Directory_and_Chronicle_1908 — Page 1396

JOHORE-FEDERAETD MALAY STATES

Tel. Ad.

I

JOHORE HOTEL, Johore Bahru

Johtel, Codes A.B.C., 5th Edition and Unicode, Teleph. No. 464

Manager-P. Debieux

KADANA GOLD MINING Co., LD., Mount

Ophir, Muar, Johore

No permanent officials

ROYAL JOHORE TIN MINING Co.

Directors-C. B. Buckley, R. A. J.

Bidwell, W. Ewald, J. Salomon Manager-G. A. le Doux

1259

Messrs. Huttenbach Bros., general

agents, Singapore

SAW MILLS-JOHORE STEAM, Johore Bharu

Fraser & Cumming, lessees

H. P. Bagley, manager (signs per pro.)

R. Cameron, superintendent

W. Cameron, engineer

SINGAPORE AND JOHORE RUBBER Co., Lð., Office - Winchester House, Singapore Plantation-Muar, Johore

F. Pears, manager

C. C. F. Crowther, assistant

FEDERATED MALAY STATES

The Protected States comprise four Residencies, namely, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang. These have been federated, the federation taking effect from the 1st July, 1896, and the administration is presided over by a British Öfficer styled the Resident-General. Each State has its own Resident and the native rulers retain their titles and dignity. The head offices are at Kwala Lumpur, Selangor.

The record of these States is one of progress and prosperity. The revenue for 1906, after providing for an expenditure of $3,221,701 on the Johore railway, showed a surplus of $5,000,000. The aggregate recorded value of the trade for the year was $131,758,931 an increase of nearly $1,000,000 compared with the abnormal returns of the previous year. The High Commissioner in a despatch to the Colonial Office, published in November, 1903, remarked that these States had then 350 miles of railway (which have been paid for out of current revenue), yielding good income; they have 2,000 miles of roads; and over 1,000 miles of telegraphs. Waterworks, wharves, hospitals, prisons, schools, and many other public buildings have been con- structed, while the Government of Perak is engaged upon an important scheme of irrigation which will benefit about 60,000 acres of land and cost about $100,000. The principal sources of revenue and prosperity are the alluvial tin deposits which, at the present price of the metal, can be worked at considerable profit. About 600,000 tons of tin, worth over £50,000,000 sterling, have been exported during the last fifteen

years. Tin has been worked in the Malay Peninsula for centuries, and it is believed it will still be produced there centuries hence. The industry has grown of recent years to very large proportions, but it would take a long time to work out the alluvial deposits in the lands already alienated, and these comprise but a fraction of the unexplored lands which still remain, where there is every reason to believe the mineral will be found in payable quantities. This only applies to alluvial deposits, No one can guess what are the reserves of ore in underground rock formations, as at Kwantan in Pahang, Slim in Perak, and Jelebu in the Negri Sembilan. While the area of mining land increased by 6,285 acres in 1906, and large profits or the tin produced were realised, the output in all four States showed a falling off. The Government has not, however, over- looked the fact that in the export of tin its capital was being reduced, and it has made an effort to supply another and more useful investment by the construction of Railways, with part at least of the revenue. Since British Protection the royalty on Tin has yielded a total of over $50,000,000, and the Federated States have in the same time expended $29,000,000 in the construction of railways. The profits give a return of over 6 per cent, on the capital expended.

Planting enterprise in the Federated Malay States has not hitherto proved very successful but that has not been due to any lack of enterprise or hard work on the part of the planters, who when one product failed tried another. The prospects of rubber, according to the High Commissioner, are so good that, unless some unforeseen disaster happens, the future is full of promise for those who have taken up this cultivation. Within the last couple of years great strides have been made in the planting of Para rubber. In a single year the area under cultivation has increased from 38,000 to

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