Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/151

 SARAWAK 99

90,410/.; 1917, 43,795/. ; 1918, 41,702/.; 1919, 127,045/. Shipping 1916 : entered 192.619 tons, cleared 195,074 tons : 1917, entered 228,227 tons, cleared 227,163 tons ; 1918, entered 273,262 tons, cleared 273,523 tons: 1919, entered 326,885 tons, cleared 327,973 tons.

A railway, 127 miles, runs from Jesselton on Gaya Bay to Melalap in the Interior, with a branch from Beaufort to Weston on Brunei Bay. Borneo is now connected by cable with the outer world. There is a telegraph line from Menumbuk. where the cable reaches land, to Jesselton via Beaufort At the latter station a branch line leads to Tenom in the Interior. Communication between Jesselton and Sandakan. Kudat and Tawau is maintained by wireless telegraphy. A land line extends from Sandakan to Lahad Datu. TYlephone exchanges are operated at Sandakan and Jesselton, while an elaborate system of telephone lines maintains communication between smaller stations and bigger Government centres.

At Jesselton and Sandakan there are agencies of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, the Chinese Commercial Bank, and the Bank of Taiwan.

The Government issues its own copper coinage (cents and half-cents) ; nickel coinage of 1, 2^ and 5 cents; also notes of one, five, ten, and twenty-five dollars, and of 25 and 50 cents. Accounts are kept in dollar currency.

Brunei. — In 1888 the neighbouring territories on tht north-west coast of Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak, were placed under British protection. On January 2, 1906, by treaty, the Sultan of Brunei handed over the general administration of his State to a British Resident. The Sultan, Sir Mohamed Jemalulalam, K.C.M.G., l>om in 1889, succeeded his father in May, 1906. He receives an allowance of 1,400/. a year from State funds, and his two principal ministers 700/. a year each. Area about 4,000 square miles, and population estimated at 32,000. The chief town, Brunei (pop. 10,000), is built over the water on the Brunei river. There is a vernacular school at Brunei, with about 80 boys at the end of 1918 ; a Chinese school with about SO boys ; and other schools have been started in the out-distriits. Receipts, 1919, 18,900/. : (Customs, 6,200/., monopolies, 3,800/., licences, 1,700/. ; land revenue, 2,400/., cession monies. 2,100/.1 and expenditure, 16.200Z. Public debt, Dec. 31. 1919, 54,470/.

Imports 1919, 70,000/. (mainly rice, 37,100/., tobacco, 6,500/., piece goods, 14,700/., sugar, 5,000/., kerosene oil, 3,500/.); exports, 132,000/. (cutch, 3f>,600 cwt., 35,000/., coal, 17,363 tons, 35,000/., rubber, 28,400/., jolntong, 11,500/., sago, 9,400/.). The post office dealt with 22,789 article in 1919.

Distance from Labuan about 43 miles. Communication by steam launches reguiurly maiutain-d.

British Resident.— G. E. Cator.

Offieer-in-Charge. — E. Roberts.

Sarawak: Area about 42,000 square miles, coastline 400 miles, many nveis navigable. The government of part of the present territory was obtained in 1842 by Sir James Brooke from the Sultan of Brunei. Various a> cessions were made between 1861 and 1890. Under an agreement of 1888 Sarawak is recognised as an independent State under the protection of Gieat Britain. The Rajah, H.H. Charles Vyner Brooke, son of the late Rajah, born Sept. 26, 1S74, succeeded May 17, 1917. Population estimated at about 600,000, Malays, Dyaks, Kayans, Kenyans, and Muruts, with Chinese and other settlers. The chief towns are the capital, Kuching, about 23 miles inland, on the Sarawak River, and Sibn, 60 miles up the Rejang River, which is navigable by large steamers. At Kuching

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