1298
JOHORE
Railway Department, which now controls the whole of the railways in the Malay Peninsula. The State owns a light railway in Muar, but its utility has been dim- inished by the opening up of a road system making the district more accessible. It carried 230,735 passengers in 1919 and 4,771 tons of goods, the receipts being $56,972.
Eighty-two schools are maintained by the Government, and at four of these English is taught. At the English College, which is conducted on the lines of an English Public School, there were 75 boys in residence in 1919.
The capital is the town of Johore Bahru, or new Johore, as distinguished from Johore Lama, or old Johore, the former seat of the Sultans of Johore, which was situated a few miles up the wide estuary of the Johore river. The new town is a flourishing little place on the nearest point of the mainland to Singapore island, and lying about 14 miles to the north-east of Singapore city, in 1° 26' N. It contains some 11,000 inhabitants, rostly Chinese. Amongst the Government buildings are the Istana, court and police stations, barracks, gaol, hospital, market, railway station and a mosque. A plentiful supply of water has been provided since March, 1890. Good roads are being made, and public works, such as the construction of waterworks and bridges and the establishment of an electric light and power station at Johore Babru, are receiving a good deal of attention. The Public Works Department spent $3,5 12,663
in 1919.
The population of the State at the census in 1911 was ascertained to be 180,412, of whom 161 were British, 71,315 Malaya, 63,405 Chinese, 30,904 Javanese, and 5,659 Indians. The population is estimated now at about 300,000. The Chinese are chiefly fourd as cultivators of gambier and pepper, and are spread over the range of country in the extreme southern end of the peninsula, nearest to Singapore, but there is also a large Chinese population on the Jemaluang tin-field near Mersing.
Imports Exports
1918 .$19,473,685 43,560,700
$63,034,385
1919
$29,524,700 71,061,346
$100,586,046
European pioneers have, in the last few years, taken up large areas for planting, chiefly rubber and coconuts. Gambier and pepper cultivation is on the decline; the export of tapioca was 131,795 piculs in 1919, as compared with 118,076 piculs in 1918, and the values were $2,322,228 and $1,510,000, respectively. The export of rubber in 1919 amounted to 27,895 tons, valued at $53,203,400, against 22,816 tons in 1918, valued at $30,281,000. A remarkable feature of the rubber industry in this State is the large amount of land taken up by Japanese. In 1919, 18,772 tons of copra, valued at $4,834,699, were exported, and 15,150 tons of areca nuts, valued at $3,817,700.
At the present tine the principal exports of Johore are the carefully cultivated rubber, copra, gambier, pepper and areca nuts, and the natural products of tin, timber rattans and damar. For almost all such produce Singapore is the port of shipment.
Johore is stated to be rich in iron ore; but while it is found almost every where it is worked nowhere. The year 1915 will be memorable as that of the opening up of what is probably an entirely new tin field on the East Coast. The first valuable discoveries were made in the valley of Jemaluang, a small river flowing into the China Sea near Mersing, and there are indications of the presence of tin ore that may be worked at a profit at various places between Jemaluang and the Sedili. The export of tin ore in 1919 amounted to 1,843 tons, compared with 2,346 tons in 1918. The value of exported minerals was $2,638,600 in 1919.
DIRECTORY
Sultan-His Highness IBRAHIM, G.C.M.G., K.B.E., Sovereign of the Most Esteemed Darjah Krabat (FamilyOrder) and the Most Honourable Darjah Mahakota Johore (Order of the Crown of Johore), First Class Osmanieh Order. Born 17th Sept., 1873. Proclaimed 7th Sept., 1895, succeeded 2nd November, 1895 Frivate Secretary-Captain H. Md. Said, S.M.J.
COUNCIL OF STATE
The Dato Mentri Besar, D.K., S.P.M.J., C.M.G., President