Directory_and_Chronicle_1913 — Page 1447

SELANGOR

This protected native State, containing an area of about 3,200 square miles, lies on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula, and is bounded by the protected native States of Perak on the north and Negri Sembilan on the south, extending inland to the mountains in the centre of the peninsula, which divide it from Pahang and Jelebu.

The Government consists of the Sultan, advised by the British Resident, and assisted by the State Council. The State is divided into the following six districts:- 1. Kuala Lumpur, the central district, where the Residency and principal Government Offices are situated, and which also contains the richest tin mines that have yet been developed. 2-Klang, the principal port, situated about 14 miles from the mouth of the Klang River. 3.--Kuala Langat, an agricultural district, in which the Sultan resides. 4.-Kuala Selangor, containing the most important fisheries in the State. 6.-Ulu Langat, an inland mining district on the borders of Negri Sembilan. 6.--Ulu Selangor, a district adjoining Perak, containing much valuable mining land, as yet comparatively undeveloped.

Each district is under the charge of a European District Officer, from whom the Native Penghulus (in charge of the mukims into which each district is sub-divided) receive instructions The Police Force consists of a deputy Commissioner, assistant deputy Commissioner, seven European inspectors, and 568 native non-commissioned officers and men.

The population of Selangor in 1884, when the first census was taken, was 46,768; but at the last census, in 1911, the returns gave a total of 294,035, of whom 150,908 were Chinese, 64,952 Malays, 74,067 natives of India, 1,318 Europeans, 1,739 aborigines.

The principal industry of the State, and from which it derives the largest portion of its revenue, is alluvial tin mining, on which a duty is charged.

In addition to its mineral resources the State, however, possesses large tracts of land well adapted for agricultural purposes, and the removal of restrictions on the free importation of Indian coolies into the Protected Native States rendered it possible for European planters to obtain cheap labour and to open estates on a large scale. Small plantations of coffee, coconuts and pepper have already been successfully commenced, and rice, sugar and other products of the Peninsula under native cultivation are doing well in various parts of the State, and to encourage pioneer planters, large grants of land have in recent years been made, on special terms, for the planting of sago, pepper, and gambier. But the principal agricultural product here, as in the other Malay States, is rubber: The year 1911 saw a marked expansion in rubber, coconut and coffee production. There were 413.499 acres alienated for agricultural purposes at the end of the year, comprising 145,222 acres under rubber, cocounts 33,355 acres, coffee 9,575, rico 4,312 and gambier 746 acres. Two hundred and fifty-three estates produced 11, 135,996 lbs, of rubber,

The principal exports are tin, rubber, hides, garmwood, tapioca, canes, rattans, and guttapercha. The principal imports are opium, salt, salt-fish, rice, oil, tobacco and tea. The only import duties are on opium and spirituous liquors, while export duties are payable only on minerals, agricultural products, ivory, fish, horns and hides, jungle produce and guttapercha. The export duty on tin has, in recent years. amounted to about four million dollars a year, the duty on the gross value of the tin being, roughly, 14 per cent. There were 71,233 acres alienated for mining at the end of 1911, mostly for tin. Tin and tin ore exported amounted to 231,175 piculs against 240,192 in 1910, but owing to the higher jrice ruling in 1911 the duty collected was $2,822,868 as compared with $2,388,770 in 1910. Of wolfram 1,562 piculs were exported. Coal has been discovered at Rawang, and promises to give a valuable new industry to the State.

There is frequent and regular communication, by means of coasting steamers, between the Straits Settlements and Selangor, and from Kuala Lumpur à system of cart and bridle roads extends to the boundaries of Perak, Negri Sembilan and Pahang, A line of metre gauge railway, connecting Kuala Lumpur with Klang (a distance of 21 miles 14 chains) was formally opened by Sir F. Weld, then Governor of the Straits Settlements, on the 15th Sept., 1886, and an extension, Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Kubu, was opened on the 6th October, 1894. A further extension, Kuala Kubu to Tanjong Malim, on the Perak frontier (14 miles 45 chains), was completed and opened on November 1st,

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