New Britain herald., 1930-12-09
JOHORE SULTANATE
 FLORIDA OF ASIA'
JuD8IoS So Thick Even Rivers
 Can't Get Through

Washington n. (. Dec. 1.-The latest international marriage has gwen an English wife to the ruler Of one Of the farthest Of Far East ern countries, The Sultan ot Johore. according to news dispatches, went O the British Isles for his Sutana. This little known state IS the subject Q. Inc following bulletin from the Washington D. (. Headquarters of the National Geographic society.
 ''Johore represents Asia's 'Flori- da.'' says the bulletin. Tt forms the southern tip O. the long. narrow Malay Peninsula that extends down rom siam almost 10 the Dutch East Indies. and includes the southern most blt or land on the Aslatlc con- Hranr. Cape Rauunya. The counrys best known contribution 10 the world is Singapore; the island on which this great port Of southeastern Asia IS situated Was cedcd 10 the British East India Company by the reignirg Sultan Of Johoro in 1874.
 Helps support singapore
 Now Johor, serves as the sup porting hintcrland for this patch Of British territory. Across Johoro comes tho railway that ties Slnea- pore 10 the Federated Malay states: and from one Of Johoro's few patches or hills come the Is million gallons Ot water q day that the teom- iue city demands
 "Sltuated only a little more than 11Q miles north Of the equator. in q position roughly comparable 10 that ot the mouth Of the Amazon, Johore is land whose moist soil IS fairly choAad with vegetation save where man lights d continual battle 10 hold ne.ds and roads ag&inst the gr.en enemy, II one could view the coun- try from a great heighc he would find that man has made his marks OH the surface in long narrow streaks. sometimes crossing one an- other dividing the state into huge irregular patches An astronomer might compare them 10 markings on the plau,' Mars that have been called 'eanals.
 The narrow markings or the surface O. Johore result from the fact that man must have some base from which 10 wage his battle against tho rank growing jungle. and for this pprpos. he has taken the wes, coast, the railway. and the few highways that have been forced through the forests. Along tne west ooast q zone extending inland from Two 10 five miles is highly cultllat- "i being devoted for the most part 10 cOconut palm groves. < nand along the soutL coast is similarly reclaimed from The jungle. and there rubber plantations as well as palm groves come down 10 the waters eage.
 Vegetation Even Choke. streams
 finland. along the railway that .%rends north and sou,h through Joborc, and along some ol the hlcn- ways. ru9be" and ptaeapn,e pI3nra- lions have been extended. pashiug .ac- Inc Jun-.e Tor u"le distance Practically all the rematn1cr Of the
 ouutry gs .n tu. grip of rIotous togtalon. Progress across these jungle 4r.as is practically ImpossI- bie; one must laboriously hack q path. Even inc smaller streams are ehoked by fallen trees and logs. and hy creeping r.nes that are festoou- Cd rom side 10 side, On such streams It is even necessary to cut a way for -anoa or other small boat
 "Haa}y seas beat against tho east coast O. Johore and it's river mouthS are blocked by s4ud-bars This part 0. the country has not been develop ed and has very sparse population Along rlost Of this coast the jungle extends down to the dazNngly white beaches.
 "A generation Or so ago Jonoro's population MAS pralomuanly Ma. iayan -hut the development Of rub- har culture and consequent heavy lmmieration has someaHat altered rlJs. os the present population of fewer than 3oo.ouo. approximately t6u@eg are Nalays, luo.U10 Chinese and more than 25.G1p Indians The native MaIays are concentrated along the west coast There they pass d more or less lazy existence watch ing their palm groves. They live in houses built on stIlts over tidal mud flats or along the banks Of sluggish rivers. When the tide is in, the water rises almost 10 the floor level; when the tide is out there is q ten or 12-fooL drop 10 mud and croco- dies The streets Of the villages are blackboard walks set in mud.
 Rubber Now King
 .Ihe cultivation Of other products than co1onuts has been chiefly in the hands of outsiders. Before the beginning Of the rubber era. con- siderable areas were devoted 10 growing gamhior and pepper to- gpther. Gambler is plant from which an extract is obtained for use | in tanning The cultivation Of this plant quickly exhausted the soil. | Very little is grown now.
 Most Of the rubber plantations 1 are owned by large companies oper- ated by foreigners. Malays do not | take kindly to the work and it has been necessary to import Iaborers | from India. The planter Of rubber