Directory_and_Chronicle_1908 — Page 1398

PAHANG

The State of Pahang lies between Tringganu and Johore, and extends along the eastern side of the peninsula from 2 deg. 40 min. to 4 deg. 35 min. N., its const line being about 130 miles in length. The area of the State is estimated at 10,000 square miles, and its principal river, which drains a large extent of country, is known by the same name. The river Pahang is, however, owing to its shallowness, navigable for small craft only, The country is sparsely populated, there being, according to the census of 1904, 84,113 inhabitants, of whom about 73,462 were Malays and 8,695 Chinese,

The capital of the State is Pekan, a town situated a few miles from the mouth of the river Pahang, where is also the seat of Government. The State is under British protection, and in August, 1888, the Sultan, acting under the advice of the Sultan of Johore, applied for a British Resident to assist in the administration of the country, which request was acceded to in October of that year.

The predominant rock is slate, but granite, sandstone, limestone, quartz, and schist abound, while traces of volcanic action at some remote age are shown by the presence of basalt, trachyte, etc. As regards its minerology, the State has always possessed a high reputation for its product of gold and tin, Though during recent periods these have been but little sought, the wonderful old gold workings discovered by Messrs. Knaggs and Gower show that, wild, desolate and abandoned as the greater portion of the State now appears to be, it must, at some very remote time, have been well known and populated. "At the present day," says Mr. Skinner, "the principal gold mines are in the valley of the Pahang, at Lipis, Jelei, Semantan, and Luet; gold is also found as far south as the Bera. There is also a mine of galena on the Kwantam at Sungei Lembing; and tin is found throughout the country, both in the neighbourhood of the gold mines above mentioned, and in places like the river Triang and the river Bentang, where gold is not worked." The Pahang Corporation has opened tin mines at Sungei Lembing and Jeram Batang, another mine at Kabang having also been commenced. These mines are situated at the Kuantan district. The gold-bearing districts, Punjom and Raub, have, however, attracted far more attention from European capitalists. The principal gold-workings of the peninsula lie almost entirely along a not very wide line drawn from Mounts Ophir and Segama (the southern limit of the auriferous chain), through the very heart of the peninsula to the Kalian Mas or gold-diggings of Patani and Selepin in the north. The best tin workings of Pahang lie near the Selangor hills on the river Bentong and near the gold workings at Jelei and Talom. Palang tin is said to be the only tin on the east coast which can rival that of Perak and Selangor in whiteness and plianey,

The administrative expenditure exceeds the income and the State is heavily in debt with a loan account standing at nearly three and a half millions of dollars, mostly advanced by the State of Selangor. The total value of the import and export seaborne trade is about $3,400,000. Little has been done in planting beyond experimenting with tapioca and coco-nuts. Mining, however, gives encouraging results and there is a considerable demand for mining land. Land is also in demand in the Pekan and Kuantan districts where it is proposed to open up tin mining operations on a very extensive scale. In the Kuala Lipis district extensive areas have been applied for, which it is proposed to work for alluvial gold by improved hydraulic methods. The task of administering the Government of Pahang is hampered by low pay, long hours of work, high cost of living, and poor house accommodation. These check the flow of persons willing to join the Government Service.

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