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KEDAH
Situated on the north-west coast of the Peninsula, between the parallels of 5′50′′ and 6:40° North and the meridians of 99 40′ and 100′55 ́ E., Kedah has an area of over 3,0 square miles. In the north and east the country is hilly, but the plains in the south and west are well-watered and fertile, padi and rice being the chief agricultural products at present, though the future is likely to see a considerable amount of rubber and coconut cultivation.
The first work undertaken by Mr. W. G. Maxwell, who took up the advisership in July, 199, was to reconstitute the administrative departments on the F.M.S. model. In every department great progress has been made, and special mention should be made of the legislation for the speedy abolit.on of "debt bondage,” a peculiar feature of ancient Malay life.
A proper Survey Department has been constituted. Road making, bridge building and canal extension are features of the new régime, and a start will soon be made with the extension of the railway from Province Wellesley into Kedah as far as the capital. Alor Star. New post offices have been established throughout the country, the money order system introduced and telegraph and telephone systems extended. Arrange- ments have been made to connect the telephones with Penang.
At the 1911 Census the population was 245,986, of whom 195,411 were Malays, 33,746 Chinese, 6,074 Indians and 136 Europeans (128 British). The revenue for 1910 was $1,449, 16 against $1,240,276 in 1909, and the expenditure 81.285,342 against 81,005,328, Seventy-three per cent. of the revenue is derived from the opium monopoly, land revenue and export and import duties. In 1910, 693 tons of tin were exported and 12 tous of wolfram. During that year, 16,741 head of cattle were licensed either as imported or born in the country as against 1,125 in 1909; 15,808 sales were registered against 6,599 in 1909. Exports were as follows: -
Rice (Gantangs), Padi,
1509
1910 $3,278,000 $614,0-0 $7,950,000 $ 3,6-3,936
There was great activity in rubber planting, and out of 40 agricultural estates registered at the end of 1910 only one had no rubber trees. The total acreage was 24,005, of which 20,034 acres were under rubber, 2,679 coconuts and 10,005 tapioca.
DIRECTORY
Sultan-H. H. Sir Abdul Hamid bin Ahmat Tajudin, K.C.M.G.
Aide-de-Camp-Tunku Bahadursha
Secret ory –Che Muhammad Arafin STATE COUNCIL OFFICE
President H. H. Tunku Mahmud Adviser--W. George Maxwell Acting Adviser-Meadows Frost Asst. Adviser -A. Cavendish Secretary-Muhammad Sheriff Asst. Secretary Mohamed Saeid Chief Clerk--Wan Salim
TREASURY
State Treasurer-Tunku Zain Alrashid
AUDIT OFFICE
Auditor General --Syed Muhammad Sha-
habudin
Asst. Auditor General-A. G. Ward
Do.
-J. McDonough
Senior Auditor - Syed Rahir
Chief CouRT
Chief Julge-Syed Hassan Barakabalı Asst. do. Syed Abdullah
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SURVEY DEPARTMENT Supdt. Surveys R. W. B. Darke
PUPLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT State Engineer-J. Gorman Asst. do. -F. G. Finch Engineer Surveyor --P. Erskine Clerk of Works--A. H. Dragon
MINES DEPARTMENT Acting Supdt. Che Kassin
POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS
Superintendent-S. Asirvadam
POLICE COURT
Chief Magistrate--Che Mat
Asst. do. ---Wan Muhammad Sahid
POLICE
Inspector General-1. H. Tunku Ibrahim
Asst. Commissioner-W. E. Speers
Digitized do Oogle. F. Joyce