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. The British Advisers have 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 1931 comprised 49,279 persons, of whom 40,021 were Malays, 6,500 Chinese and about 1,790 Siamese. The revenue in the first year of British Protection was $102,522. For the Mohammedan year 1352 (26th April, 1933, to 15th April, 1934) the revenue was $530,709 and expenditure $464,457, as compared with $513,874 and $416,574 in the previous year. With the transference of suzerainty a debt of $495,394 was taken over by the F.M.S. The debt has since been repaid.
Kangar, the Government Headquarters, is a 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 for the 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 Arau, 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. Till 1932 (A. H. 1351) the only goods on which imported duties were levied were spirits, beer, wine, tobacco, kerosene, petroleum, matches, sugar and cartridges. At the end of 1932 as a result of the Ottawa Conference, additional duties were imposed on a number of articles, the chief of which are cotton goods, milk, perfumery, and rubber goods. Articles manufactured within the British Empire are entitled to preferential rates of duty. The general duty of 5 per cent. on exports has been abolished and replaced by duties on rice, tin-ore, rubber, jungle produce and other specific products. In 1351 (Mahommedan reckoning), 7,182 pikuls of tin-ore were exported. Many of the lime- hills of Perlis contain caves rich in guano deposits. The chief native cultivation is padi. Rubber is represented by a few native plantations. [Note: 2 dollar=2s. 4d. 1 pikul=1333 lbs.]
DIRECTORY
MEMBERS OF STATE COUNCIL
H. H. The Raja, Tuan Syed Alwi, C.M.G.,
C.B.E., president
Tuan Syed Hamzah, vice-president
The British Adviser
Tuan Syed Idrus
Tuan Haji Muhammad Nor
Tuan Haji Ahmad
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Adviser-O. E. Venables, M.c.s. Commissioner of Lands-vacant
Judges--Haji Ahmad, Syed Hussin and
Syed Hassan
Collector of Customs and Supt., Chandu
Monopoly-Syed Bakar Aljaffrie Treasurer-Haji Ismail
Chief of Police-Che Matt
Chief Kathi-Haji Muhammad Nor
Clerk of Councils--Syed Darus Jamalulil
Bangkok
Ports
Macao