The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-06

long while. claims that the gambling
lays and Chinese. and that it would
take one policeman to every Chinese
to stop 1t. He says the Malay rulers
object to having public gambling for
the revenues which come from 1t. Ac-
cording to law. gambling is now IL
censed only in places and in buildings
approved by the police, and that with
in certain hours. It is provided that II
must be for ready money and in the
halls open to all. The players are
nearly all miners. The men who own
the gambling houses aid in the sup
preston of lotteries.
The opium curse is handled in about
the same way as the gambling. 1t is
farmed out to the highest bidder and
+ he alone has the right to deal in raw
opium and to make 1t into the chandu
in which 1t is used for smoking. With
the consent of the government he
gives out licenses for the sale OF this
stuff and sells it at theeprice fixed by
his contract. A chest of Indian opium
costs about $3.50 and upward. Whenit
is turned into chandu it is worth
$4,000 and perhaps $4,000. So. you see,
there is a big profit in the business.
The selling OF liquors is farmed out the
same way, as is also pawnbroking. It
may be questionable whether such
things are creditable to Christian
government They seem blot on the
British administration, which is other
wise almost beyond criticism.
States Without Debts.
These Federated States are among the
few colonies of the world which have
no public debt. They take in more
than they spend every year and none OF
them owes accent. The revenue OF Pc
Arak amounts to something like SIS
100000 and its expenditures are less
than ten millions Selangor takes in
over ten millions per annum and it
costs only about seven millions to run
the State. Nigri sembilan has receipts
of s2,200.000 and spends about two
millions. The only State which runs
at all behind is Pahang, and 1t Is yet
on the edge of It's development. The
governments are mana ed for the peo-
pie and the money raised goes back to
them.
The news railways are almost self
supporting. Their receipts last year
were $5,200,000 and their expenditures
just about one hundred thousand dol
lars more. This, in connection with
the new tracks which arc building and
the fact that railroads are practically
new to the country, is surprising. The
customs receipts last year brought in
over twelve million dollars and licenses
almost five millions, the latter being
largely made UP from gambling, opium
and pawnbroking receipts.
The government spent last year over
five million dollars on public works,
and it is encouraging the development
OF. the country along the lines OF ag-
III all the colonies planta-
lions are being set out and large ag-
ricultural estates started. 7 have be.
fore me list Of those now under
operation in 4 Selang or They embrace
such crops as rubber, Noffee. cocoanuts.
cloves and pepper. and they are large
lys owned by syndicatcs and other as
isociations. Many of the est ates are
OF a thousand acres, and some OF ten
thousand and twenty thousand lGea Oh,
\. Among the chief crops of the Malays
arc rice and cocoanuts. Tho Chinese
grow sugar. and the govern'ne"n . Y mas "a :
started pepper plantations and there
are many good pepper farms, The
British have also introduced 81 Ks worms
and have expended large sums on the
of Arabian coffee. rubber
and tea, as we'll as cinchona. The
,cinchona failed, but the tea and coffee
succeeded, and eventually plantations
ofthis Kind will be set out. I have all
ready written as to rubber, Many Of
the new plantations arc of para trees.
which begin to yield a profit Of 500
per acre per annum at seven years
and which should produce $500 per
acre at fourteen years. 1t Is estimated
that when the trees are twenty years
old the profits will be $3.50 tpcr acre
per annum. Tho trees grow well and
yield abundantly, At n!aeteen years