AN INTERESTING PEOPLE.

Colonist, Volume LV, Issue 13757, 24 June 1913, Page 8

AN INTERESTING PEOPLE.

Trip "Times" of O>>ylon contains an inL.i-i : v uith tho llev. Middleton Brun:tfoil, a Woak^yan minister at Colnrnf)!), who wont io Male, the capital of !h" .Maldives Islands, for the purpose of bringirfg the heir-apparent to t.Kv 'Maldivian throne to Colombo to jr.jiti '.'jo Government Training School for .'.lie purj)oso of t-'lucation. "TK-y si'em a v ry contented pcof'o," n>/ii«vked Mr Brumwell. 'There i.s {jith-i i-vi.-Uy | 10 c:;-\}u« in tho islands— i;o ;>nj;-.-i^-<- and /ii.ilo. (heft. There arc ro pnsd'us avid no police. No intoxi(■■j,tr.i;:, (><ji;or is n,ilo»ed in the islands, »'K.I ins f.j)i«in. Tho only punishment ifii>U:-*) <w.l to offenders appears to ho dopm'ialj'iii to another island. In the Sultan's palace som>- formidable looking canos were pointed out to us as L<-iug ■ Tofiiprrly used for corporal pimiyhmi'r.i, mit these are now merely historic;!! • .-I'lips. Tiu-ro are no taxos, tlic r.v-.aiih being übtained from an import. <'nLy on ti:o different goods broach I. h-tn Male 1m Bombay tradera, and ai-.o from a .small duty on produce brought. 1o Male from' the other atolls, which takes the place in the Maldives •f the poll tax in Ceylon. The inhabitants of Malo appear to bo all more of less Government dependents. They have land given them, and they live free of rent. Tn%- have to build their own houses, but tho house Material is provided. I noticed when passing through tho streets of the pretty little town that everything looked extremely clean. On . making enquiries, I loarned that every housefcolder has to keep that part of tne road in front of his house clean,, and that where there are no houses the Government employs scavengers, to do the work. White sand is strewn in the streets, and tlie result is a remarkably clean appearance. I was a little surprised to notice the telephone on Male Island. It connects tho Custom house with the Sultan's palace, the post office, and Government buildings. "What struck me as remarkable was

the ample supply of fresh water available on Male Island. It seems as though a well can bo sunk anywhere, and fresh water obtained. At present the principal transactions are dono by barter and exchange. The products of the islands are exchanged with Bombay merchants for rice, curry, foodstuffs, and bazaar produce generally. Money is issued to a very small extent only." •

v Referring to the xeligicm of the is^ land^,;Mr. Btumwell sa^d,!|liat although the inhabitants ;W^''/ien|^ : fitiedaris, the^e '^asl-no^pjttrdaK^Syatem,'.!