1918

SELANGOR
This protected native State, containing an area of about 3,200 square miles, lies;
on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula, and is bounded by the protected native
States of Perak on the north and Negri Sembilan on the south, extending inland to the
mountains in the centre of the peninsula, which divide it from Pahang and Jelebu.
The Government consists of the Sultan, advised by the British. Resident, and
assisted by the State Council. The State is divided into the following six districts
1. Kuala Lumpur, the central district, where the Residency and principal Goveimment
Offices are situated, and which also contains the richest tin mines that have yet been
developed. 2.—Klany, in which Port Swettenham, the principal port, is situated at the-
mouth of the Klang River. 3.—Kuala Langat, an agricultural district, in which the-
Sultan resides. 4.—Kuala Selangor, containing the most important fisheries in the State.
5.—Ulu Langat, an inland mining district on the borders of Negri Sembilan. 6.—Ulu
Selangor, a district adjoining Perak, co'ntaining much valuable mining land', as yet-
comparatively undeveloped.
Each district is under the charge ©f a- European District Officer, from whom
the Native Penghulus (in charge of the mukims into which each district is sub-divided)
receive instructions. The Police Force consists of one Deputy Commissioner, two
Assistant Commissioners (one Probationer), three Chief Inspectors, 13 inspectors, 3-
Sergeant-majors, and 878 native non-commissioned officers and men.
The population of Selangor in 1884, when the first census was taken, was 46,568 ;
but at the last census, in 1911, the returns gave a total of 294,035, of whom 150,908
were Chinese, 64,952 Malays, 74,067 natives of India, 1,348 Europeans, 1,739 aborigines.
The principal industries of the State, and from which it derives the largest portion,
of its revenue, are alluvial tin mining and rubber cultivation.
In addition to its rich mineral resources, the State possesses large tracts of
land well adapted for agricultural purposes, and the removal of restrictions on
the free importation of Indian labourers into the Protected Native States rendered.it
possible for European planters to obtain cheap labour and to open estates on a large
scale. Small plantations of coffee, coconuts and pepper have been successfully con¬
ducted, and rice, and other products of the Peninsula under native cultivation are doing
well in various parts of the State, and to encourage pioneer planters, large grants of
land have in recent years been made, on special terms, for the planting of sago, pepper,
and gambier. But the principal agricultural product here, as in the other .Malay
States, is rubber. There were 551,684 acres alienated for agricultural purposes at the
end of the year, comprising 298,649 acres under rubber, coconuts 65,165 acres, coffee
6,327, and rice 5,057. There were 26,162 tons of rubber exported in 1;16; the export
in 1915 was 19,120 tons.
The principal exports are tin, rubber, hides, tapioca, canes, rattans, coffee, copra, spices-
and guttapercha. The principal imports are machinery, cotton piece goods, rice, oil,
tobacco and tea. The only import duties are on opium, spirituous liquors, matches,
petroleum, motor spii it, motor vehicles, bicyles, etc., and tobacco and cigars, while
export duties are payable only on minerals, agricultural products, ivory, fish, horns
and hides, jungle produce and guttapercha. The export duty on tin has in recent
years amounted to about three million dollars a year, the duty on the gross value of
the tin being, roughly, 14 per cent. There were 66,210 acres alienated for mining at
the end of 1916, mostly for tin. Tin and tin ore exported amounted to 205,649 piculs-
against 234,155 in 1915. The value was $17,992,043 as compared with $18,302,026 in
1915. Of wolfram 4,426 piculs were exported. The Malayan Collieries, Ltd., is now
at work at Raritan Banjang, and turned out 101,846 tons of coal in 1916. The
quality of the coal is reported to be satisfactory. A branch railway has been constructed
to the mir e.
There is frequent and regular communication, by means of coasting steamers,
between the Straits Settlements and Selangor, and from Kuala Lumpur a system of
cart and bridle roads extends to the boundaries of Perak, Negri Sembilan and Pahang-
A metre gauge railway line', connecting Kuala Lumpur with Klang (a distance of
21 miles 14 chains) was formally opened by Sir F. Weld, then Governor of the Straits-
40