1
'1492
BRITISH NORTH BORNEO
from insect pests, such as mosquitoes and the like. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disturbances are unknown. The seas are teeming with fish, and the export trade in dried and salted fish is increasing, Trade with Singapore, Hongkong and the Philippines is well established. A weekly steamship service is maintained between North Borneo ports and Singapore, and steamers run regularly to Hongkong and the Philippines. The majority of the trade supplies are obtained from and through Singapore, and with Hongkong a regular timber business has been established. Amongst the zoological productions of North Borneo are to be noted elephants, rhinoceros, deer of three kinds, wild cattle, pigs, bears, and pythons. Of game birds there are a few- argus, fireback, and bulwer pheasants, wild duck, many varieties of wild pigeon and doves, snipe, and quail.
Sandakan, the capital, has a magnificent harbour and is the chief place of trade. Jesselton, however, on the West Coast, is now rapidly developing, and, owing to its position, must become, in the near future, the chief port in the territory. It is also one of the termini of the State Railway. The imports include cloth, rice, hardware, manu- factured goods of all kinds, opium, Chinese tobacco, Chinese coarse crockery, matches, biscuits, oil, sugar, etc. The chief exports are tobacco, copra, timber, cutch and rattans, gutta-percha, rubber, birds'-nests, seed pearls, bêche de mer, sharks' fins, cam- phor, tortoise-shell, beeswax, and other natural products, which are brought in from the interior, the neighbouring Sulu Archipelago, etc.
Coal is being worked in the S.E. of the territory. The Cowie Harbour Coal Mines at Silimpopon have extracted over 300,000 tons of coal since 1907. The coal is trans- ported from the Colliery to the shipping port Sebattik by means of six lighters, which have been built in Borneo. The Collieries are at present undergoing a change of develop- ment which, it is believed, will result in an expansion of their trade with the large markets in the vicinity. The output during 1914 amounted to 66,480 tons. About 2,000 tons of coal is stocked at Sandakan, and an ample reserve is maintained at Sebattik, where the storage capacity provides accommodation for about 10,000 tons. The British Borneo and Burmah Petroleum Syndicate have acquired a large tract of land on the west coast in the Klias Peninsula, where they have located an oil-field. Following upon this discovery, they have taken upon lease 440 square miles of territory, and are now engaged in prospecting extensive areas and in developing property which affords every prospect of yielding oil in payable quantities. The Royal Dutch Petroleum Company are now prospecting on the British portion of Sebattik Island, and the Netherlands. Colonial Petroleum Company on the East and West Coasts.
The revenue of the territory in 1914 amounted to £234,803, and the expenditure to £163,282, this latter sum including £46,510 in respect of immigration expenditure, pro- portion of salaries, subsidy to steamers, and other expenses estimated as chargeable to capital; in 1913 the revenue was £234,075 and the expenditure £125,234. Tobacco- planting has become a great and profitable industry, and the tobacco already raised obtains a ready sale at good prices. Cutch is extracted froin mangrove bark and is being exported in increasing quantities. Rubber is the latest and most popular in- dustry. There are now thirty companies operating in British North Borneo, the majority being engaged in rubber growing, while others are engaged in coconut and tobacco cultivation. There are upwards of 29,000 acres under rubber. The rubber exported in 1913 was valued at $1,826,340 against $1,630,732 in 1914. The export of copra was valued at $98,604 in 1913 against $151,118 in 1914. The value of tobacco was $1,892,305 against $2,919,970 in 1913. The export of timber was valued at $863,666 against $869,463 in 1913. The population of the town of Sandakan, the capital of the territory, was 8,256 in 1911, of whoin 66 were Europeans and 5,942 Chinese. There are several sections of railway, totalling 120 miles now open. The longest line runs from Jesselton to Tenom, 98 miles. The railway is playing an important part in the develop- ment of the Company. The number of passengers carried in 1913 was 171,389 against 201,877 in 1912; and 20,703 tons of freight were carried in 1913 against 14,552 tons in 1912. The gross earnings amounted to £24,591 in 1913 and to £22,559 in 1914.
A sum of £77,000 was spent in 1913 in improving and strengthening the line, and a further sum of £59,000 in 1914. Sandakan is distant 1,000 miles from Singapore, 1,200 miles from Hongkong and 660 miles from Manila. It became connected telegraphically with Labuan on the 7th May, 1897, and was thus placed in communication with Europe, etc. There are now four wireless installations in the country, at Jesselton, Sandakan, Kudat and Tawao.
The territory of British North Borneo was acquired from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu by cession for a small annual payment in 1879-80, and the British North Borneo Company was incorporated by Royal Charter on the 1st November, 1881. The area of
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