SINGAPORE
1180
on the occasion of the Singapore Centenary on 6th February, 1919. A dignified and imposing cenotaph has been erected on the esplanade to commemorate men from the Settlement who fell in the Great War. This memorial was unveiled by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales on the occasion of his visit in 1922.
There are Recreation, Sporting, Rowing, Swimming, Shooting, Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Golf, Art, and Reading Clubs. There is a well equipped Library and Museum. There are several good hotels, of which the Raffles, the Europe and the Adelphi are the best. The daily press is represented by the Straits Times, Singapore Free Press and Malaya Tribune. The Government Gazette is published weekly. There are also several Japanese, Chinese and Malay papers.
Singapore is a free port, there being no Customs Duties, but Excise Duties are levied on alcoholic liquors, opium, tobacco and petroleum. There are no Port, Harbour, Docks, Town or Light dues. The Harbour is practically landlocked by islands, and the rise and fall of ordinary spring tides is 9 feet. Although the majority of ocean- going steamers are berthed at the Harbour Board's wharves, many vessels discharge and load in the Inner and Outer Harbour, the Inner Harbour being protected from the north-east monsoon by a mole of granite rubble nearly a mile long. The Singapore Harbour Board's premises are about a mile to the westward of the town. The Singapore Harbour Board, constituted under Ordinance No. 130 (Ports) now control all the wharves and commercial dry docks in Singapore. The Board's assets and capital outlay at June -30th, 1930, totalled 80,680,000 i.e., £9,412,660 sterling (exchange being fixed by Govern- ment at 2s. 4d. per Straits Settlements Dollar). There are 11,077 lineal feet of wharves, including Empire Dock (24 acres) with 30 feet depth of water at L.W.O.S.T. There is storage capacity for about 150,000 tons of cargo, and some 150,000 tons of coal, the stocks being chiefly Natal, Japanese, Indian and Welslı, but there is a variety of supplies from local sources such as Borneo, Sumatra and Sarawak. The Board own steam tugs with complete fire and salvage plant, shear legs with lifting capacity to 60 tons, cranes, railways (11 miles), launches, and over 100 lighters and other appliances for the expeditious handling of cargo. There is an installation for the bunkering with fuel oil of ships at the Wharves.
There are five dry docks, one of these ("The King's") being divided by an intermediate caisson into two docks of 486 and 325 feet each, and its equipment includes a 30-ton electric travelling crane. The machines and tools in the Board's workshops have recently been extensively replaced with up-to-date appliances electrically driven and capable of effecting repairs to vessels of the largest class and their machinery. Castings and for- gings of the largest size can be made on the Board's premises. The power of the electric plant totals 5,000 k.w. Almost all the machinery on the premises is electrically driven. The Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, are the Board's sole agents in England.
Penang is a free port with the exception of duties levied on Alcoholic Liquors, Tobacco and Cigars, Opium and Petroleum. There are no port or harbour dues. The Harbour is sheltered from the monsoons by Penang Island on the West and Province Wellesley on the East. The rise and fall of ordinary spring tides is 7'3". The rise or ordinary neap tides L.W.O.S.T. is 4'6". A constant depth of water alongside Swettenham Wharf, which is 1200 ft. long, is maintained 30' L.W.O.S.T. The total area of the Penang Harbour Board's godowns is 186,000 square feet. There is anchorage accommodation in the Penang Roads for from 15 to 20 ocean-going steamers within easy reach of the quays. The Penang Harbour Board owns 9 steam tugs of varying capacity. They also have 5 steam cranes with a lifting capacity from 3 to 7 tons, one 15 tons steam crane at Prye Dock, & one 10 ton steam crane at Bagan Dalam Slipway, 14 electric cranes with a lifting capacity from 1 ton up to 3 tons, and one 3 ton overhead electric crane. A good supply of excellent water is available. A regular ferry service for passengers, motor cars and lor- ries between Penang and Butterworth is maintained by the Penang Harbour Board and regular ferry service is also run between Penang and Prai Railway Station in connection with the F.M. S. Railways. The Penang Harbour Board operates a graving dock on the left bank of Prai River near the entrance, 340' long by 50' wide at entrance with a depth on sill of 14 at spring tides. The workshop is fitted with up-to-date machinery electrically driven for small ships repairs. Also a slipway on the right bank of Prai River beyond Prye River Dock with a patent slip 450' long by 76' wide, carriage, 151 x 26'. Coal is stored on the F.M.S. railways premises at Prai and is handled by them.