Directory_and_Chronicle_1913 — Page 1600

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 Bajaus, Dusuns, Sulus, Filipinos, and numbers over 200,000 (see below), which includes about 26,000 Chinese. The chief geographical feature in the territory is the mountain of Kina Balu, about 13,700 feet high. The principal river on the West coast is the Padas; but the country possesses many considerable and valuable rivers. On the East there are the Kinabatangan, Labuk, Sugut, Segama, and many others, The best harbours are those of Jesselton 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 export trade in dried and salted fish is increasing. 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, doer of three kinds, wild cattle, pigs, bears, and pythons. Of game birds there are a few-argus, fireback, and bulwer pheasants, wild duck, many varieties of wild pigeon 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, &e. The chief exports are tobacco, copra, timber, cutch and rattans, gutta-percha, rabber, birds'-nests, seed pearls, biche de mer, sharks' fins, camphor, tortoise-shell, beeswax, and other natural products, which are brought in from the interior, the neighboring Salu Archipelago, etc. Coal fields are now being exploited throughout the territory. The Cowie Harbour Coal Mines at Silipopon have been worked with great success. For transporting coal there are three lighters capable of carring 450 tons each, and two of 10 tons each. The collieries are at present sufficiently developed to yield up to 500 tons a day,

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coal-handling arrangements in order. output in 1911 amounted to 34,920 tons. About 3,000 tons of coal is stocked at mines and at Sobatik, and there are generally 1,000 tons at least in stock at Sandakan. The British Borneo and Burmah Petroleum Syndicate have acquired a large tract of land on the west coast in the Klias Peninsula, where they had located an oil-field. Following upon this discovery, they have taken upon lease 410 square miles of territory, and are now engaged in prospecting extensive areas and in developing property which affords every prospect of yielding oil in payable quantities.

expenditure incurred to put PPly is available and some small additional capital

The revenue of the territory in 1910 amounted to £247,559, and the expenditure to £95, 07: in 1911 the revenue was £180,646 and the expenditure £36,745. The revenne for 1919, it should be explained, however, included £80,01) derived from Concessions and £16,792 from Land Sales, whereas in 1911 there was no income from Concessions and only £397 from Land Sales, Tobacco planting promises to become a great and profitable industry, and the tobacco already raised obtains a rerly sale at very high prices. Cutch is extracted from mangrove bark and is being exported in increasing quantities. Rubber is the latest and most popular industry. There are now thirty companies operating in British North Borneo, the majority being engaged in rubber growing, while others are engaged in coconut and tobacco cultivation. There are upwards of 23,000 acres under rubber. One company hula crop of 28), 419 coconuts in 1911, and the export of copra was 1,183,866 }bs. against 1,034,533 lbs. in 1910, The output of tobacco was 13.750 bales compard with 13,503 bales in 1919. The export of timber amounted to 1,311,539 cubic feet against 1,218,967 cubic feet in 1910. The popula- tion of the town of Sandakan, the capital of the territory, was 8.256 in 1911, of whom 66 were Europeans and 5,942 Chinese. There are several sections of railway, totalling about 139 miles now open. The longest line runs from Jesselton to Tenom, 93 miles.

94 The railway is playing an important part in the development of the Company. The

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