PERLIS
This is the smallest of the Malay States, the area being about 316 square miles. It is situated to the north of Kedah, and its conditions are practically identical with those of Kedah. Mr. Meadows Frost, the first British Adviser, followed the policy which marks British control in the Federated Malay States, and the active co-operation of the Raja and his Council has led to a great improvement in the internal administration since the assumption of British suzerainty in 1909. The Federated Malay States have completed the extension of their railway system through Perlis to link up with the Siamese railway system. Rail communication with Bangkok has been maintained
since the 1st July, 1918.
The population at the census of 1921 comprised 40,087 persons, of whom 34,165 were Malays and 3,602 Chinese. The revenue, which in the first year of British Protection was $102,522, has increased steadily year by year. For the Mohammedan year 1345 (corresponding partly with 1926) the revenue was $594,009 and expenditure $565,071, as compared with $470,616 and $441,825 in the previous year. With the transference of suzerainty a debt of $495,394 was taken over by the F.M.S. The debt now stands at $150,000.
Kangar, the Government Headquarters, is a very busy little town of about 2,000 inhabitants. The shop-keepers besides selling sundry goods also export padi-the staple product of the country-as well as ducks and fowls forthe Penang market. The chief imports are cottons for native clothing, kerosene, tobacco and sundry odds and ends used by the Malay country people. H.H. the Raja lives at Aran, 6 miles from Kangar, on the Main Trunk Railway from Singapore to Bangkok. In 1910 the State Council abolished the general duty of 3 per cent. on imported goods and now the only goods taxed on import are spirits, beer, wine, tobacco and kerosene. The general duty of 5 per cent. on exports has been abolished and replaced by duties on tin-ore, rubber, jungle produce and other specific products. In 1344 (Mahommedan reckoning), 6,706 piculs of tin-ore were exported.
Many of the lime-stone hills of Perlis contain caves rich in guano deposits. The chief native cultivation is padi. Rubber is represented by a few native plantations which ex- ported 3,674 piculs in 1344.
DIRECTORY
MEMBERS OF STATE COUNCIL
H.H.M. Raja Tuan Syed Alwi, C.B.E.
president
Syed Hamzah, vice-president
'The British Adviser
:Syed Idrus
Haji Mohamed Nor
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Adviser-P. S. Williams, M.C.S.
Commissioner of Lands-Syed Idrus Judges-Haji Ahmad, Syed Hussein and
Syed Mustapha
Collector of Customs-Mohamed Arshad Treasurer-Wan Alımad
Inspector of Police-Che Matt
Chief Kathi-Haji Mohamed Nor