Directory_and_Chronicle_1923 — Page 1261

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SINGAPORE

vegetables, pepper and ground nuts. Coconut cultivation increased rapidly for a time but more recently there has been a strong tendency to substitute rubber for coconut, which has been officially declared to be "not an advisable policy."

Singapore offers but few points of salient interest to visitors, the Botanical Gardens at Tanglin, the Waterworks in Thomson Road, and the Raffles Library and Museum being its only show places. A considerable mileage of electric tramway is now in operation. A railway across the island was sanctioned by a vote of the Legislative Council in 1899, and was opened for traffic on 1st January, 1903. An extension to the Tanjong Pagar Docks and neighbourhood was sanctioned and now runs as far as Pasir Panjang. This line of 14 miles was the first section of a projected Malay Peninsula, and India Railway, passing through and opening up the countries of Johore, Malacca, the Native Malay States, some Siamese territory and Burma, on to Calcutta. The Railway now runs direct from Singapore to Penang; it has been extended on the West Coast through Kedah and Perlis and is now connected with the Siamese railway system. The journey, at present, from Singapore to Bangkok can be made in three days, and from Penang in two days. The railway has also been constructed from a junction at Gemas, near the northern boundary of Johore, through the eastern State of Pahang, and will eventually be extended through Kelantan to form another link with the Siamese railway system on the East Coast. The Singapore Railway was purchased in 1913 for £482,533 by the Federated Malay States Government from the Colonial Government in order to unify the British Malayan railway system under one management. There is a train ferry between the Island of Singapore and the mainland, but work is in progress on the construction of a causeway across the Straits of Johore to carry a double line of rails and a motor road. The distance from Singapore to Calcutta by sea is just over 2,000 miles.

DIRECTORY

GOVERNMENT OFFICES

ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT

Attorney-General Sir William

Murison

Solicitor-General-G, G. Seth

Deputy Public Prosecutor, Penang

--Major N. H. P. Whitley, M.C.

Office Assistant-Lee KweeSiew

AUDIT OFFICE

Auditor-General, S.S.-C. H. G.

Clarke (acting)

Chief Clerk-G. Veragoo Clerks, Class I.-E. A. Pereira, A. S. Pereira, J. W. Pereira, Wm. Thurriappa, H. H. de Souza, R. Murugiah, Omar bin Merhaban