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BRUNEI
The road from Brunei Town to Tutong (30 miles) was opened to through traffic in 1927 and a rapid expansion of development has already resulted. An extension was made from Tutong Village to the beach, and five wooden bridges were erected near the mouths of the main streams situate between the Tutong and Belait Rivers. They have made it possible to travel by motor car along the sandy beach from Kuala Tutong to Kuala Belait, the headquarters of the British Malayan Petroleum Company, Limited.
A wireless telegraphic installation of the most modern type was opened in 1921, with a central station at Brunei and subsidiary stations at Labuan and in each of the districts. It places every part of Brunei in telegraphic communication with Singapore and Europe.
Petty wars, head-hunting raids, and the jealousy of the numerous chiefs, coupled with the existence of slavery, rendered agriculture impossible in the past. Since the appointment of a resident British official, the common people have shown eagerness to take up land and plant coconuts. The rivers are fringed with the nipah palm; the forests of the interior abound in rattans; there are large areas of the sago palm, which is worked by the natives and sold to Chinese traders for export to the Singapore market. The wild rubber tree, Jelutong (dyera costulata), is common, and is worked for export. There are 4 European companies operating rubber estates. At Brunei Town, the Island Trading Company, Ltd., has its cutch factory, employing several hundreds of hands. The value of cutch exported in 1931 was $194,457, compared with $220,080 in 1930.
În 1914, payable oil was found for the first time in the District of Belait, at a depth of 1,820 ft. At first the flow was 25 tons daily, but a week's pumping test reduced this to an average of six tons. The British Malayan Petroleum Co., Ltd., has now obtained a lease of this area and is conducting extensive operations. The prospects are promi- sing, and are even brighter still in the area along the sea-shore at Kuala Belait where the same Company is carrying on prospecting and where good "shows" of oil have already been located.
Native industries are few. Brunei silver-work and brass-ware enjoys a certain vogue, and would be appreciated if it could be expeditiously put on the market. The women also weave silk cloths and sarongs.
The natives are expert fishermen and the coast waters abound in excellent fish, which- with rice-form the staple diet of the people. The principal imports are piece goods, tobacco, rice, kerosene and sugar. The main exports are cutch, rubber, sago and jungle produce. The export of rubber in 1931 was $1,622, 454 lbs. Para rubber was exported for the first time in 1914-about 7,000 lbs. The value of rubber exports in 1931 was $161,204. Some Chinese have begun to plant pepper, a product for which Brunei was famous 150 years ago.
The public revenue in 1931 amounted to $342,011, as against $333,609 in 1930, and expenditure to $322,791, as against $379,604 in 1930.
DIRECTORY
Sultan-His Highness AHMAD TAJUDIN AKHAZUL KHAIRI WAD-DIN
Ministers of State and Regents-PNEGIRAN Bendahara AND PENGIRAN PEMANCHA
BRITISH RESIDENT'S OFFICE British Resident-T., F. Carey Chief Clerk-Ibrahim bin Mohd. Jalfar
COURTS
Judge T. F. Carey
Magistrates - R. C. Gates, Ibrahim Bin Mohd. Jahfar, Dr. E. W. Mar- tindell, Pengiran Usop Bin Pen- giran Bahar
CUSTOMS, MONOPOLIES AND MARINE Superintendent-Chua Law Lee
Clerks Pangiran Ahmad, Ahmad bin
Daud, Y. F. Humphrey
Humphrey Kong (Brunei), Pangiran Bakar and Lim Eng Kong (Kuala Belait), Abdul Wahab (Tutong), Abdullah (Kuala Labu) and Mohamad Sulaiman (Muira)
Serang Masu Engineer-Sulaiman
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT Medical Officer-J. W. Winchester