SePT. 1, 1900.] 
THE TROPICA.L AGRICULTURIST. 
189 
THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES: 
PliOGRESS IN EXPORTS AND PLANTING:— 
COFFEK, SUGAR, GUTTA, RUBBER, &C. 
The Kesident-Genera], Sir Frank Atbelstane 
Swetteiihani, K c. M. G., has good reason 
to he proud of the contained progress and 
marked prosperity of the group of Malay 
States entrusted to his care. He has profited 
bv observing the course of administra- 
tion iu India and Ceylon and taken care to 
avoid, as far as possible, acknovfledged 
blunders, and to adopt any feasible improve- 
ments on the older systems of administra- 
tion. The result is to make the "Federated 
Malay States " an object lesson to colonial 
administrators in the tropics, of the most 
interesting and useful character ; and 
we now ' look forward to Sir Frank 
Swettenham's Administration Report from 
year to year, as sure to bring before us 
a record of good and progressive work 
and to contain much matter of special 
interest to all intellip;ent ob.'^eivers. The 
latest Report now before us is no exception 
to the rule. The revenue for 1898 (9,3(51,467 
dollars) was the highest up to that year ; 
put the return for 1899 is no less than 
13,486,410 dollars— an increase of nearly 50 
per cent ! The total value of imports into 
the Federated States during 1899 was 
$33,76.5,073 against .$27,116,416 in the previous 
year. -The exports were valued at $.>4,89o,139 
against $35,241,003 in 1898. The inci-eased 
value of trade was therefore $26,302,768. 
The tin exported was valued at $46,139,399, 
and beyond this, the local products exported 
were, Malay coffee, §530,232; sugar, $l,283,16o 
(nearly all from Perak) ; and getah, ^289,009, 
of which more than half was from Pahang. 
Of the four Federated States (Perak, Selan- 
gor, Negi'i Sembilan and Pahang) the first 
contributes nearly half the revenue, Selangor 
coming a good second-; while the other two 
do not make together li million of dollars 
The surplus of revenue over expenditure last 
year was very nearly 2 million dollars! 
But the Resident-General is all for progress 
and writes :— ■ ■ r 
I have suiJKested the raising or A further 
loan of £500,000 and the constructior,, at a cost 
of about one million sberlin";, of a section of 
ahont 175 miles of railway from Serembau in 
Ne«-ri Sembilan (the terminns of the sanctioned 
extension.sj to Joliore Bharu, wlience a .^liort 
crossing by ferry-steainer and the Singapore Rail- 
way would take passengers from Peiiang right 
down the Malay Peninsula to Singapore. The 
"lowing prosperity of these States, our financial 
position, the present price of tin and the ap- 
proacliing completion of the Railway constrncti'-.n 
now in hand, make t!ie moment peculiarly fa- 
vonrable for an undertaking which has so innoh 
fj recommend it, and woukl confer such maniiv.-u, 
advantages on the Malay State of Johore and the 
■ Colony of the Straits Settlements. _ 
Here 'is what the Railways have done in 1899 : 
The Malay open lines of Railway gave a 
revenue of 11,722,474 in 1899 against $1,394,720 
received in the previous year. Comparatively 
few miles of k;ew line were opened for traffic, 
but work v/as ailvanced all along the extensions. 
The results would liave been better had it been 
possible to get even a fair force of labour on 
to the work. With tin at its present price, and 
immigration almost at a standstill, it is inipos- 
24 
sible to get labour for public works or planting 
at anything like a reasonable price. 
It is very strange how development is 
checked by want of labour, and how difficult 
it seems to get the want supplied even from 
famine-stricken India. India and Chinese 
labourers are both so scarce or so much in 
demand that wages have doubled in a few 
years and even treble the old rates have to 
be paid. The Resident-General and his Gov- 
ernment are, however, taking energetic 
measures to overcome this obstacle. — Here 
is an interesting paragraph on a vexed 
question : — 
As is natural in a new country — that is, new 
to the rest of the world and modern methods of 
government— the year has beeii fruitful in legis- 
lation. There is ne need to enumerate the Enact- 
ments passed, but we are on the eve of laying 
before the various State Councils some very im- 
portant measures which have been under con- 
sideration for years. I allude to the Civil and 
Criminal Procedure Codes and tiie Courts Enact- 
ment. All these will probably be law before 
this report reaches ti;e Secretary of State, and 
when brought into force, the present jury system 
will be abolished in favour of trial by a judge 
and assessors. If trial by jury is a suitable 
tribunal for such a mixed community as is found 
in the.-e States, we are not yet ready for it, be- 
cause we cannot supply the intelligent English- 
speaking and English-understanding jury on which 
its success must depend. 
The working of the amended system in the 
States will be v/atched very critically we 
may be sure. As regards " planting," here 
is Sir F. Swettenham's deliverance— labour 
again being the trouble : — 
Many Europeans have wisely planted rubber, 
coconuts and other products likely to do well 
should coffee fall to a price which would not 
admit of prolitable cultivation. In the Negri 
Sembilan some of the planters have carried ©ut 
the project for establishing the Cotfee Cu'ing 
Store to'- which I alluded last year. In other 
ways the Government is trying to second the 
exertions of a class whose efforts deserve encour- 
agement. The export duty on eolfee was sus- 
pended while the price fell below ^19 a pikul, 
and steps are now being taken to establish au 
experimental plantation under the supervision of 
a thorouf>hly qualified Superinteadenfc whose ad- 
vice and experiments will, it is hoped, prove of 
great service to planters. The great difficulty is 
labour, and while the Government has, for the 
last two years been trying, not without some 
little success to foster immigration trom India, 
a special appeal will be made to the Indian Go- 
vernment in the hope of obtaining its co operation 
in our efforts tc transfer some of the surplus 
i'ipulatiou of that country to the Malay States. 
Finally, we must close this very cursory and 
imperfect review of an able Report, by re- 
ferring to a paragraph which at this period 
of " wars and rumours of wars" is of ex- 
ceptional importance :— 
The Regiment of Malay States Guides con- 
tinues in a state of high efficiency. A large 
number of satisfactory recruits olfereil themselves 
for service and there was no ditlicalty in keep- 
ing up our full strength with men of the stan- 
dard hitherto insisted upon. The Regiment main- 
tained its reputation for good shootiiii,' and great 
attention was given to this part of the train- 
ing. Three hundred men were offered to Her 
