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PERAK
Commissioner of the Federated Malay States has also a residence at Kuala Kangsar, which town, situated as it is on the Perak river, here some 200 yards wide, lies in the midst of beautiful scenery and is the centre of the Malay life of Perak. It is here that meetings of the Federal Council are sometimes held. The British Resident has re- sidences at Taiping and Ipoh.
The most important district in Perak is Kinta, of which the principal town is Ipoh- reached by rail from Penang in five and a half hours. The tin deposits in the Kinta valley and neighbourhood are of great value, and recent developments in rubber plant- ing have brought a new agricultural industry into the district. Mining is here con- ducted on the most scientific principles, and many mines are equipped with the latest machinery.
In the district of Krian, on the Province Wellesley (Penang) border, the Govern- ment has constructed an extensive and costly irrigation scheme and large areas are under rice and rubber. A somewhat similar district is Lower Perak, in which is situated Teluk Anson, the principal port of the State. This port is connected by a branch railway with the main line of the Federated Malay States Railway, and there is frequent_communication by steamers between Penang and Singapore.
The Larut district was formerly famous for its tin deposits, and faction fights for the possession of the tin mines before 1874 were the immediate cause of the British intervention in and eventual protection of Perak. The Larut mines had of late years somewhat sunk in importance, but are now the centre of the bucket-dredging industry. Matang, a sub-district of Larut, contains many large rubber estates, and a con- siderable fishing industry exists on its coast.
The large districts of Batang Padang and Upper Perak are as yet less developed than the rest of the State. The railway runs through the Batang Padang district six miles from the headquarter town of Tapah, for which the station, Tapah Road, is some seven hours from Penang. A metalled cart road has been completed to Grik, the headquarters of the Upper Perak district.
The population of Perak in 1921 was 587,493, as compared with 481,324 in 1911. It included in 1921, 224,110 Chinese, 228,158 Malays and other natives of the Archipelago, 130,225 natives of India, 2,032 Europeans, 985 Eurasians and 1983 other nationalities. The Chinese form the labour force of the tin mines and the Tamil natives of India the labour force of the plantations, but it is noticeable that some Tamils are now employed in the mines. The Malays engage in native cultivation and various other pursuits.
The Federated Malay States Railway runs through the whole length of Perak from Parit Buntar on the Penang (Province Wellesley) border to Tanjong Malim on the Selangor border. Branch railways run from Taiping to Port Weld and from Tapah Road to Teluk Anson, thus connecting the coast with the interior. There are about 900 miles of excellent roads, and a network of telegraph and telephone lines throughout the State.
The revenue for 1922 amounted to $24,199,253 against $24,938,657 in 1921, and the expenditure to $22,605,071 against $52,369,182 in 1921. At the end of 1922 the balance of assets at the credit of the State was $25,073,153. The total value of the trade for 1922 amounted to $100,950,950, an increase of $1,893,663 on the previous year. Details are as follow:
Imports Exports.
1921
$32,851,467 66,205,820
1922
$31,182,541 69,768,409
The export of tin ore in 1922 amounted to343,079.96 piculs and the value to $29,460,322. Under coconuts there were about 90,262 acres. Practically the whole delta between the Bernam and Perak rivers has been alienated for cultivation, and in a few years this vast plain, which was formerly dense jungle, will present an unbroken field of coconut palms.
The total area under rubber at the end of 1922 amounted to 407,408 acres. The export of rubber in 1922 was 52,604 tons (valued at $30,661,309), against 37,111.67 tons (valued at $26,494,768) in 1921.