The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1950-03-30
THROUGH
HAZEL
! EYES 7

SHANNON Smith
Singapore, Malaga
Oelayed)
singapore Is British Crown
Colony and one of the most beau
tlful cities in South East ASS
y is an island and situated at the
so0tnern tip of the Malavan
feninsula and Joined to
Johore by a. causewav
tnree-fourths Of mile long
~ = l,295 miles from Manila
and l.408 miles to Hong Kong
only TIT miles from BANGKOK
Siam.
Many Of the passengers on the
5. s. President Monroe on it's
round the world cruise left the
ship at Singapore and went up to
bangkok by plane rejoining the
ship several days later at Penang.
Singapore has an area of 225
square miles and is "a miles long
and IA miles wide. Its harbor is
lovely and visited every year by
more than 10000 ships. The popu-
lation of nearly 100000 persons
IS 77.6 per cent Chinese. The rest
IS Polyglot living up to the city's
claim of being the cross roads Of
the world"
The Federation Of Malaga be-
came effective in l948 and con-
sists of the four former Federated
Malay States Of Perak, Selangor,
Negri Sembilan and Pahang. the
five former Unfederated States
and the two British settlements
of Penang and Malacca. Singa-
pore itself became a separate
Crown colony in 1916 when the
former colony of the Straits Set
Elements was dissolved and the
Malayan Union formed. The area
Of the Federation is over $4,000
square miles and the estimated
population in 1850 is about five
million.
The former unfederated Malay
states are Johore, Kedah, Perlis,
Kalantan and Trengganu. Each
state is governed by Its native
ruler who is subject to the adj
vice Of the British High Commits
sioner except in religious mat
ters. The Sultan Of each state
has undertaken to promulgate a
written constitution for his state.
The Malay states are of parti-
cular interest to the United
6xn{osvDecdt1Se they NE tlxe GfgtE'
est source of tin in the world and
an important source of rubber.
Over sixty per cent of the cul-
tivated area is devoted to grow
ing rubber.
Other products from the Mala-
yam States are cocoanuts, rice,
tapioca, sugar, canned pineapples.
pepper, copra, camphor and palm
oil Singapore plays an important
part in the trade of Malayan pro-
ducts. In l947 70 per cent of Ma
laya's foreign imports and 63 per
cent of its exports passed through
Singapore. It is a free port ex-
cept for duties on spirits, tobacco,
petrol, and first registration tax
Of Is per cent on cars not Of Bri-
fish origin. Exchange, imports
and exports are all controlled.
Here again the British influence
dominates completely - in spite
of the fact that less than one pei
cent of the total population Is
European. The Malays account fol-
about twelve per cent OF the pop
ulation and Indians 7.6 per cent
The remainder is Chinese.
It is interesting to note modi'
fled caste system prevails and the
various races represented folio"
certain lines of work generation
after generation. For the mos
part each race sticks to its owr
section Of the city and maintain!
its own native dress and mode o.
living which makes for colorfu
and interesting city.
Entertainment features three
amusement parks" which IN th'
United States would be calico
street fairs and carnivals. These
amusement parks known as th'
Great World, the New World anC
the Happy World, are foune
throughout Malaga and Hont
Kong as well. They contain CHI
nese theatres, cinemas, cabaret'
and dance halls, wrestling and
boxing arenas and cater princi
pally to the Asiatic population
The European visits these place
mostly to see native MalayaI
dances and to take in the Chi
nese theatre with its old and ella
borafe costumes. Merry gO-rounds