( 5 ) 
There has been immigration from India to Malaya 
from very early times and its influence is shown both 
in the language and customs of the Malays. But 
practically the emigration of Indian labour to the Malay 
Peninsula may be said to date from the beginning of 
the last century, and it originated in or was developed 
by the demand which sprang up with the establishment 
of British power on the eastern side of the Bay of 
Bengal. 
Politically the Straits were more closely connected 
with Bengal but the garrison was supplied from Madras 
and as time went on the intercourse was increasingly 
with Southern India. 
It was a voluntary movement and in the beginning 
entirely uncontrolled. But after the Straits’ Settle- 
ments were separated from British India for some 
thirty years the Government of India exercised varying 
measures of control over emigration. 
# 
The subject was a constant source of irritation on 
both sides till finally it was decided to leave the whole 
matter in the hands of the Colonial Government and 
all restrictions were removed in the year 1897. From 
that date for a quarter of a century emigration from 
India to the Straits Settlements remained free of all 
restrictions as far, as the Government of India was 
concerned, except for a short period during the war 
when, owing to the demands of the Imperial Govern- 
ment for labour battalions, emigration to Malaya was 
restricted to the number specified by license and males 
between the ages of 18 and 25 were prohibited from 
emigrating. 
g>2 *4% j ^ 
