1380
PERAK
The climate of Perak is good, the temperature in the low country averaging from 60° Fahr. in the night to 90 Fahr. in the heat of the day. The average mean is about 70° Fahr. in the night and 87 Fair. in the day. The nights are uniformly cool. At 3,000 feet the average is 63 Fahr. at night to 732 in the day. The rainfall varies consid- erably, Taiping, the capital, registering as much as 154 inches, but the average else where is about 90 inches. There is no true rainy season, but the wettest months are October, November and December, and the driest are March, June and July.
The State has been under British Protection since 1874 and has since that date been administered under the advice of the British Resident. The State Council, a deliberative, legislative and advisory body, consists of the Sultan and several Malay Chiefs, the British Resident, the Secretary to Resident, a British unofficial member, and four Chinese members.
The seat of Government is at Taiping in the Larut district, three hours from Penang by railway. The Malay States Guides, a body of Indian troops maintained and equipped by the Rulers of the Federated Malay States, are quartered at Taiping. The residence of His Highness the Sultan is at Bukit Chandan in the town of Kuala Kangsar, reached by rail from Taiping in about an hour. The High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States has also a residence at Kuala Kangsar, which town, situated as it is on the Perak river, here some 200 yards wide, lies in the midst of beautiful scenery and is the centre of the Malay life of Perak, and it is here that meetings of the Federal Council are held. The British Resident has residences at Taiping and Ipoh.
The most important district in Perak is Kinta, of which the principal town is Ipoh- reached by rail from Penang in five and a half hours. The tin deposits in the Kinta valley and neighbourhood are of great value, and recent developments in rubber plant- ing have brought a new agricultural industry into the district. Mining is here con- ducted on the most scientific principles, and many mines are equipped with the latest machinery.
Other districts in Perak are Krian on the Province Wellesley (Penang) border. Here the Government has completed an extensive and costly irrigation scheme and large areas are under rice, sugar and rubber. A somewhat similar district is Lower Perak, in which is situated Teluk Anson, the principal port of the State, This port is connected by a branch railway with the main line of the Federated Malay States Railway and there is frequent communication by steamers between Penang and Singapore.
The Larut district was formerly famous for its tin deposits, and faction fights for the possession of the tin mines before 1874 were the immediate cause of the British intervention in and eventual protection of Perak. The Larut mines have of late years, however, somewhat sunk in importance.
Matang, a sub-district of Larut, contains several large rubber estates and a con- siderable fishing industry exists on its coast.
The large districts of Batang Padang and Upper Perak are as yet less developed than the rest of the State. The railway runs through the Batang Padang district six miles from the headquarter town of Tapah, for which the station, Tapah Road, is some seven hours from Penang. A metalled cart road is now being completed to Grit, the headquarters of the Upper Perak district.
The population of Perak in 1911 was 494,057 as compared with 329,665 in 1901. It included in 1911 217,206 Chinese, 199,034 Malays and other natives of the Archipelago, 73,539 natives of India, 1,396 Europeans and 845 Eurasians. In 1913, the mean popula- tion was estimated at 531,037. The Chinese form the labour force of the tin mines and the Tamil natives of India the labour force of the plantations, but it is noticeable that large numbers of Tamils are now employed in the mines. The Malays engage in native cultivation and various other pursuits.
The Federated Malay States Railway runs through the whole length of Perak from Parit Buntar on the Penang (Province Wellesley) border to Tanjong Malim on the Selangor border. Branch railways run from Taiping to Port Weld and from Tapah Road to Teluk Anson, thus connecting the coast with the interior. There are over 755 miles of excellent roads, and telegraph and telephone lines throughout the State.
The revenue for 1913 amounted to $23,970,058 against $23,232,724 in 1912, and the expenditure to $25,801,040 against $16,372,251 in 1912. At the end of 1913 the balance of assets at the credit of the State was $38,220,636. A record was created in 1913 in the value of both imports and exports. Statistics were as follow:-
Imports Exports...
1912 .$ 30,586,750
71,715,191
1913 $ 34,286,777 71,402,985
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