Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/218

 166 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS

In 1918 there were in the Settlements : about 274,574 Malays ; 432,764 Chinese, and 94,213 natives of India.

The births and deaths in 1918 were as follows : —

-

Singapore

Penang

Endings jPro™| Ma]ac08

Labuan

Total

Births. ' 9,585 Deaths. j 15,372

4,110 1 349 i 4,100 5,300 6,685 i 730 5,676 1 7, (538

249 198

23,702 36,294

Totals 1919 : births, 25,638 ; deaths, 27,957.

In 1919 there were 70,912 immigrants from China, and 101,433 from Southern India.

Education.

Instruction, not yet compulsory throughout the colony, is partly supported by the Government in the case of grant-in-aid schools, and wholly in the case of Government English and Government Vernacular Schools. In Malacca, Penang Island outside Municipal limits, and Province Wellesley there -is compulsory attendance of Malay boys within a certain radius of a Malay vernacular school, where free instruction is given in their own language.

The numbers of schools and pupils were as follows in 1918 : —

Schools

Government English schools. Grant-in-aid English schools. . . . Government vernacular boys' and girls' schools Orant-in-aid vernacular boys' schools.

Total .......

26,534

The expenditure on the schools in 1919 was 70,4462. There is a training college for Malay teachers in Malacca.

Justice and Crime.

The law in force is contained in local ordinances aud in such English and Indian Acts and Orders in Council as are applicable to the colony. The Indian Penal Code, with slight alterations, has been adopted, and there is a Civil Procedure Code based on the English Judicature Acts. There is a Supreme Court which holds assizes at Singapore and Penang every two months, and quarterly at Malacca, civil sittings monthly at Singapore and Penang, and once a quarter at Malacca.

There are, besides, district courts, police courts and marine magistrates' courts. Convictions before the Superior Courts in 1918 were 604 ; before the other courts, 36,715 persons. Police force, 2,727 in 1919. Criminal prisoners admitted to the gaols in 1919, 4,235.

Finance.

Public revenue and expenditure for six years (1 dollar = 2s. Ad.) : —

Tears

Revenue

Expenditure

'■ Tears

1913

1,446,403

£ 1,221,338

1917

1916

1,648,697 2,021,831

1,189,598 1,288,741

, 1918 j 1919

Revenue

£ 2,295,079 8,718,901

8,97!',:!21

Kxpenditur<

A

1,326,429 1,862,717 4,071,811