LIFE IN MALAYA

Southland Times, Issue 23893, 11 August 1939, Page 9

LIFE IN MALAYA

TALK BY MR F. M. CORKILL TO CIVICS CIRCLE The feature of the meeting of the Civics Circle at the Women’s Club on Wednesday night was a talk, illustrated with lantern slides, by Mr F. M. Corkill on life in the Federated Malay States. Miss White welcomed the members and announced that Miss Eastwood would speak at the next meeting of the circle. Landing at Singapore, Mr Corkill said was like arriving in China as the Chinese people predominated, particu- | larly among the workers, and Chinese architecture is generally used. Malay was the common language, English not being encouraged by the lazy Malay and even Chinese converse in Malay. The lantern slides depicted many interesting features including the native craft massed on the rivers, rickshaws parked in the streets and the dress of the Malay woman which consists of a sarong usually of great beauty and a short white coat. Hie pictures of the natives tapping trees for rubber created interest as also did that of a magnificent hotel showing a low building, entirely of bathrooms, sandwiched between bigger parts of the hotel. Nature was kind to the Malayan and 25 days’ work a year would keep him in comfort, Mr Corkhill said. Those present were Mesdames S. Brown, F. D. Morrah, A. Tapper, Parker, J. L. Cameron, J. McCrostie, G. H. Uttley, Robb, A. M. Macdonald, F. M. Corkill, J. G. Macdonald, Randle. Misses J. J. Nicoll, Fairweather, M. Kane (Hawea Flat), V. White, McHaffie and M. Ryan. Apologies for absence were received from Misses Cowan, Campbell, Stewart, P. Sutton, O. Rein and Mrs Sutton.