Directory_and_Chronicle_1920 — Page 1335

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PERAK

of the Malay life of Perak, and it is here that meetings of the Federal Council are some- times 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 eon- 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 constructed an extensive and costly irrigation scheme and large areas are under rice 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 had of late years somewhat sunk in importance, but are now the centre of the bucket-dredging industry. Matang, a sub-district of Larut, contains many 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 has been completed to Grik, 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 1918, the mean popula- tion was estimated at 605,964. 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 some 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 about 900 miles of excellent roads, and telegraph and telephone lines throughout the State.

The revenue for 1918 amounted to $35,175,036 against $31,923,825 in 1917, and the expenditure to $22,725,152 against $19,897,020 in 1917. At the end of 1918 the balance of assets at the credit of the State was $62,894,438. The total value of the trade for 1918 amounted to $137,378,688, a decrease of $11,459,300 on the previous year. Statistics were as follow:-

Imports Exports..

1917 ..$28,237,818 120,600,169

1918 $ 29,046,430 108,332,258

The output of tin in 1917 amounted to 414,000 piculs and the value to $45,121,845- compared with 386,126 piculs at a value of $58,242,741 in 1918.

Under coconuts there were about 90,833 acres. Practically the whole delta between the Bernam and Perak rivers has been alienated for cultivation, and in a few years this vast plain, which was formerly dense jungle, will present an unbroken field of coconut palms.

The total area under rubber at the end of 1918 amounted to 351,096 acres. The export of rubber was 30,219 tons against 30,129 tons in 1917.

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