Directory_and_Chronicle_1902 — Page 1250

SARAWAK-BRITISH NORTH BORNEO

SARAWAK CUTCH Co., LD., Santubong

H. H. Everett, manager

F. D. Toyne

SARAWAK GAZETTE

F. H. Dallas, editor

SARAWAK Golf Club

President-Hon. C. A. Bampfylde Hon. Secretary—R. Shelford

SARAWAK MUSEUM

Curator-R. Shelford, B.A.

SARAWAK READING ROOM

Hon. Secretary—Dr. A. J. G. Barker

C. Poncelet, librarian

SARAWAK & SINGAPORE STEAMSHIP CO., Ld.

Agents-The Borneo Company, Ld. Agents in S'pore-Ong Ewe Hai & Co.

! SCHOOLS

Mission Schools (S.P.G.), Kuching

B. C. Perry, head master

C. Poncelet, assistant

J. Skadiang, do.

697

Miss Clarkson, the Misses Sharp (two),

and mistresses, Girls' School

Quop School

Rev. F. W. Nichols

Rev. Chong Ah Luk Sabu School, Undup Rev. W. Howell Banting School

Rev. E. Gomes, M.A. Kalakka School

Rev. E. Gomes, M.A. Government Free School, Kuching

Malay-Inchi Sawal, Salleh Government Chinese School, Bau

Teacher-Jee Nvat Poh

Sarawak Union (oldboys of S.P.G. Mission)

President The Bishop

Vice President--Vicar of Kuching Secretary-B. C. Perry

-

BRITISH NORTH BORNEO

This territory, formerly known as Sabah, situated at the northern end of the island of Borneo, has a coast line of about 500 miles. The population is made up of Malays, Bajans, Sulus, Filipinos, and is supposed to number about 170,000, which includes about 12,000 Chinese. The chief geographical feature in the territory is the mountain of Kina Balu, about 13,698 feet high. The principal river on the West coast is the Padus; on the East there are the Kinabatangan, Labuk, Sibuku, Sugut, Segama, and many others. The best harbours are those of Gaya on the West coast, Kudat on the North, and Sandakan on the East.

The climate is particularly pleasant for the tropics; the days are rarely very hot, while a blanket is often required at night; and very little inconvenience is experienced from insect pests, such as mosquitoes and the like. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disturbances are unknown. The seas are teeming with fish, and the prospects of an export trade in dried and salted fish are encouraging. Trade with Hongkong, especially in timber, is well established, and steamers for Hongkong and Singapore, whence the majority of the trade supplies are obtained, are frequent. Amongst the zoological productions of North Borneo are to be noted elephants, rhinoceros, deer of three kinds, wild cattle, pigs, bears, &c. There are pythons of 20 feet and upwards in length; but other snakes, particularly poisonous varieties, are very rare. Of game birds there are a few-argus, tire back, and Bulwer pheasants, three sorts of partridges, many pigeons and doves, snipe, and quail.

Sandakan has a magnificent harbour and is the chief place of trade. The imports include cloth, rice, hardware, manufactured goods of all kinds, opium, Chinese tobacco, Chinese coarse crockery, matches, biscuits, oil, sugar, &c. The chief exports are tobacco, timber, cutch and rattans, gutta-percha, india-rubber, birdsnests, seed pearls, trepang, sharkstins, camphor, cutch, tortoiseshell, dried cuttle fish, beeswax, and other natural products, which are brought in from the interior, the neighbouring Sulu Archipelago, &c. The imports for the whole colony for 1900 amounted to 83,178,929 as compared with $2,456,998 in 1899 and 82,419,097 in 1898 and $1,887,498 in 1897; and the exports to $3,336,621 in 1900 as compared with 83,439,560 in 1899 and 82,881,851 in 1898 and $2,942,293 in 1897. The revenue in 19007 (exclusive of $1,264 land sales) was $587,226, and in 1898 8503,307, and the ordinary expenditure was 8398,152 and in 1898 $387,261, extraordinary expenditure on capital account in 1930 being 8921,488. Tobacco-planting promises to become a great and

Digitized by

Google

Page 1250Page 1251