THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES

Otago Witness, Issue 2785, 31 July 1907, Page 89

THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES

SOME IMPRESSIONS OF THE COUNTRY. By a Yotog New Zealaxdeh. About 12 months 6i'nce the authorities of the Federated Malay States advertised in New Zealand for surveyors to enable them to proceed more expeditiously with the I opening up of the country. Among those , who were appointed was a young Otagoan, at that time engaged with a survey party in the King Country in the Taumaranui district, and he has very kindly sent us some interesting particulars of life in the portion of the Federated States to which he was appointed. Our contributor begins with KUALA-LUMPOR, the capital of the four States, which he describes as a place with nearly 50,000 inhabitants,* mostly Asiatics, of course, comprising chiefly the following nationalities — viz., Chinese, Tamils, Bengalis, Malays, Javanese, Siamese. This is the centre of | government, so there is, comparatively j speaking, a fair percentage of European population. The place is under very strict sanitary surveillance, and consequently is very clean compared with most Eastern j towns. No house is allowed to be built unless the plan ha 6 been passed by the Sanitary Board, and everything is under its constant supervision. Most of the streets are very wide for Eastern towns — in fact, I am told in some cases the Government pulled down the old houses and rebuilt ihem farther back at its own expense. Of course, seeing that there 16 no public debt, and a surplus of some 40,000,000d01, the Government can afford to do these things. The public gardens are very pretty, drives and walks being laid out right through them. Tliere are very few native flowers, but the foliage on the trees is very pretty. I was only allowed to stay in the town two days when I was 6ent to Pahang, the undeveloped and most outlandish State of j the lot — my luck! In the other three States there are beautiful roads almost e\erywhere, and a railway running through the centre, but in Pahang there has not J been a sod turned for* the railway, and we i have very few roads, although they are | pushing on with the last-named now. But when they do make roads out here they are roads. No grade is steeper than lin 30, ami the road is metalled properly before any traffic is allowed on it — not like the back-block roads in the North Island. The roads are made under two systems, either a contract 16 given to a white man for, say, 15 or 20 miles or so,_ he sub-letting 1 it to various small Chinese contractors (the contractor, of course, being responsible, and superintending) ; or else it is let directly to the Chinese under the superintendence of their own engineers. Chinese or Tamils (from Indiai are the principal read labourers. The Chinese won't work for wages, preferring contract work, where they can work the hours they wish. They are very hard workers, and as strong as bullocks. They are not at all similar men to those whom we see in the colonies, but fine, big, well-made fellows as a rule, more resembling the ancient Romans in limbs. For instance, I am living at the present time 3OOOft abcr« Benfoug, with a, rough track most of the way, and a Chinaman will carry 133£2b (a pikue) up to the topwithout winking, and very nearly as quickly as I can walk, and it takes me about 7ihrs to do it. Of course they do not live long at it, but that does not matter to a Chinaman as long as he can earn enough money for gambling and opium smoking while he lives. The Tamil labourer is just the opposite, preferring day wages, and loafing as much as possible whenever an opportunity offers itself. These men come from round about Madras and Southern India. The jungle work is all done by Malays, Japanese, or Sackis. but very seldom by the latter. They were the original inhabitants of the country when it was conquered by the Malays, and still prefer to live far away from civilisation and do nothing but hunt and fish. Thoy are famous hunters, being wonderful bushmen. They are very scattered, living a few together in the most out-of-the-way places they can get to. The Malays 'are a lazy and independent lot. never caring whether they have work or not, as they all own a little plot of land and prefer to <ro there and plant their little bit of padi 'rice) and catch fish frnm tho river, as thoir land is almost invariably alongside a river. Rioe and fish are almost their sole food. If they do anything: wrong", they only smile at you and say. "TV dapa. tuan [Never mind, master]; I will do it again to-morrow." There is absolutely no use sacking a man and thinking he minds a scrap, because it has no effect whatever upon him. If you pay them their wages at the end of the month, two days later they have not a penny, and. if* you hapnen to be going away into the jungle, will be borrowing money to buy their food with. They never stay with you more than four or five months, and rarely that long. A strange thing about them is that they will never say that thoy want to stop work, but will come to you with a story that thoir mother, father, brother, or sister is ill, dead, or to be married, and they want a few daj 3' holiday. This is generally a perma-neut one ; or el- c <* they come strolling I back afxmt ?ix month* after, askine you j foT work again. They neither know what it i? to be truthful nor thankful for anything you do. Thi« hoUU good however, with "evfi-v Eastorn race (except the Japanese) that I have come aovo«. The reason I know so much about the Malay is that all mv coolies are of that nationality, and con^cmently I am brought in contact with them «o much. Their features, are very -similar to those of the Maoris. In facf. I think that there must lie some connection between tho race*. Thr> chief difference is in the stature, the Malays bcine generally slim, small men. Th<* "servants are principally Chinese, a different kind of men altogether from those I mentioned before, and they nearly all come from the island of Hainan, and are called Hylams. The real Chinaman will scarcely iccognise them as countrymen. They a-re the biggest rogues, thieves, and vagabonds on the earth, and are absolute strangers to the truth. There is no uee in a white person trying to step them cheating him with the food, as they are far too cunning for v«. I know that my cook beats me for at least 30dol a month, aad I can't catch biaji At least

when I catch him in one way "he gets it in another way, so I have almost given over trying. The Malays -make fair " boys," but are no good as oook6. Tamils also sometimes make good " boys," but the oook is generally a Chinaman. I now keep a Chinese cook and a Malay and a Tamil as boys. Tin-mining is the principal and almost only industry. It is the duty on this that brings in a large percentage of the enormous revenue. It is worked almost entirely with Chinese labour, who generally work on the tribute system. Up to the present time tin has been mined with very primitive methods, but now_ some of ihe very large companies are bringing in up-to-date machinery. Up to the pres«nt the mining has been all surplus workings but the time seems to be drawing near when they will have to go further afield. It ifi wonderful that such a small place should 6upply about three-fourths of the world's tin. Chinese are the principal mine owners, and some of them are exceedingly wealthy. There are only about two places so far where gold is being worked in payable quantities. Rubber planting is now having a big run, companies being formed almost every day to work estates, but very few of the estate :; have as yet any output, as it takes six or seven years for the rubber trees to mature. All the old copper and tea. estates are now being planted with rubber, owing to the great boom which exists. Tamil labour is principally employed, and at the present time the demand greatly exceeds the supply. The surveys are in a very backward state, especially in Pahang, and they won't get any more men until fchev P*y higher salaries, ae^ the present rate does not compensate for the rough life under trying conditions. At present in Pahang (area 14,000 square miles) there are two of us. and with the means of transport that exist we are about 14 days apart. He is on the China Sea and I am on the Mount&m boundary. My district is the busiest at present, "and could easily keep three more men going. lam exactly 10 years behind with work, and more coming in every day than would keep two men (each having two or three native assistants) going. However, enough of shop. Wild animals are not very plentiful, Pahang being the best State in this respect for sportsmen. There are seladang. elephants, tigers, and hippo, this beinir the order in which they are generally sought by sportsmen. I have intended going out several times after eeladang, as there are several not far- from Bentong, but never have had the opportunity. An eight-bore rifle is necessary, and the weapon takes about two coolies to carry it. A good rifle of the kind costs about £60. However, some time in the near future I intend to try my luck. Tigers are more plentiful in some of the other States, as we continually hear of them being bagged. The climate is very trying, chiefly owing to its sameness. Tou do not notice any one particular day so much, but the whole year has no noticeable difference, which gets on one's nerves. You have to be careful and not get run down, as it is almost impossible t-o pull tog-ether again without a complete change. Fever is the most common trouble, as, no nxatter what disease you develop, fever accompanies it, even if it is only toothache I think. Living is frightfully dear, a dollar (2s 4d) going about as far as a shilling, I fancy, at home. In Pahang, principally tinned _ food is used, -witK the escepiion of tti-e in<?-v-Ltal>2e chicken. Any . person living out here for many years must, I imagine, develop feathers and feel very much inclined to perch on trees. Beef is " buffalo " and mutton " goat," when you get it. Club life is very much to the fore, everyone rolling along there in the evening when he is in town. Every place with four or five Europeans in it has its club, with it« billiard table, etc In Bentong we have just opened a new one to replace the old one, which was a temporary building. Bridge and billiards are the principal club amusenente. and of course all the principal local and Home papers are also taken in. In Bentong at present there are four permanent residents, two fluctuating, and three outside. And now I must draw my letter to a close, although I am afraid I have not succeeded in giving your readers a very good idea of the country.