New-York tribune., 1918-01-06

war. IL is q story OF peace ana
pleasant progress. 1t is a story
about Singapore, a city which is situated
right on the line of the equator, where
Sol is kind all year. A writer in "The
Americas" published by the National City
Bank of New York, presents this interest
ing picture:
Singapore is d city of quarter of mill
ion people, pleasantly stretched out for four
miles of front on an island thnt tips the
southern end Of the Malay Peninsula, with a
spread of country villas on the hills behind
the city; and here is found the most beauti-
ful that Anglo-SaXon and Oriental ideas pro-
duce in the way of comfortable homes suited
to tropical climate, imposing public build
ings, cathedrals, great stores, commodious
hotels, mixed with the typical structures for
business and family that conglomerate
OF Eastern populations has built up in a CEN
tury. There is no other city like Singapore
in the whole world.
an the first place, it is the only city of size
and Importance within 1000 miles of the
Equator, if we except Batavia, metropolis of
Java, but smaller city and commercially
tributary to Singapore. And Singapore lies
practically right upon the Line, being only a
little over degree north. 1t is a very busy,
ambitious thriving centre Of industry and
commerce. In situation the nearest that
compare are Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil;
Havana, Cuba; Hong Kong and Canton, in
China; Manila, in the Philippines; Bombay
and Calcutta, in India; Toxic, Japan, and
Cairo, Egypt All Of these are two thousand
miles away from the Equator, and the torrid
heat of summer seasons in some of them
gives lassitudc to the handling of business,
which must cease at certain hours and on
certain days. In Singapore, right the
Equator, the temperature varies hardly two
degrees throughout some years, but the aver
age stays almost unremttingly around so
degrees in the shade, Sngapore's sea and
hillside location having to do with this. And
whatever the weather, Singapore's popula-
ton has the cosmopolitan grit and purpose
and intelligence by which it adapts it's ways
of living to the conditions better than the
| inhabitants Of any other tropical city in the
world.
"Singapore is one Of the worlds important
places 1t is one of Englands most strate-
gically located military and commercial out
posts. In the inter-imperal plan of future
Britain, it is receiving especial consideration
because it commands, in matters of military,
commerce and transportation, the highways
between the Orient and the West by way of
the Indian Ocean. 1t has already been pro-
vided with a great craving dock big enough
TO float the biggest steamships, and quail
ties for place in the projected line of ports
connecting the different parts Of the British
Empire which the Dominions Royal Commits
sion has recommended for special port de-
velopment in order to make possible the
establishment of several world traversing
routes for big ships urYder government con-
troll the economies of transportation to take
the place of tariff protection as an economic
means of favoring empire production and
commerce. A radio station with capacity for
sending messages to London is planned for
Singapore. There are five submarine
cables centring there. 1t is provided with
strong unit in the chain Of fortresses from
Portsmouth to Hong Kong.
"And it is commercial entrepot market
Of rapidly growing Importance. In 1913,
1882 ships in overseas trade entered and
cleared at Singapore, representing q tonnage
of 17,254,953. In 1914 the overseas and local
East Indian shipping of all kinds totalled
37,203 with tonnage of 18,50966S, If
every third ship in the world had made one
voyage to Singapore. The shipping has de-
creased since the war, but the efficiency Of
transport has increased by better loading of
the ships, for there were 1852 overseas
ships among 36,755 of all kinds in 1915, with
tonnage of 13,214,198 out Of 15,293,689 but
the goods carried, measured in values,
was much greater. The overseas imports
| Gas distinguished from the local inter-port
trade among the Straits Settlements and East
Indics) respectively s54,50O,0OO. Sat-
100000, S53 100000 and S65, 900 from 1918
to 1916; and the export, S44225 900, s38 ,0O0,-
900, 900 and $77,000OO0 These figures
are round, by rough conversion of the Straits
dollars into our own. Increase in prices has
figured considerably in this growth of values
"Singapore and Hong Kong both trad
ing markets somewhat artiflcially cstab-