1950, I am directed to request you to inform me whether the Tin Industry as a whole desires that a Commodity Control Agreement should be negotiated, and whether the provisions of the Draft Agreement are acceptable.

2. I should be glad if you would give me as full information as possible with suggested amendments where any provision of the Draft Agreement is not considered suitable."

A Notice of the same date stated that an Extra-. ordinary General Meeting of the Chamber, convened

by the Council under the provisions of By-Laws 38 and 14, would be held on the 30th August, 1950, for the purpose of considering the undermentioned reRolution standing in the names of the President and The Hon'ble Col. H. S. Lee, and, if thought fit, confirming the same:-

"(a) 'That the Members of The F.M.S. Chamber of Mines, having examined the draft International Agreement on Tin, March, 1950, cannot, at this juncture, express any general opinion on it in view of the fact that most of the important points are left blank or are in square brackets.

(b) That the Chamber is in favour of a Commodity Conference being held to see if a draft International Agreement can be prepared, which it would be in the best interests of the Malayan Industry to accept.

(c) That the Chamber cannot, however, bind itself in advance to accept the draft so prepared.' "


15

This resolution was adopted at the General Meeting by a majority of 5051/2 votes to 210, after the following amendment had been defeated by the same majority:-

"Add to paragraph (c) of the existing resolution the words 'and in any case will refuse to accept the draft of an Agreement which is based on the provisions of the Havana Charter for an International Trade Organisation' ".

The Economic Secretary was advised accordingly and also provided with detailed comments on the Draft Agreement, prepared by your Council.

A Commodity Conference was subsequently convened by U. N. O. at Geneva towards the end of October, but was adj ourned after a discussion lasting four weeks without reaching any agreement. A resolution proposed by the United Kingdom and seconded by the United States at the end of the meeting stated that, While the conference had recognised the desirability of inter-governmental action when a shortage or surplus was expected to occur, and had expected that these difficulties might arise, it had found that the draft agreement and the various international measures proposed at the conference to meet them were so wide apart that further examination by Government was ~eeded. Accordingly the conference decided to adJourn with power to resume if and when convenient.

The Hon'ble Mr. J. D. Mead, The Hon'ble Col. H. S. Lee, and Mr. A. G. Glenister represented the Chamber, The All-Malaya Chinese Mining Association and The Malayan Chamber of Mines, London, respectively, as Advisers to the British Colonial and Protected Territories Delegations at the meetings of the Study Group in March and the Commodity Conference in October.

WAR DAMAGE COMPENSA TlON.

Members were advised in General Circular No. 13/50 of the 29th June, 1950, of the Scheme for the Settlement of Tin Mining Claimfl, as approved by the


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