Directory_and_Chronicle_1925 — Page 1606

STATE OF 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 and Muruts, and is estimated to number 258,000, which includes about 37,642 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. On the East there are the Kinabatangan, Labuk, Sugut, Segama, and many other valuable rivers. The best harbours are those of Jesselton on the West coast, Kudat on the North, Sandakan and Cowie Harbour on the East, the two last-named being very spacious and possessing great potentialities.

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 there- is a large export trade in dried and salted fish. Trade with Singapore, Hongkong and the Philippines is well established. A weekly steamship service is maintained between North Borneo ports and Singapore by the Straits Steamship Company, and steamers run regularly to Hongkong and the Philippines. A local fortnightly service is maintained by the Sabah Steamship Company, and a monthly service by the Osaka Shosen Kaisha from Formosa, the ports of call being Hongkong, Sandakan, Batavia, Semarang, Sourabaya, and Macassar. There are in all six lines of steamships maintaining communication with North Borneo. A great impetus is being given to Sandakan and the whole territory by the now frequent calling of the three Aus- tralia-China lines--the Australian Oriental Line, the Eastern and Australian S.S. Co., Ltd., and the China and Australia S.S. Co., Ltd. The vessels originally came to Sandakan for bunker supplies only, but they are finding an increasing freight and passenger traffic and this should steadily expand. Most of the trade supplies are obtained from and through Singapore; and with Hongkong there is a brisk and increasing trade in timber. Flour and other food-stuffs are now being introduced from Australia, and the business is a fast growing one. Amongst the zoological productions of North Borneo are to be noted elephants, rhinoceros, deer of three kinds, wild cattle, proboscis monkey, orang-utang, 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, the capital, has a magnificent harbour and is the chief place of trade. Jesselton, on the West coast, is developing, and several of the Government Departments are located there. It is also one of the termini of the State Railway. The imports include cloth, rice, hardware, manufactured goods of all kinds, Chinese tobacco, Chinese coarse crockery, matches, machinery, biscuits, oil, sugar, etc. The chief exports are rubber, tobacco, copra, timber, cutch, coal, native tobacco, rattans, gutta-percha, birds'-nests, sced pearls, bêche de mer, sharks' fins, camphor, tortoise-shell, beeswax, and other natural products, which are brought in from the interior, the neighbouring Sulu Archipelago, etc.

Coal is being worked in the S.E. of the territory. The Cowie Harbour Coal Mines- at Silimpopon have extracted over 912,000 tons of coal since 1907. The coal is trans- ported from the colliery to the shipping port of Sebattik and to Sandakan by means of lighters, which have been built in Borneo. The development of the collieries has been largely increased during the past two years. The output during 1923 was 62,671 tons. A reserve of 8,000 tons is maintained at Sebattik, where coal is loaded by mechanical plant at a rate of about 750 tons daily, and about 3,000 tons are stocked at Sandakan, which port can accommodate vessels drawing up to 24/25 ft. of water, the coal wharf having been extended. The British Borneo and Burmah Petroleum Syndicate have acquired, under lease, a large tract of land on the west coast in the Klias Peninsula. They have also sunk wells in the Island of Mangalum.

Receipts in North Borneo amounted to £357,404 in 1923, as compared with £210,197 in 1913, the pre-war year. Expenditure was £226,586 in 1923, as compared with £115,545- in 1913.