Description

Papers of Thomas Bradwall Barlow

59/1: Official records, correspondence and papers of companies within the Barlow Group during Thomas B. Barlow’s Chairmanship: Highlands & Lowlands Para Rubber Co. Ltd., 1959-70 Comprising:

• correspondence and papers of Thomas B. Barlow as chairman of Highlands & Lowlands including: correspondence with Miss J. Stoodley, history lecturer, University of Queensland, Australia, concerning her research into the life of Sir Frank Swettenham, founding chairman of Highlands & Lowlands (MAR – APR 1959);
• letter to Col. Sir Henry Lee, finance minister, Kuala Lumpur, regarding the investment climate in Malaysia and consolidation of estates by Highlands & Lowlands to prevent fragmentation (7 MAY 1959);
• correspondence with shareholders concerning expansion of the Highlands Group, acquisition of Sembilan, Edinburgh, Selangor, Byram and Kalumpong estates (1959-63);
• note by C. E. Hindson on the Highlands palm oil factory (27 JUN 1963);
• staffing and recruitment matters;
• report by Gordon C. McCulloch on Harrison & Crossley’s Oil Palm Research Station – developments in breeding and cultivation (4 SEP 1963);
• correspondence relating to the Byram oil palm factory (OCT 1963);
• correspondence concerning sale of Sungei Way estate for development land (NOV – DEC 1963);
• letter from B. Bek Nielsen on policy towards extra payments to engineering staff (MAR 1967);
• sale of Kapar Bahru estate to Seafield Amalgamated Rubber Co. Ltd (OCT 1967);
• Thomas B. Barlow’s diary note (10 FEB 1968) of his meeting with N. C. James, Highlands Group Engineer;
• correspondence with shareholders concerning decision to pay a political subscription to the Conservative Party/criticism of Labour government’s decision of 1965 to remove overseas trading companies’ UK tax exemption status (1968-69).

59/2: Official records, correspondence and papers of companies within the Barlow Group during Thomas B. Barlow’s Chairmanship: Highlands & Lowlands Para Rubber Co. Ltd., 1959-70 Comprising:

• correspondence and papers of Thomas B. Barlow as chairman of Highlands & Lowlands including: correspondence with the Paris Institut de Recherches Pour Les Huiles et Oleagineux, concerning cooperation on a coconut research project (DEC 1970 – JAN 1971);
• correspondence with the Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute (MARDI) concerning a cocoa research programme (FEB – MAR);
• correspondence with the Incorporated Society of Planters relating to their award of an honorary fellowship to Thomas B. Barlow (MAY);
• agenda for meeting of Highlands Research Unit (5 JUL);
• correspondence and papers relating to the purchase bid by Batu Lintag Rubber Company for Bukit Panjong Ltd (AUG);
• report by C. E. Hindson on the Highlands Group Engineer’s Dept. (22 OCT);
• correspondence with Sir Henry D’Avigdor-Goldsmid, Bt, MP, chairman of the select committee on corporation tax, concerning reintroduction of overseas trading company tax exemption status (SEP – NOV).

59/3: Official records, correspondence and papers of companies within the Barlow Group during Thomas B. Barlow’s Chairmanship: Highlands & Lowlands Para Rubber Co. Ltd., 1972 Comprising:

• correspondence and papers of Thomas B. Barlow as chairman of Highlands & Lowlands including: correspondence with E. A. Rosenquist, agricultural consultant (JAN);
• correspondence with the Inland Revenue concerning reform of corporation tax (25 JAN);
• minutes of committee meeting of Highlands directors (29 FEB) and note on by C. E. Hindson (29 MAR);
• minute of calls to Gordon H. Lang, Barlow Boustead Estates Agency, Kuala Lumpur, relating to the transfer of Gordon C. McCulloch to the Torkington estate (17 MAR);
• letter from Cooper Bros. Ltd, chartered accountants, concerning proposal that Highlands & Lowlands should transfer residence from the UK with memorandum on procedure for granting of Treasury approval (20 APR);
• letter to Conservative Central Office with political subscription cheque for £1000 and criticism of the failure of the Conservative government for not giving full tax relief to plantation companies (25 APR);
• memorandum on proposed amalgamation of Sembilan, Sagga, Bradwall and Staffield estates, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Highlands & Lowlands (5 MAY);
• Highlands & Lowlands papers including replanting programme, valuation papers etc.;
• papers relating to the taxation of companies operating in the UK and Malaysia (JUL);
• correspondence with Slater Walker Securities (Singapore) Ltd concerning proposal to sell Barlow plantation companies to a Malaysian domiciled estates company for tax purposes (AUG – OCT) – declined;
• letter from Cooper Bros. Ltd, concerning scheme to transfer some estates of Highlands Malaya Plantations Ltd to a new Malaysian subsidiary company (3 NOV);
• copy of letter from John K. Barlow to J. D. Rodgers relating to a scheme under which a subsidiary company of Highlands & Lowlands would be floated on the Malaysian stock exchange for the purpose of investing in land development schemes (13 DEC).

59/4: Official records, correspondence and papers of companies within the Barlow Group during Thomas B. Barlow’s Chairmanship: Highlands & Lowlands Para Rubber Co. Ltd., 1973-76 Comprising:

• correspondence and papers of Thomas B. Barlow as chairman of Highlands & Lowlands including;
• memorandum on the sale of the Edinburgh estate and question of formation of a local Malaysian land development company (15 JAN 1973);
• valuation report by P. M. Varghese on Barlow estates in the Klang valley for development purposes (1 MAR 1973);
• classification analysis by the Royal Bank of Scotland of Highlands & Lowlands shareholders (25 SEP 1973);
• draft letter to be sent to Inland Revenue setting out arguments in favour of application to transfer tax domicile to Malaysia (27 SEP 1973);
• correspondence with the editor of The Times regarding the beneficial impact of foreign plantation companies on the Malaysian economy, before and after independence (24 SEP, 1 OCT 1973);
• papers relating to the sale of the Edinburgh estate and liquidation of the company (2 OCT 1973);
• letter from P. M. Varghese on the prospects for land development in the Klang Valley for the Midlands, Bukit Jelutong, Rasak and Highlands estates (10 NOV 1973) and related note by C. E. Hindson (14 NOV 1973);
• letter from David Hopkinson of M&G Investment Management Ltd on the likelihood that the Malaysian government would require all plantation companies to be registered and domiciled locally in the next five years (28 NOV 1973);
• letters from Thomas B. Barlow to ex-directors of the board of Highlands & Lowlands following replacement by local Malay directors (DEC 1974, AUG 1975).