Directory_and_Chronicle_1939 — Page 1489

SELANGOR

This protected Malay State, containing an area of 3,160 square miles, lies on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula, and is bounded by the Protected States of Perak on the North and of Negri Sembilan on the south, extending inland to the mountains in the centre of the peninsula, which divide it from Pahang.

The Government is administered by the Sultan, who is advised by the British Resident, and by the State Council. The State is divided into the following six dis- tricts: 1.-Kuala Lumpur, containing the town of Kuala Lumpur, where the Residency and principal Government Offices are situated, and which also contains the richest tin mines that have yet been developed. 2.-Klang.

2.-Klang. This district contains the Sultan's residence and also Port Swettenham, the principal port, which lies at the mouth of the Klang river. 3.--Kuala Langat, an agricultural district. 4.-Kuala Selangor, a coastal district containing large areas of developed and potential padi land. 5.-Ulu Selangor, a district adjoining Perak and Pahang, containing much valuable mining land. Ulu Langat, an inland mining district on the borders of Negri Sembilan.

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Each district is under the charge of a District Officer, from whom the Malay Penghulus (in charge of the mukims into which each district is sub-divided) receive instructions.

The Police Force consists of 19 gazetted and superior officers, 920 subordinate police officers and constables and 65 detectives:

The population of Selangor in 1884, when the first census was taken, was 46,568; but at the end of 1937 it was estimated to be 649,507, of whom 300,101 were Chinese, 141,095 Malays, 194,103 natives of India, 4,007 Europeans, 2,456 Eurasians and 7,745 others.

The principal industries of the State, and those from which it derives the largest portion of its revenne, are alluvial tin mining and rubber cultivation.

In addition to its rich mineral resources, the State possesses large tracts of land well adapted for agriculture and the growth of staple products, such as rice and coconuts, by small-holders. Pineapple cultivation is a recent and thriving occupation and minor plantations of coffee and pepper have been successfully conducted.

To encourage

pioneer planters, grants of land have (in recent years) been made, on special terms, for the planting of African oil palm and nipah palm. But the principal agricultural pro- duct here, as in the other Malay States, is rubber. 744,403 acres of land had been alienated for agricultural and building purposes by the end of the year 1937 compri- sing 508,598 acres under rubber, 117,749 acres under coconuts, 9,038 acres under coffee, 20,264 acres under padi, 20,446 acres under oil palm and 31,933 acres under cultivation by native small-holders. The value of rubber exported in 1937 was $63,971,840.

The principal exports are rubber, tin, pineapples, copra and oil palm products. The principal imports are rice, petroleum, oils, cotton piece goods, manufactured food- stuffs, tobacco and livestock.

There were 50,725 acres alienated for mining-chiefly tin-at the end of 1937. The recorded output of tin concentrate from the State amounted to 546,834 pikuls as com- pared with 469,960 pikuls in 1976. The value of this output at the average local price. of tin of $119.75 per pikul was $49,047,005 as against a total value of $35,737,315 at an average price of $100.39 for 1936. The Malayan Collieries, Limited, turned out 627,890 tons of coal against 502,882 tous in 1936. The quality of the coal is reported to be excellent.

There is frequent and regular communication, by means of coasting steamers, between the Straits Settlements and Selangor. From Kuala Lumpur the chief town on 9d the mainland, a network of excellent arterial roads covers the State and extends into the neighbouring States of Perak, Negri Sembilan and Pahang while branch lines of

railway link the territory on the west to the main trunk line which passes through 19 Selangor.

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