Directory_and_Chronicle_1916 — Page 1461

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SELANGOR-THE NEGRI SEMBILAN

WOLSKEL & Co.. H., Merchants -8, Weld

Road, Kuala Lumpur

W. G. C. Blunn, representative Agencies

Brunner Mond & Co., Ltd., Northwich Wood-Milne, Ltd., Preston "Sun Beam" Motor Cycles

"Wolf" Brand Stout and Lager Beer

1335

YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, THE

-Kuala Lumpur

President Jas. Craig Vice-President-B. Purdy

Hon. Vice-Presidents--E. S. Hose, J. R. O. Aldworth, Dr. S. L. Sansom, Hon. Mr. W. F. Nutt Hon. Secretary-A. E. Perera Hon. Treasurer A. Eberwein General Secretary-Vacant

THE NEGRI SEMBILAN

This is a group of seven States-Johol, Tambin, Sri Menanti, Jempol, Rembau Sungei Ujong and Jelebu, the two latter having been confederated with the original .group of five in 1895. They occupy together some 3,000 square miles of the interior of the peninsula, bounded on the north and east by Pahang, on the west by Malacca, and on the south by Johore. The five States originally known as the Negri Sembilan were brought under British protection by Sir Frederick Weld in 1883, and by an agreement with the respective chiefs, signed on the 13th July, 1889, they were con- federated as one Residency. They are governed by the native chiefs or penghulus, assisted by the British Resident and Magistrates under him..

Under the later scheme of confederation, brought into force in 1895, by which Sungei Ujong and Jelebu were brought in, there are five districts, viz., Seremban, the Coast, Jelebu, Kuala Pilah, and Tampin. Seremban is the head office, where the Resident and heads of departments reside. Heads of departments are for the whole State, and thus a double staff is saved, as had two States remained alone it would have been necessary, as the Negri Sembilan developed, to make further appointments of European officers. The political affinity of the States is undoubted, and the same tribal and customary laws exist in both, together with the system of the election of the chiefs. The population of the Negri Sembilan at the 1911 census was 130,199, of whom 69,745 were Malays, 40,843 Chinese, and 18,248 Indians. The estimated population at the end of 1913 was 137,887, of whom: 461 were Europeans.

Sungei Ujong and Jelebu have together an area of about 1,200 square miles, and a range of hills in the north attain a height of about 3,800 feet, the slopes of which have been pronounced by Ceylon planters as most suitable for the cultivation of coffee, cocoa, and other tropical pro:lucts. On the lower ground, nearer the coast, tapioca is success- fully cultivated, but during the past year or two, tapioca as well as coffee and coconut cultivation have been abandoned to a considerable extent in favour of rubber. Tin mining is carried on to a considerable extent. The river Linggi is the only consider- able stream in the State, and was formerly navigable for upwards of 40 miles from its mouth. The principal town of Sungei Ujong is Seremban. The port of Sungei Ujong was opened on the 1st September, 1884, at Pengkalan Kompas on the Linggi river, at a distance of about seven miles from the mouth of the river, and a well laid-out town has sprung up. Port Dickson (district and port) lies south-west of Seremban, and promises to become of some importance. The harbour has from eleven to fifteen fathoms of water and is well sheltered. A railway connecting it with Seremban was opened in July, 1891, and has greatly facilitated trade. The State is now traversed by the F.M.S. railway system, and the road system is a subject of favourable comment by all who visit the country.

The revenue of the State in 1914 was $2,580,617 against $3,071,799 in 1913, and the expenditure $3,801,602 against $2,674,641 in 1913. The balance of assets to the credit of the State amounts to $1,517,177. Imports in 1914 were valued at $6,067,473 against $6,399,896 in 1913, and exports at $11,884,280 against $13,360,780 in 1913. These figures, however, are no true index of the total trade of the State, as much of the merchandise produced and consumed in the State is imported via Selangor.

To

Rubber leads in agricultural produce, with a planted area of 117,000 acres. rice 28,000 acres were devoted, to coconuts 20,595, and to gambier 4,500. The total acreage of mining land was 18,518, the output of tin being 28,512 piculs against 31,658 in 1913, the value of the 1914 output being returned as $2,093,931. Of wolfram 1,920 piculs were produced in 1914, and 64 ounces of gold.