Contemporary Accounts of Events and Progress in Kuala ...myrepositori.pnm.gov.my/bitstream/123456789/3570/1/MIH_1972_Apr_04.pdf · Contemporary Accounts of events and progress in

Contemporary Accounts of events and progress in Kuala Lumpur

Selected from The Sdangor Journal

THE SELANGOR JOURNAL

Until IJUf'mh" 1896 Kuala Lumpur had I/O daily nncs/Hlp,r, hut in 1892 thrrt rnf,.rpn"rin.1! amatt'ur journalitts dtcidrd to publish u turkly journal, in (chich nne' and vim' about (u"tnt rot',,' s in the Slate (api/al anti

Trtltlrrs . in ,h,. /Jistri(ts in SI/on.f(or could he printrd. It TCm rollrd 'tilt Sf/ungor Journal' and ;1 (ras I/!ana.r:rd by Dr. 1::. A. O. Trtlcrrs, ,ht Stair .\·ur~nJn, (dl(l It'aJ tht Irading figur,. ill litis proju/, M r. 11'. 1fI. SkiOI of tilt Malayon Civil Srrt:iu and M r. John RUSJrll, tilt G(Jf),.rnmtnt P,inlrr .

Tilt first numb,., f!'QJ issurd in Srptrmhtr 1892 (Jlld ,h,. Iml i" Srptrmbrr 1896. Tist first daily t/t'fcspap,.r. tit,. Malay !\Iail, ht'J:"n publiralion on 14th /JtctmfHr 1896.

Til ,. fi rst r Of{J of brilk shop houses, on Ihe rdge oj Marktt Squart. Tllty furt built hy r ap Ah Loy lind stood fc!Jt rt lite Mtr((lntilt Bank nQW stands. Photo lakt n in 188-1.

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Hak Cipta Terpelihara ©1972 – Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia


A VISIT TO KUALA LUMPUR IN 1875 AND 1894,

II was du ring thaI lime in 18i5 thaI I made my only "i,it 10 what was then. as now, known all Kuala Lumpu r, in cornpan~' with i'I ! r. Syers ilnd a newspal}Cr eorrespo;ldent, 1\ l r, ScOtt. We went up the rin!r in the !Iteam launch which pn:cedcd the Abdul Samad to the landing place huilt for t h~' ~m'eniencc of the only public work then In hand - namc!\', the "Damansara I{oad" We rode some 'dist:anee on ponies 8ent ahead by a barge the ni..:ht before, and then walked hy a jungle path , sometimt'S along slippery batangs, sometimes across tht'lIl and generally in swampy black !IOil, T he country wu quite covered wnn hean' jungle till we reached a red earth ,caur, and got a ,'iew of the \'i ll:!ge of Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur consisted of :1 fairly goo~l loo:'e boa rd house occupied by the Captain Chana, Ihe most hospitable of men, and hi ~ house was surrounded hy :uap hOUSl'S

:e!t~:~a h[~~:p~~I:n;rie~nl;\~~\ee " :~li; house. and think it wu silUate where the twO ri\'efll. the Gombak and the Klang, unite.. Kcxt morning ,\"t' rode on ponies supplIed by our host the Captain Chin ;t 10 the r:mge di"iding Vlu Klang from Vlu Langat, a steep hut nOi very lofty hill. which we dim!>ed hand o"er hand', and let Ollr5Ch'l'8 down on the other side of this range into Clu Lang.lI. '1'111: ridgl' was 50 pn:~ipitous that one could si t on t'le top with one leg in Klang and thl-' othl-'r in Langal. We then w;alked down the River l.;angat looking at and admi ring Reko on the w;ay (Reko then belonged to Sungci Ujong), until we met the GO"t'rIlment ho:n ~nt from Uandar Lang;at to meet us.

In those days, t he littlc dearing there was about Kuala Lumpu r, SlI \'C tin mining, Wa5 in tapioca, and a rai lway from Klang 10 K. I.umpur was spokt'n of all a desir .. hle hut almost impossihle thing. T here was no money to make it with, :lnd the nll tural diffic:uhies wcre considered insunnountablt·. They wert', in truth, small, but a swamp and a bridge acros.~ the iti"et Klang wen,' eonsidcfl'tl to render it impossibll-'. T ht' slowIY_lnadt" and long-delayed Damansara ito'HI was thought all ~ t1fJieient with thl' :lid or bullock_ems to cOn\'ey tht' trade (0

and fro - that is, the tin to Klang and the opium, arrack and rice from Klang . AnOlIIl:r idea \\':15 that if the railway could he made it 11t'\'cr could pay.

So much of the past and now for the preM'nt, which I must give you principally as extracts fro m my diary,

Left Sing;tpore on S;tturday 25th August 189-1 . by Sappho, \'ery expensive I thought SI5 Jl:l.u agc to Klang, it is double the old rates, if I rememhcr. Ca lled at I'ort Dick-

At 4. IS ne.\:t day, Su nday 26th August. ;t rri"ed at Klang, Place not much chanJil:ed in :Iny way and hall a poor, rather broken~Io"'n apl>carance. Arrived at Kuala Lumpur aftC'f dark .

i\ !ol1ll:IY 2ith August - Till this morning I did not SC:t' Kuala Lumpur and the more I St't' the place the InOTe I admire it. Kature has I>cen kiml in gi~'il1g a plain surroundt"d by undulating ground and small hills backed by r:lngt~ so loft y as to aspire to be lUountains wooded to the top brokC'n by great rocks in which arc the far -famed Datu Cavell: On one of the higher of the sm:,,]1 hillll I ~ ptact"d tht' Residenc\', on another tht, Law Couru, on anoth~r the Public OfliL"CS, 011 another t he Barrackll, whil~· many others art' occupied with channing snug- lookin~ bunl:alowlI, wi th the railwav mnning through the "alleys bctwC'Cn. The cent re of Ihe township is a pl3in, used for drill-ground, cricket, football lind lawn tennis. On tht" road round this plain arc somC' most substantial huitdil1gJ1 - the Bank (the Chartered Dank of India, Aus, tralia and China), the Post Office the Cluh nick-named t he "Spotted Dog," the sitl-' for the Tlew Public Offitt3, thc Hailwa\' ~fJices , and a handsome block of new shop'~ 111 COurse of efl'1:tion. John Chinam an has for long seuicd the stylc of buildin~ which suits his bllllil1L~ - the n:arrow verandah along the street with the shop ~hind and dwelling-rooms abo'·e. Thi~ III so at Si ngapofC, Hongkong etc, But you han' space :lnd land to spare, the conSC'quencc is la rj!e, wide . well-metalled road>l with plenty of ' ·('ntilat ion. Very diffC' rent to the d OS(", stuff,' , unwl101esome lanL~ and ~1():1,cs of Hongkont:, whC're the plague IS hrnl.

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TIlE PUBLIC GARDENS

It was early in 1888 that the Resident of that day, Me. Swellenham, retu rned from lean: and resu med charge of the administration of the St:lIe and shortly afterwards it was suggcsted to him that il would be of advantage to Kuala Lumpu r if ht: would give his countenance to a scheme for laying out some of thc waste land ncar the town as Public Gardens which would scn'e as a place of amusement and recreation for the inhabitants and, if eareCuliy carried out, add greatly 10 th e beauty of the town. After considering the proposa l he entered into it with his customary energy and thoroughness and obtained the sanction of H. E. the Governor to a vote of the money required to gi\'c it effect. The ground suitable for the purpose W:LS fonunately close at hand for ncar the 15th milc on the old Damansara Hoad a clear st ream (Sungci Bras Bras) crossed the ro:Ld aftt: r meandering through a valley which consisted of sc\'cral acres of swamp in which hrian; and Ialang forC'St trees. screw pines and tree ferns were interspersed in picturesquc confusion. On each sidc of the swamp the land rose up into prt'llily wooded hills 100 ft . to ISO fl. ill height whilt: at thc upper end a stretch of gently undulating land covered with lalang sloped away to\\~.lTd~ what is now known as "Scvcn Uials".

It will be difficult for most of the readers of this paper who know Kuala Lumpur nnly as it is. to realisc the state of things which then existed when what is now known as Hospital Road was a narrow lane innocent of metal which followed an IIp-and-down course without any attempt at a fixed gra ,Iienl; when Ma.'l(wdl Road, Club Road. Scn'n Dials. T anglin Road :md V~nning Road were non-existant; when in fact. Ihe wholc counlry to the west of the Hospital Road. where the Gardens, the Lake Club, and nllme-rous Go\'ernmenl quarters with their finely kept gardens now exist, was an almost impassable wildt-rness. the abode of herds of wild pig. of tigers and of sambur deer.

Such was the countn' which within a few days after the plan' had been mooted to him, the Resident traversed in all directions scrambl ing up the hills for such views as were to be obtaincd. and examining into

the suitability of the site for the purpose for which it was intended. Having satisfied himself of its natural ad\'antagcs he gave pcnnission to commentt the work of clearing away the exuberant gro"1h of grass and brushwood.

The first thing which had to be done was to dislodge sundry Chinese squatters who occupied with their gardens and houset, the site of the present bund and wh~n they had been bought out, and the su rrounding lalang had been cleared , it was c\'ident that the narrowness of the swamp at this point would enable a sheet of ornamental water to be fonned without any very heavy expense, On le\'e1s being taken, it was found that a bund 100 yards long lind of an average ht' ight of 8ft. would fonn a lake of sc\'CnaJ aCTl~ in ~xtenl, and stcps were at once taken to tt"St its feasibility, Dorings were taken along the site of the proposed bund, and these gave rock throughout at a depth below ground of from 4ft. to 8ft.

It is unncct.'SSary to go into details of the fonning of the bund; suffice it to say that Mr. Gordon vcry generously came forward, and in a 1I10St public-spirited way offered to const ruct it without charge for supcrvision or profit and the work was carried out by his finn in the most creditable manner. In the meantime, others were not idle . The bcd of the proposed lake was cleared of trees and bnambles, tree ferns were transplanted to shady places above water le\'eI. open fields were cleared of lalang and jungle of undergrowth, until the valley began to assume qui te a cultivated appearance.

Then roads and paths. were laid out so as to give the public access to the grounds. unsightly nwines were turned into ponds in which lotus and water~lilies were planted , nurseries of p lants were formed which have sintt been most usdul in supplying trees and sh rubs for adorning both public and pri\'ate grounds. and groups of palms and shrubberies were laid out and planted. While these works were in progn:ss the fonnation of the bund was being proceeded with. with its core of puddl~d clay 6 ft. in width. which had to he carcfulh' worked into all the intennices of the rock ~t :l depth in the middle of about 18ft. below the present 1c\'cI of the top of the bund, and

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I\nd now the time appro3chc:J for closing the gap in the middle of the land through whieh the river /lowed and for ttans fonninJ( the ugly mild swamp into ;tn ornamental sheet of water. This was a work of some difficult\', but it was suecessfullv carried throtl~h' and the stream d:llmn~J back: and then ensued an exciting period when groups of tnen might be seen eH'ry day

The GOVERNMENT OFFICES, KUALA LUMPUR,

,\Jr. ( laUr Sir lfIilliam ) MaXft;tIl, tdm

:;'%i~~;;t;;"o~,t:la:Ju;J;;,.:~ 1!8~u;~" !'~~'~i block of Guvtrnmtnt OUietS ill O,r ctlll" uf Kuala l.umpur, I/e apresml ,lot opinioll ,hat n:tII a Gm'tWlllmt should lIIakt uu of advtrtiUllltIIt to (lUraet wpital (lnd that imprr-Jsit:e Gm'trllmtlll buildings fCould gil,t (III air of prosprrity 10 Stlongor, ultid, tnu ,hro lacking. The result f:-aS tlu: cotlSlrueliol/ of a group of buildings, consiJtin,t: of tht GQfJrrnmtnt A,/minisITlltiVt Offittl, fueing Iht 'Pmilmg', n Tf)fritl 1/011, /I Gtntrall'OSI Offitt 01/11 Railtmy 0ffius, All of I/list f:.'rrt Jesigned ill Iht S(lmt /lrchilretural slylt, tt'hiell a'as knorr:n as '",OOtrn Sa,attllie'. al/ll ,.'as eonsidrrtJ approprialt for u ,lIuslim c/Junl,y. Tht Foul/dlltian Stant of Ihr Got;"I/mtnt Administrativt 0ffius teas laid in Oetoo" 1894 : lilt building (fill mmpltlt./ flml Quupitd i" 189;.

watching the slow risc of the watet, until .. t last ill February, 1889, 14 days after the gap was dosed. the water began to Aow m'e r the spill and a lake of some 15 acres in extelll delighted tile cye~ of the beholders,

Un 13th i\ la\', 1881) H, E, Sir C. C. Smith G.c.~I.G., accompanied hy H . E. Si r Charles W .. rren, G,C,l\I.G" fonna lly opened the Gardl'ns to the public. the act of cutting the ribhon which threw open the toad to traffic being perfonlled by ~Irs. Swettenham, who kindly allowcd the Lake tn be named 'Sydney Lah" after her.

CLEARING THE SITE FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT OFFICES (AuJ:. 1874).

"'ith the cxception of onc or two hOIlM;S :11 the ri \'Cr end of Clarkc Strt'et, the site is clcolr for the new Go\'crnment Offices, A mort;tr m ixe r ;lnd ;t pump for supply of water from the rivl'T, both 10 bl' worked by steam, arc ocing Sl't up and vast quaillities of bricks, sand, etc., han: been deposited on the ground, and soon we shall sec the "llIason~" - thc term hy which bricklayers :Ire dignifietl out here - .. t work. T hl' housc~ heing l, rectnl for Luke Yew, at the {,OTlll'r of ~Iarket Stret't, opposite the Railway Otnet'S, bid fair 10 bt' a line block of huildings, and will help to throw intu unpleasant prominellce the ~tahlcs th:u will be sandwiched hetwt':Cn thelll and the nl'W GO\'crnnlt'nt Offic(·s.

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Til , tlttt:' GQ!·,"Jnlmf Offius ulllia n)nllrurliun in IH95. Tltr SrlangOl' Club is in tilt right !OI'rground.

LAYING TIlE FOUNDATION STONE OF 11-LE NEW GOVERNMENT OFFICES.

IIl·fon: laying the found:ll ion stone, the: Gon." rnor, ~ir Charl t:S :'\ l itcht:11 sai(l : ladies and gentkmcn. so far from descr.'ing any thanks (or my visiB to Kuala Lumpur. I ma\' sal' with all sincerit\' that the\' han' heell' \'e;y pleasant holidays. :-':oi only do I l i k~' Ihe climate vcr.' much, hut I think I'our charmin~ lown 'qui te makes up for an\' incOl1\'enienee ill coming th is distanCl.·.· You han' Ixen good e:nough to ask me to lal' ti le foundation -stone of vour new I'ublic Offices ami I accept the oflicc 'lith a ~reat deal of plcasu rt'. ~ol that I alll ready to endurse all that :'I lr. 'l'reachcr has said. I alll nothing if 1 :lIn not eCOIlOmical. alld I believe Ihal Stales, like individ uals when they arc flou rishing most should husband thl.'i r rt"SOurccs. Your tin WOIl't last for en: r - at least. I find my tin won't last :lml although I think you arc goill~ all the right lines in developing your agncu ltural rellOutCCS, )'ou should keep any surplus fo r spending 0 11 cuning roalls . opcning means of communication and in actual utilitarian works. 1'01 tnat these offices arc not to a cert ain c:xtent

useful, but I think you might hal'e waited a li tt le whi le, Still, I do not wish to say her{' all)' word to damp ),our pll.'D ure. One I>oi llt I woulll make; it is a grand thing to build fine public offices worthy of the Services; but the S('fI'iccs shoulll then he worth~ of the home gil'en them. I ru..1'e been cxcessively pleased with what I have seen of the public offices ill the Native St~tcs. I be lie\'e them to be filled by I.'ncrgctic, earnest men, who dClire not their own adl":lOccment merely, but the well-being of the Stale they sefl'e. And I should like to sce maintained a high tone of public conlluct, morality, and good feel ing amongst the public scn 'ants of the State. I should like tn 5c:e you pull to· gcther as you have hitherto done, energetic and desirous of doing all ill your power to ;\(!I'ance the interests of the State: )'ou serve. Thus will )'ou be trul), cmblematiscd by the grand new offiCt:5 you arc about to I.'rcct, l\'Ir. Treacher compared the cost of offiees in the Colony with the estimated cost of these, If l\lr. T reacher can build fo r the l um he a:I\'I the fine offien these bill fai r to be , all ( can lay is thllt you have the most cronomic:lI engineer 1 11m acquaint· ed with .

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i'lr. A. C. Nonnan, the State Architect. then presented His Excellency with a very handsome silver trowel, with i\'ory handle and gold bands, on which was engraved:-

l' retlented to H. E. Sir C. n. H. l\litchell, GO\'ernor of the Straits Senlcments,

For laying the Foundation Stone October 6th 1894.

In a cavity bclow the stone the GO\'ernor placed a yen, some Straits coins, a piece of Selangor tin from the Straits Trading Co., and a copy of the current number of the Selangor Journal, which, he remarked, would no doubt enlighten those who might pull down the building as to tbe condition of affairs in the State now.

Assisted b\' Mr. Norman, l\ l r. Bidwell and l\1r. Gro~'es, the Governor tben lowered and levelled the stone, and declared it "well and trul v laid in the name of the Great Arehiteci of the Universe".

Before concluding the ceremony the Governor desi red to express his deep n:gret that the man n~sponsi ble for that building, who had taken ~o much pains with it, wa.'\ not among them. He trustcd the visit of i\1r. Spooner to India would restore him to health and to Selangor.

The stonl' is a mass of concrete weighing about half a ton, with a marble facc bearing thc inscription -

1-1. 1·1. Sir Abdul S31113t, K.C.l\ I.G. Sultan

H. E. Sir Charles n. H. l\litchcll, KC.HG. Governor of the Straits Scnlell\ents

W. H. Treachcr C.i\1.G. British Resident.

This stone was laid hy H. E. the GO\'ernor on the 6th day of Octobl'r, 1894.

A. C. Xonnan, Architt:·ct C. E. Spooner. State Engint'er

[t is at the base of what will bea handsome clock towcr itO ft. high in thc Arabesque style, which is to Conn the main feature of "tlie from; two other towers, comaining circular stair-cas("$., fonning handsome addi· tions to either facade. T he building is to be of two stories. with a 12ft. wide \'erandah all round of red brick with imitation stone Jressings with a tiled roof. The photograph of ;I sketch in perspecti\·c . Oil tl1l" invitations issued givcs a good idea of the handsome pile which will adorn tl1l" Gombak Roa{1

ACCOllllllooatiol\ will he provided 011 the ground floor for the P.W. D. amI District Ufficers. ' l ines Department, Lands, Audit and Treasury, each office with iu own ~trollg room. Thc I'mt Offiec and the Sanitary Uoard will also find a habitation in thl' wi,ig ncarest T own. On the first floor, in adJiaddition, thl~re is a fine Statl' Council Room, ofiices of IIle Secretariat, a Sanitan Boanl l-Iall, rooms for the Resident anj other officials, and the Chinese Secretariat

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'nIt fi'rst Raj/rca), StatiuI' (built in ~86 rchtn tilt hlang - K.L. /illt r.~as 0/WntJ).

THE F IRST RAIL \VA Y

l 'IlIiI 1886 a/l pUJungt" tf(lt:tllinX f rom hlrmg tf> huala I.umpur. f!'tnt up tilt A.·lan.t: rit:tr by OOatlJJ far liS !Jamansaw, (Uul tlttn tra/ktd ur ",xit un horsr bark (}Ctr a rougll Irack for anothtr IS milts to hua/a Lumpur. 'flit cost of transporti"K all lupplits tu tilt Stalt Capif(ll (Inti of rarrying Tin Ort (lnd othrr product out to tilt ({)(lst reas t'r r)' high. rap All 1.11)' rut /I t r/ler for a mad from A.'uIIIII Lumpur 10 iJnmnnsara ill l ~ i 5, hUI Sr!'tt/tnllOm, n'IIrll lit htramt Rtsidmt . dtridtd that it u'uuld ht murr rrrmomiwl, lIIlIl ill tht long rUII much /110ft pmfitahlt to build a rai/rray f rom A.'ua/a Lumpur I f) KlanK . .. j p"liminary surt;ry (WS madt ill 1883. and loons fer" ohlainrd from ,ht S traits Stttltmtnts and Ptrak GUf-·tfnmtnts in 1885. J\fr . . " . Sptnu Muss , a nlt ,nhu af tilt CI')'loII Puhlir Works Drpartmrtll, tI:lw had ron , sillrrahlt rxprrjtnrt of rai/t&a), ronstruction in Cry/oil. tras appoinltd Cltirf Conl/ rurlion f'-IIg;nrtr, and romplt trd tht track laying ill Stpl, mh" 1886, (11111 f)II 5;"p,rmbrr 151h, Sullall AfHlul S amad alld Sir Frrdtrick Wtld Iravtlltd by tltt fi"t paSstngtf train f rom Bukil huda slalion, Klang, lIJ Kuala I.un'pur in 95 minults. By 1889 I~ raimay lint rras paying 1M Statr Grx:rrnmtnl an Ilflnual profit of~°<l ' In l tin/fro additional lints rerrr (Qrut rurttd : urlt to Roreang and Ih" olllrr, wllidr tras (ompltw/ in 1893. lu i'u(lu. 'J1I1S lint rOil throu.t:" tltt lOU'n, tri,II railua), rroSlin.t:' al RodKrr S ,rttl.

J/ixlt Stfttt, Prtalin,t: S trut and Sultnn S lrut .

OPENING OF TIlE RAILWAY EXTEN· SION TO SUNGEI BESI (1895).

On T hursday. the 28t h February, the railwily extension to Sungci nt."Si was opened by the Acting Resident, Mr. J . P. Rodger. ..... ith but little forma lity and e\'en leu !lpcechifying. The Rt.'S ident Engineer M r. A. J. W. Watkins , had issued ill\' itation5 to p roceed by a special train, timed to le:l.\'e

t~~~[aho~~l~h~r p~~~ratst:li~:'inanl~\\~~ presented :I. very gay ap(>C2ranee. a large

~~::::: t~ft>!a~;~:c~;:~nttea~~ti~~;t~;:,~~~ other \' isitors .... -as Mr. C. R. Hanson, :\I.I .C.E., Resident Engineer fo r Railway., I'erak. It was close on half-pasl fou r befote the l rain alreamed oul of Ihe I ialion , apparently leaving on Ihe platform lOme \' is iION who ..... ere unable to find a~mmo· dation . A alop ..... as lIIade al Pudu Sillition , where a si lver staff. with ebony handle o rnamented with can'ed ivory was presented to i\1r. Rodger, who, in accordance wilh the re~ulat ions for ..... orking by the Slaff and licket system, then ga\'e Ihe order for the lrain to prOCC'Cd along the ne ..... track. A short halt was made at Salak 10 enable the \'isi tof& to sec the station and Ihe train proceeded on to Sunge! Iksi, ..... hich ..... all reached ahortly t:H:fore 5 o·clock. Upon

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the party alighting at the &lalion 1\Ir, Watkins, in a few wOroll, u ked Ihe ACling Itelidenl III l]edare Ihe CXICII~ioll and lilalion opl'n 10 traffic, and ;'.Ir, Ihx]gtr, in doing so, said that it atfordrd him much pkasure 10 be prc."$Cnl and trusted that exttnsioml in otiltr direc tions would a[so he carried out, /I.. mo\'c was then mllde to tht" Sungei Iks; Rest Houit" ",hich is quite dO!lC to the Slat ion, where n:frc."Shments were IlTo\'ided , It was a \'I;:r)' hright afternoon, in fact a tr ifle tOO brilliant, and sc\,t"r:ll of thc \' illi tol'll took thc opportunity IIf looking round the 10WII . It h:u. till' lIpJX'arance of a busy flouri shing mining [t"nlrt" and like alllllining ccntrt"S pa'scnts a grano fit'lll for a Sanitary Hoard It) work at. We bclic\'c the.' Kuala Lumpur Sanilary UO:Hd is laking the placc in hand . There is a fillc iwn market, which is milch disfiJ;'ln::ll hy the wall! of :Iwllinl!s , old sal,;b and kajangll bein,!:: hung up in lieu of Ihtm . Upon \\alkillg through Ihe market wc wen~ rcminded of a paragr.!.ph ill I\ lr, Itobsoll's monthly Tq)()rl which appl'an'd in the last GaZetll·. "On returning til K lang at 4 P,II1 Illill l'\'erything ckarcd out of the lIlarkel. and the whole place thoToughl~' washed oul by Ihc aid of the fire enginc," SOllleIhing of the kind is badl~' wanted in Sungt·i Desi 'larke!. The ringing of the platform hell amI rel)Caled \\'hislling of the engine, howe\'er, warned the wandering \'isilors it was time to be "on I)()ard", and at about 6.30 Ihe train Itft for K. Lumpur, A slight s toppage occu red on thc return journey, and thl:' Kuala l.ulIlpur Slation wall re3ched jusl al dll ~ k .

The extellsion nl)Cned 011 Thursd3~ runs from I'udoh Station 10 Sungri Hl"Si . a distance of s ix mill'S, lI'ith an intermediate.' I('mporary station at Sal:lk .

"EYE W ITNESS" ~l' nd! Ull an account of how, scated in the train :11 Sult:m Street bound for Sungci Hesi, a Chinaman dashed on to the platfonll at Ihe last m oment, withoul waiting 10 get a ticket, antI endea\,ou rtd 10 l'ntl:' r a c:lrriagl' whnein wert· sevrral of hi li acquai ntances, who we.'f(· yelling 10 him, pl'nllllllabl)" to he quick. T he officials \'try Prol)Crly, howl'\'l'r, would nOI han' Ihis, and a CllS<' of pull de\'il pull bakl' r rC'Sulted in the would·be:- tr:.l\·eller bc:ing left behind, or, at an}' rate, not being allO\\'l:'d 10 o:ntl'l Iho: ca rriage . :-':ow comes

the amusing - or, we ought to say, astounding - parI. When the Irain !learned into I'udoh Station who should be on the Plalfoml, wa\' ing aloft a tickct, but the identical Chinaman who had been too laIc to srI his ticket al Sultall Str«t. The Iriu mph of Ihe man, the ddight of hi ~ friends, and tho: am.ucmcnt of the gu:ard may br imagined. The Chinaman must Ix: a $ccond lli'crfoot to bc able ill Ihis wily to olltstrip a Irain helonging 10 thc S.G. f{ .

THE FIRST FIRE BRIGADE:

Tht 7Qr('11 uf }o;ua/(I Lumput traJ bU"lf 10 Iht groulIl/ ill 188 1, uml although l1IaflY

vf fht houus rrtft r,bui/I r6th bri(lu and clay tiln, Iht 1('idnp"ud uu of k,.,OJtnr for lamps ill }o;u(ll(l l .ultlpur Itll la bulk st/)r(lgr of k(rOUllt i,/ shops, u/ti(h ("(llrd 1I lief"

jift rilk, wul/td 10 Ih t formaliorl of a smfll/ Firf: IhiXlIl/r in 1884. Its finl rommum/tr I.-aS II , 1-'. LJtllalllY, all J:'lI/:mu, ill Iltt Publi, IForks Drpflltmrrll. 71,t mtmbr'11 I('rlr 111/ l'o/unttrrs lInt/, III flrr brgilll/;ng, tltry lUff rqu;pprd In'tlt a rdlrt/rd hand pump, r .. ";'" fltty pullrd thrmsr/t'r., W"rn tlt~)' Imil prot·ttl '''t;, us~fulnrl1, '''~ Stulf: (;ot:rrnnunf bou,eltt a stram }iu rnKint i" IS!!!!, and ;n 1893 ;m/'Qrlrd ffn .. t''''Y Imgt ,..,'''irt /tOt Its from f:ngland to plill Iltr rnginr. Tltr finl F;ff Stalioll IctUsitrtiin .\lIJ/turll Slrrtt ,

OPENING OF THE NEW FIRE BRIGADE STATtoN 1894.

On :,\!onda\' the 30t h O'"tobl'r, the new station hlli[liing~ of Ihe SdangoT Fire Brigadc wcrr fom13lly opened by the He~iJenl. :'\IT. W. H . Trl'acher, C,i\ I.G ., and the: prizes wall in the Ilile com[lCtition dri ll~ were presented to the ~ lIeccs~ful compelitors b~' i\ l rs. Tre:lcher.

The huilding which has rather a prelly appearance from the: front, is erected on a tri3ngular plot of bod :11 the junction of Church Street \\;th the Ampan~ Roall , and was des igned to accommod3te the steam fire l'ngilll', l'sClI)C ladderli, hOS('" Tl'Cls and athrr appliances. Stabling for the horses is pro\'ided on each side of Ihe ('ogine room and the), have Ilttn lau!?ht 10 wa lk OUI iOlo Ihcir rcspccth'e places beside the l'ngi n(' at the !!.Qullll of Ihe alann bdl.

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At each end of the building is :I tower. the interior of olle ha\'ing a winding stair with a pl:ufonn at top from which can lx ~\IsllCndc:d the hose: for drying and cleaning purposr:~. the other is fitlcd up with la\'atories on thc ground floor and Captain's office above. Thefe is also a rL"Cteal ion room for the men , qllartcT$ for th e syces etc. 011 the whole, though not an architecILIT:lI triumph when taking a back view, l,he huilding is well adaptcd to the Iluq)()Se fo r which it was designed .

Shorlly after 5 o'clock the RI,'sident and l\ IN. Trellcher arri \'cd on the ground . After inspecting the Brigade. who were drawn up in front of a marquee which had been erected ncar the station and in \\ hieb was displayed effectively the handsome collection of prizes. the Resident was conducted o\'o,:- r the building by Captain Bdlamy and on his return to thl' p:n 'ilino he declared the building ope n in a Ilea! and telling spel·ch. He said it gave him ~rcal satisfaction to hand O\'('r to Lapt;!.in Bellamy and the IIu:-mbcrs of the Scla ngor Fin' Brigllde the nt'w and commodious buildings and appl iances hc had ju:! t inSpede(I, and in doing so he thought he could not trust tht'm 10 a betlt'! captain or to a better sct of mcn. He felt proud (If the Sd:lngor Fire Brig:Jtie, and was satisfied that while the State possessed such a body 110 fire which might break out within any reasonablt (Iistance of Kuala Lumpur would havl,: much chanct' of sprcading.

The Captain on behalf of Ihe Brigade, then handed to :\IN. Treacher a bouquet, and that lad)' proceeded to prt'SCnt the various prizes 10 thc sua::essfu l competilofll, a list of whom has al ready appeared in our columns .

After the prizes Wl're distributed till' Brigade ga\'e an t'xhibilion lurn-out wl'l drill, a description of which we quole from Ihe programme. ,·It is assumed that thl' ;';cw Station is on fi rc. The firemen will be at recreation. The al:mn will be givcn by Ihe Captain by ringing the bell. The hOflln wi ll be harncued, the Brigade will turn out . and the stC3m firc engine will lx· worked from the end of Chu rch 5tr«I, frolll the rivCf. Four branchcs will ht' worked, one on each tower alld twO from

Ihe ground . To conclude, both ddin:rin \\;11 be "breachcd" into one (lin.) nozzle and the fu ll po ..... er of the eo~ne cxhibited. Pack up. :\Iarch 1':1.51. DismiSS.

SELANGOR STAMPS

In 18iR the fifll t stamp:! were issued in Selangor. They were surcharged .... ; Ih thc star and crescent and the letter S in an oval, on tlu: Straits 2 cents brown. The surcharge was black. The watermark is a crown and C.C. They arc cxccroin$l)' rare . A later issue of these stamps, With a red su rchnrge and watennark crown and C.A., is supposed to han laken place in 1882. It is, howe\'er, improbable that any such issue e\'er occurred, seeing Ihat in 1881 thc horizontal su rcharge of the word "Sclangor" all the 2 cents brown without the ~ t :l r and crescent, was illtroducc:d . The watermuk was a crown and C.C. In 1883 the 2 celllS hrowll 8talllp with waterm:uk, a crown and C.A., was surcharged with a big letter "S" and a full stop after it .

SELANGOR,

From then till now all wateml:l.rU h:n'e been C.A. and \\;th the following excc:ptions the su rchargl'S have always bcc:n the word "Selangor" prinled horizontally on 2 cent5 rosc:stamps.

In 1889 a vertica l su rcharge - two different capital types one large Roman and the other italics - were used in printing the word "Selangor" . In 1891 there were issued 6,000 stamps bea ring a horizont:a l surchargc "Selangor two ecnll" on 24 cents greell. There were in each row or 10 stamps five di5tinct 5urcharget. ThHc:

:~a~r}~ o\;·e;; lai~~~d"t~;:;'~ s::m~ d~!:?;~3 from the Crown Agents. The}' han reached a higher value than have the limilar su rcharges of the other States, lind Ire pr.lctically unobtainable in the Straiu and Nat ive5tatet.

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During 189 1 1he tigl.' r 51amps wt:n: issued. AI first Ihc two cents rose colou red was the thc: ani\, slamp printed _ Afterw:lnis one cent grc:~n and five cents blue were obtained. Still later a five cents rosl.' slamp su rchargt:d thn'e Cl.'nts has heen issued (36H,UOO of them) and the twO cents stamp has hc('n :Iltereli to ye llow_

POSTAL UNION

There is a paragraph in the papers to the effect that while- :'> Ir_ F. A. Sweuenham i~ in England he will nl'gotiatt: for the inclusion of the i\lalavan Protected Stall-s within the Postal Union. :\ comumIllation dcvoutl \' to be wished; ,lnd am' thaI h!lS bet:n -talked about, and wriuen aboul, for some time. The first slep ill the right llirection was made whc:n, in 1891. a l'\ali \'t: State~ slamp was introduced. In the Administration Report for thl' Stale of Sdangor for IM,)1 we rc,ld: "Theaa 'mains anuther chan~l', which. in justice 10 thc l'\ali\"(: StatL"S, should be introduct:d bt:fore long ami th;tt is the admission of these Statl-S to the I'ostal Un ion, hv mC3.ns of which their stamps will he available fur postage to Europe, America etc. At present Ihe stamps of the Colony of thc Straits Settlements arr USoel\ for this purposc, the whok of Ihe rr\·enUl' dcrivaIJle from liuch ~tamps being paid to Ihe Colony. This can hardly be ju~tificd, whcn Stall's like Sarawak and Nortll Borneo belong 10 thlPostal Union :1I1U use their own stamps for fort-ign postage."' Thc hardship of till: casc is shown by the following paragraph from last year's Administration Repon: "Till: Ilumbt-r of artic1t.-s deah with by the POSI Office was \)55,·\')5, ;tn incrca~t: of 14 per c('nl as compared with 181)(J. As poinled out by the Supcrintendent, how. l'vcr, Ihe incrt':lSC'd numher of articles dealt with, although it affords valuable tcstimon~to the growing il11l>orlance of tht, SI;tll'_ llocs not nC'Cl""Uarily produce a corresponding increasc in the postal rt'VCIllIl', a.~ ktters dqlatched 10 placcs bl'yond thc StrJits Settlements and the 1\:ativc Statt'"S musl bl' s talll llCd in Sdangor wilh Colonial stamps, 011 which no profit is realised h~· this Cm·ern· m('nl, ;u; they call on ly be purchased frolll the Colony :It thei r face \"3.lur."

POSTAL CHARGES ON LETTERS (FEBRUARY 1894).

The Post Office has issued a not icc that on and after the 1st of i\larch the rate of poslage all Ictters sent to plan-s in S('langor and in the Straits SetllclllcnU Perak, Sungl'i Ujong, :\('gri S('mhilan, Pahang and Johort: will be raised from two cents for t:ach half ounct· to Ihrt:e cents. From tht' same date the rate of postage to places oulside the Colom· will bt' raised from "\.1.' cents for l'ach ilalf ounce to eight cents.

THE KUALA LUMPUR SANITARY BOARD

Il"ht"1I IlI r .')Iu/t" .. ldminiuroliulJ UIH I/JQf)td /rol/1 '''ling to A.-units l.umpur ill 1880 flint f("al 110 oDirial 10 umlrrlf/kt r(".1pO/uibilily for tht ar!mimJtralirm 0/ thr /OfClJ, and il feOf 1101 <l IJli! 1890 Ihal Iht Slalr 1"rrUlurt"r, II . _-I. l -rlllJing, f!"as gi1"("11 I/' r midiliona! (Iuly 0/ bt"illK ell(li,man 0/ a lute/y rSlaMishrd ·S(llIil(l"· iJoord '. This bourlJ 1("(l J mad, InpofJIiblt /0' prOf·iding puhii{ urvi{l'S, -lI'alrr, "Kill, ((1f("11 e/rmlSill.it alld rollds. Tilt /oulI,lrr 1II,IIIbrrs of I/l r bO(lrd furr r ap Kf("(U/ JtII_J:, tilt 'Cap/lml Chinll', Raj(l I.aul, Raja Hoi allli ChOfe Ah )·rok. Thr post 0/ C}wirman brftllllt 11/11.11 lim, Ilppoint. IIItIIl br/oTt tilt tIId 0/ lit , 191h. (flllu,)", hut t/lr posl and III, butJ,d ("(JTJl inutd 10 brar Iltr U/lSfwoury namr unli! Ih , ,"d 0/ 1925 Wlt.." if fml (hall.itfd 10 ' T of/·n /Joord' .

AMENDI\£ENT TO THE SANITARY BOARD BYE·LAWS (NOVEMBER 1895 ),

Ill- an alllt'lIlicd ih·bw of the Sallilan-1I0ard, n'gi.;;!cred ha~d carts tr;tn-lling ;1 night must carry at least am' hurricane lamp or other suffio.:it:nt light, which if onh- ant' is carried must be fi ."ed all Ihe front- right hand side. This will do :.Iwa\- with thl' dangerous practice of carrying a damar lorch, pil'cC"s of which frequentl r fall off and art: left flarin g on Ihc roadway 10 starlit, horses 10 say nothing (If the risk of fire_

MAXIMUM PRICES IN THE MARKI:."T (DECEMBER 1895),

:'> l r. A. R. '-l'11I1ing, Chainmn, Sanitary Hoard, Kuala Lumpur, writes: - Then' ,iTe many frug",11 houscwi \-cs among us whosc hC"3 rts will rejoin' when the~- learn

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111 at the maximum prices at which meat is allowc:d to be sold in tile markc! han: been fixed for next year, and that the farmer has signed a contract which binds him IIOt 10 allow more than the specified rates to be chargcd for any meat sold. This, of course, docs not compel the butchers to charge the full rates ~iven in the list, and I belic:\'c: mutton is fre(Jllcnt ly sold very much below 25 ccnts a calt\'. It will. howel·cr. enable ladies to keep 'a check on their cook's accounts to a certain extent. and help. I hopt·, to cheapen the cost of living in this cxpcnsi\·e plan' . I enclose list of prices.

List of ma.ximum prices allowed 10 be charged ,1\ the beef and mutton stalls at Central :\Iarkl"t. Kuala Lumpur.

Buffalo meal at 1-4 eellts per catty lied at 25 cents per catt~· BedSuc! at g cents per catty lIeef Liver at 20 cellts per catty Ucd Tripo at S cent~ per catty Beef Shoultlcr at 15 cellts per catty lkef Ft'et :11 8 eellts pe r catt y

B<.:ef :\iarrowbolles at S cents each ned Kidlle\"~ at 10 cents eaeh Bed Urain' at 10 centsellch Beef TonglH: at 30 cents each Ueefl-kart at 25 cenBeach Beef T ail at 10 cents each :\Iullon at 35 cents per c:llly.

OPENING OF THE WATERWORKS APRIL, 1896

On Satunla\' the 11th April, the formal opening of thIS large and important work took phlc<,: at Ampang. Although the downpour of rain was he,lvy and continuous in the earh- afternoon. n:t the weather clenc:d at about four o'clock. enabling most of the \·isitors 10 make the journey Out dry overhe'HI. and b\' the time the I{esidelll and :\Irs. Rodger .. rri\·ed at Ampang tbe weather was beautiful, and the neighbourhood of the R~n'oir and the \'iew of the surrounding country from there were looking lo\·c!v. :\Iessrs, Spooner and I'axon had spart:d no pains to secure the comfort of the visitors and a large tent covered a most tempting display of rcfreslunents. 1\1r. J. :\lacbean. :\lanaging Din'ctOT of Howarth Erskint·, Limited. the firm that had thl'

contract, was prCSC'Tlt from Singapor.l:. as was Mr. Jack5011 Millar. the chief partner in Messrs. Hiley, Hargrl::I.\·es and Co.

Mr. Spooner. addressing the Resident , 1\ lrs, Rodger, and the l:tdics and gentlemen presl:nt said: "Mr. Paxon and I ha.ve :asked you to come this long way to assist in opening one of the most important public works th at have yet been undertakell in the Native States of 'Malaya. which Mrs. Rodger has kindly coll5ented to open: a work on which will depend the health and comfort of the population of Kuala Lumpur, The number asscmblC"d here to-day shows the appreciation of the public of a work on which so much care. thought and money have been expended for their benefit. Before giving a cursory history and description of the works, pennit lIIe 10 ofTer you our best thanks for the trouble you have t .. ken in coming so far and for the honour you haw: done us. The idea of supplying the tOWII of Kuala Lumpur with water by gra\'itatioH originated in 1888, when 1\lr. Swetlenham was Resident, when some investigation was made up the Klang and Ampang RiveTS; but it took no tangible form until early in 189 1, when l\'Ir. Paxon arrived in the State from the CrowlI Agents as Hydraulic Engineer and immediately set about looking for a suitable supply and site for a reservoir. Dr July, 1892, actual work on the Impounding Rt'5ervoir commenced - though the road to it and some buildings were constructed !lOme time hefore - consequently, the works ha\'e oceupied 3 years in execution, and ha\'e cost 5570,000 on an estimate of 5389,000. This time cannot he considered excessive when the magnitude and deliC2cy of the works arc appreciated . The excess O\'cr the original estimate is accounted for by the sickness that was experienced at the commenctment at the Impounding I{eser\"oir. and the necessity for carrying out extra works to insure the rcscn'oir being watertight, and Ihe advisability of increasing the atchment area. They arc designed to supply a population of 25,000 with 20 gallons :I. da)' per head; but as the popu lation of Kuala Lumpur is not known for certain and is probably over 25,(M}() ear(; has been taken in earr~' ing out th(; work to provide against this cont ingent)· and to supply sufficient water ror nearly 27,000 people. The scheme can be extended

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fo r ;in expenditure of :mother S84,OCX) w ;l5 to provide for ;i flOpubtion of 100,000, Beyond this number it will he neceM;iry for the, I presume, then, l\lunicip:l1 Counci llors of KUlIia Lumpur to extend the scheme beyond the scope at present laid down and I hOI>C in the intere5ls of Sclangor and KU:l la Lumpur in particula r, that day is not far distant. The wo rK!! consist of the h illXlunding Heser\'oi r, three miles of brick-li ned channel , filtcr beds, pipe mains, Service Heservoir and tOWI1 main, wit h their distr ibutions, Th is reservoir, which i~ situatc 420 feet above KU:lla Lumpur, is 10 :leTeS in extent at top water le\'c! and contains a supply for 25,000 pcr50ns for 70 days, or, wi th the minimum inflow, for 90 days, The greatest deptll of water is 32 fret, of whieh 20 is a\':l ilable, and the depth at the bottom of the vah'e well is 47 fl"et , where the scour vah'c is ~it\late , The main pipe line is 6 mil t:l in length and sustains a pressure

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at its lowestle\'els of 150 pounds per squau' inch, It may he interesting to some of you to lurn that such pressu re is 10 pounds o\'l: r that t'xt'rted in ~ Ir , \\'.atkins' locomotin: cylindcr5. The earryin~ Clpaeity is 80 cubic feet per minute, and the diamctl'r 10 incht's, T here arc 17 miles of lown mai ns of different Cl, libre, T he Service Heservoir, which is situatcd 190 feet abovc Kuala Lumpur, is a circular tank of 154 feet in diameter with 3 depth or 15 feet and contains about three d:.l.)'s supply, Thl' 11Il1)()undinJ,: HL"SCr\"oi r has bC'Cn constructed h\" :'\lesSTs, Howarth, Erskine , Limited, 3nd as they \\'(' re the contr3ctors for the extensi\'t' works in connection with the Singapore Impounding He'$CT\'oir extension, thr worK on which is wc:!l known, I tll inK wc h3\'c a sufficient guarantee th:1I what thl'\' han: done here 1l1a\' bc relied Oil, Ali' the other works h,l\'c been Cllrried ou t departmentally OInt.! they speaK fo r themselves,



"

Tilt firl / Fietoria Ins/i/ution ill 11r~h Stru t. TMI photo fl'as taRm ill about 1905.

THE FIRST VICTORIA INSTITunON

A Fuml teal o~ntd in 1!l!l7 to prIX-"idt a ~rmantnt mtmorial in Kuala Lumpur of th, Gold", Jubila of Quun Virtoria's rngn. III .\1ar(/1 1!l93 rap Quail Sm/:, tht Capitlln (""hina, TlwmbotJlIlmy Pillili lind IAJRt )·nv put lonmrd tht propowl that tilt halllller 01 tltis fuml, amountin.t: to S3 .1 ~8.00 sllOuM ht usrJ {I S {I nur/tus 10 mrtt tltt lUsl 01 building ( I u lloo/. Tht proposal rras promplly a,uprrJ hy 'lit Gut'rrnmmt, unJ .. 11, . T"a,IItT. ' lit n,i/ish Rnillml, gact tilt scl"mt ft.'")"

pouihlt support . In Junt 1893 12 T, usttfJ n'tTt Uppoillttd, tdlh .l1r .. T,turhrr as dwir· ml'" and rap Quan S rng, T/wmhosamy Pillai and l.okt } ·ne al nttnthtTs, lind tllty mutlr an ap~ullor funds. In a short tintt tllty rurit'd ovrr 510,000.00 including SI,OOO.OO Irum Su/lan Abtlul SumlIJ. Tilt S tott Gm;"nmml contrihultd 55,000.00 lind pTllmisrd un annuu/ grant uf 5],000.00. ami also imposrd an tJutalional ralt of S I O~ un tilt vulut ul hoults and land in Kuolu Lumpur, r. hirh t!"us txprrttd to bring in lurtlit, 52,150.00 a y tar.

It Iras agrttd hy IIIe Trllltus thai tht 1(hool should hr 'an Institution '0 p, IX-·idt tduratioll in tilt EnKlish languagt to Day 1(holan 01 (II/ nutionalitits and clontS' .. Tilt S tOlt G(JfJtTnmtnl aisf) mlldt availablt H lurn ol lanll nt ar tlrt Itlt hank of ' ht Klang ri",tr, til tist litt lor lilt u hool and tIlt htod· masttr 'si/uart rn.

Tht foundation stont U'QS laid on August Ii, 1893 und tI,t fi rst bi()(k of huilding. teOS

rtad), for auupation in Jul), 189" . rht fl'" "tadmasftr fras Mr .. Btnnd S/ww, ft:11tJ (Ofltinutd in '''at post until 1922.

Ifl 1922 tlrt mro/mtnt had rism to 1,000, and it II'QI duidtd to build a nm and larg,.r srhoo{ 01/ PtfulitlK 1Ii1/. T"~ prtltnt Vi,toria Institution fl:us lormally optnf'd hy Sir lIug" Clifford in Mil)' 1929, and til t old huildiflgs n·n,. rrnanrt d ' tht lIigil S trttt School'. I'llrt of tlrt old huilding /WS now hern contJtTttd iflto .ht ' Panggong Drama ' ..

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VICTORIA INSTITUTION READY (IS JUNE 1894)

The ' Viclori;a Institution' re;ally commenced it. career on :\ Ionda)', 15th j;anuary, though for the prescnt iu home i. the unpretending quarters of the l;ate Government English School. with the addition of a cla" room latdy addell. The Acting Inspector of Schools is temporarily looking after the interl"5ts of the Institution. 80 fa r as his other duties allow him and pendin~ the arrival from England of the new Head )O'h s ter. The staff of teachers at prescnt [onsist.ofthrtt.

The Victori;a Institution Buildin): will be taken over by the Trustc-cs in a few day~. and will be opened on the 30th j uly. after the usual june v:Ication. Thc ad\'cnt of the recent ly appointcd hcad-master is looked forward to. Thcre are now liS schola r~ enrolled ; S arc in the \' 1. standard. J in \', 2 in J\', 14 in III , 17 in II. and 65 in I. The perc:cntaJ{C of dail), attendance durinJ:: l\ lay was 83.65. The Acting Inspector of Schools, who has bC'Cn looking after thc fortunes of the Institution since it s tarted in its tem porary premi~, is at pfl"tle'~t conductin.': tht' annual midsummer examination. Thc Trustce~ h.n·c dccided [0

requt'St the Go\'ernment to publi~h quartcrl y financia l statements of thc Institution in thc Ga;r.elte. The school fcc, payablc mont hly, is 51 per menscm, and scholars h;wc 10

purchuc: their books :lod sbtt'S .

V.I, New Pupil. Report

New pupils should be brou.':ht [0 the Institution on Saturday, 28th j uly, between the hou~ of 9 a,m. :lnd I I :l.I11. or I p.m. and 3 p.m, in order to be examined . Thc Headmaster, M r. Bennett E, Shaw, will recei\'e into a special cla.'I.~ those pupils who are able [0 pass thc VII St alllbrd. The coutU' in thill cbil.~ will include L1tin and Frt'nch besidC'S thc u~ual Engli~h 5ubjecu,

V.I, Opened

The \ ' ictori:l Institution ollCned for th ~' firs t time on ~I onda}', the 30th july. It was a wet morning, and there \\'15 it appears a doubt about thc dale, somc of the schobrs thinking Wednesday, the 1st installt.

the opening day. Kinet}" boys, howe\'cr, appeared, and on the follo",,;ng morning 107 wet(' pfL'§Cnt. The number on the School Register now is 126. Mr. W, 1\1. Phillip! , late of the IhmL"S Institution, has been engaged as Second Assistant )O l ;!.l!tcr, and will take charge of the Science and Chemistry ClassC1l.

A Scholarahip and a M edal

T he fitllt examination for thc T rcachcr Scholarshi p at the Victoria Insti tut ion will take place on 'hh De[t'mbc:r and following d:l}'s. Dr. E. A. O. T ra\'ers, )Olr. L. I'. Ebdcll and 1\1 r. \\'. \\' . Skeat ha\'c, Wl'

understand, underuken to comluci the cxamination . The Scholarship is "alued :It SI20 per annum and is tenable fo r two years, cither at the Insti tution or elscwhen', subject to the apl' rm'al of thc Trustee~, Candidates must bt' under the age of 17 and must han' been membc:rs of the Institution for I WII sclmol years. They mu~t also prove to the satisfaction of the Trustees that they arc in nl'cd of IlI:clln i ar~' assistance.

In addition to the abo\'e Schola rship a silver medal, prL'S(:nteJ by the Actin~ Ht'Sident, win :11 thc same time Ill: competcd fo r. This medal will be awarded to thl' best scholar uf the ,"car, whcther qualificd to compete for the Schola rship or not. T he Actin~ Hesident has endowed a fund to provide a mCllal each year, which, wc fed sure, will be much prized by the winner and bc of "alue to him in after life a~ a certificate of merit.

VICTORIA INSTITUTION PRIZE DAY (DECEMBER 1895).

r\ largc and rcpresentativc cOlllpall)' , including II .E, the Governor and Lady :\Iitchell, res!)Onded to the in"itation of thl' Trustees to be present :11 the dist ribution of prizcs at tlll' abo,'e Institut ion on Friday the 20th. It wa~ a great day ftlr thc \'ictoria Institut ion and for man" of iu scholars, l"tlpc:cially to P. La Brooy, \~'ho wall thfL'e special prizei; , including a medal, prc:sented to thc bciit scholar of the year, and to Chun SZc Pong, thc winner IIr the first 'J'r~cher Scholarship. T he thought of thc day should pro\'c an inttnti\'e to the othcr ooys throughout the coming ycar to s tri\'(' for ~ imi l ar SUCCl"tl~; for although

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the chief prizes can be gained by on ly comparatin'ly few, yel. as l\1r. Rodg~r pointed out the preliminary training and preparation a boy undergoes in trying to rt'ach tht, top plaee will be alway, of the utmost value to him.

The visitors wert' received by the Trustees, and a, soon as H.E. thc Governor and Lady Mitchell and thc Acting Resident :md l\ l rs. Rodger had arri\'ed and taken their places on the platform. l\1r. Rodger, as Pr("Sident, called upon the Headmaster to rellOrt IlllOn the work of th l' Institution for the year 1895.

In the course of his remarks the Headmaster first alluded to the satisfacton increase in the numbcrs of th e schooL There had, he said, been an increase of o\'er iO boys during the year aml a COTTl."S

ponding increase ill th e avernge attendance. The figur("S shown on the printed lists would, he thought, compare favourabl y with afl\' other school in the SIT:lits. The numlll'~ still continue to rise steadil y and he expected to have as man)' boys ',IS he could aceomlllodate lluring the nt'xt rear, '1lthough considerabk- additions had been made 10 the original amount of aeCOIlI1I1O' ll:lIion.

Passing on to the work nf the SdlOOI he s.lid that tht're had bet'n a great advanct· during the last few years in educational science, and the school curriculum had heen ('xpanded in accordance with tht· theories of the "~ew EduC',lt ion". The "~ew Education" asked for training as well as instruction and demanded that training should in future hc the chief aim of all teaching. He called spt"cial attention to thc cxaminations for the annual medal fnundcd by the Acting Resident, for the best scholar of the n 'ar, and that for the Treacher Scholarshi,;, These rewards and the prospect of the C'xa minat ions for them had had a most excellent effect upon the work of the upper forms. Examinations might be doubtful tests of the knowledge or of fitness for special dutics in life , but from a schoolmastt'r's point of \'iew they were certainly the best possible stimu lus

for making bo)'s work tllat cou ld be found. espt.-cially examinations conducted by examiners unconnected with the 5I:hool.

They II'cre under vcr)' great obligations to Dr. E. A. O. Travers, Mr. L. P. Ebdcn and l\ lr. W. W. Skeat for the trouble tllt'\' had taken over the examinations and th~ time they had given up to them. The report on the whole, was more favourable than he had expected, and ga\'e him COIl

siderable satisfaction. He would read them the report put inlo his hands by M r. L. P. Ebden, which wou ld he more acceptable to them than his own remarks and would show them at least Ihat a certain amount of prngTL'SS had been made.

After ruding thi, report the Headmaster went on to CX pTL"SS a hope that a greater numhe r of traiot'd teachers would soon be a\'ailable in the Straits and also that a centre for the Oxford or Cambridge Local Examinations would shortly be establishcd. 'rhcse examinations were highly commended ill the recently issued Report of the Royal Commission on Secondary EduC:llion, and ht· fell su.rc that they would have a beneficia l clTect upon the Schools in the Straits. He concluded by thanking His Exccllency and Lad\, Mitchell, in the name of the school. fClr the honour they had conferred upon them by being present that day, an honour which, he :!Uured them , WIU vcry highly appreciated by all connected wilh the Institution.

The President then said:- Your Excdlt-nc),. ladies and gentlemen , and boys of the school, on behalf of the T rustees I have to congratulate [he Victoria Institution on the presence here to-day of RE. the GO\'ernor and Lad\' l\litchell, whose visit to Selangor fortunately coincides wilh the

~:!~n S?~cett~~e a~~~:1 or~~ntt~~npr~~ scntalion, in Decembcr, 1894, the progres.s of the school has been rapid and persistent, and as you have heard from the Headmaster, there ar~ now more than 200 boys of many different nationalities. receiving a sou nd English education in thi~ Institution .

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'I1ll'filSt 1'.1. mit istoday.

THE SELANGOR POLICE:

TIll' .'·j"/alll:0r I'oliu Furu f('W jirsl f~"'Il'J i" 187'" f(lIm, 01 tIll' Tl'qut'St ofJ. G. IJm:u/slJlf, tIll' first Uri/ish Rl'sidl'1'~. II . C, SYl'rs, a.el'd 25, /rum till' 101h. Ul'f:fnUllt, nritish "~rmy, {('as It'II1 up fmm l\1ala((a 10 rs/ab/uh II

' Military I'oliu Fora' . .s~\"e1J· firsl tlppoil/tlllnlt teal ,lJ Po/iu j,1S~ctor 011 $iOIM' mOllth. lIis firs t hltldqumlas ffeft

at Kia,,!!. alit/ hI' brgatl by "euilillg 150 Malays from l1[ald((ll, alld fl/tl'"r pr,./imillary Iraill/·II.e, dividt'd thrill brllul'ff A.'lall.e. A .. Ulllll l.allgat mill hua/u Sr.lallgor. 111 .1876, follof(·in.ell thTl'altntd lI/Surr/~ lioll 11/ tht mttrior. S)'trS t'Slab/ishtd Pulta Posts 'II A.'oj'lIIg /Jam/a,. hllllehillg and I\ua/(I huhu, und Yap Ah l.oy fral ptrsuadtd lu U((OIllOdull' 1I Malay Po/ia eonltablt'S ill tIlt CU/f/poUIII/ of his houst i" Old Ma rklt SqUUft .

Whtn Ilu SlutI' /ll'"fldquurftrs fetTt trallsftT"" jrolll I\{(mg to I\ualu Lumpur ii,

• 1880, II Puliet 'fort' tfUS ronstruell'd tIl tilt

lap of wuff Uom/, (/1/(/ flll~ flat gruulld at till jool oj tilt hill t!"Os c/I'nrl'"d of t:l'!:rtablt p/Oll <I//(/ bus/tn ,lIId tl"flS (01It!trtld illio II

paradt groullti, FlIT il lIumbn of ,WillS all tllr prillripul GOtirrt/lllNIl {'.ffiet'S, inc/utiil/,It tile I'olia "eadquuTltrl fcrrr all tilt lIill top ovtrlookin,t: tht par,/tlt ground. but IIf'CC

p.,lia OfJirrs fllld IIt/TTacHs tUrf built DII lIigh StTl'rt, /ltur till I'ictoritl h,stitutiml ill 11)1)5 atld 'ftrt oaupitd ill 1896, ,IIough III I'" Politi lI f1ldqulUftn rtllltlillid 011 1111 hill,

III IS91 SytrS 1m" appoilllrtl 'Cuptain Su~rilltl'",ll'llf' 11/111 tCaJ till'll Nnott' as 'Capillin Syl'"r', tlwuglt ill h,ler ,\"tafS, after his dtath, till rallk of 'Caplui,,' teas ojfl'"1l, il/corrrelly, addttl to his IIUnu jrom 1874, On/curdl. SYI'"TJ rl'n/Ulllni in Kuahl /'UIIIpur us hlad of till Slhmgor Po/iet, ami itllrr UJ tilt first CUllllllissiuller oj tlu: Ftdtrfllid ,\lIIIIIY Slalis Po/itl Foret( Augusl 18%), utllil /tis Ulllillll'"iy dtulh, f~'hl'"1l niX Gamt /lutltillg in l)ultall.£: ill 1897.

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n,r oM G"rx'rflllllrflt Offius ( It'/I ) al/(I tilt Poliu Dffiers and borrfJrks (righl ) 01/ Ihe lOp 0/ tltt IIill, /J'l,,.r/uuki"l: ,lit' pmlfln,r.: , 'I'll,. Stllm,r:ar Club firm IIoritll huill/ing) is on tltt 1,./1 011 Iht

f'l~r:" 0/ lilt' 'pmUfI, Xfound', Pholo fthoul 1890,

POLICE DEPT, MOVE INTO OWN OFFICES IN HIGH STREET (1895),

Tln~ Police Deparlllll'nt l'nteTed its own Officl's in High SIn,:d on the 12th !'\o\'elUber, and is now at laSI in l)()S.SCS5ion of iI

huilding it 1.-";1,11 COlli ill! 0"". For a long time past the I'olict· ha\'e been dri\'ell from pillar 10 poSI in search of office accommodation. finally fini shing up with a lerm of !I01llt:

eight or tcn months in th e old gaol. :\ eonlllloJioll.'l ami handsome M't of offices has now bel'n built for the Department and the building is or rather will be when the slI rTIJuntiinb''l1 arc ill1pro\'cd :m ornalllcnt to that part of th(' lown, The Captain China ,LIlt! a IIIl1l1her of the it:ading Towkays of Kuala Lumpur attended during thc morning to personally con~ratulate Captain Syers on taking possession of his new office~. :\ vast pile of crackers was brought and It't off in front (If tin: building, causing a mighty fu sillade for nearly half an hour, a s~acle which afforded infinite amusement to the pupils of the "ictor;a Ins titution, who h:td perforce to relinquish their tasb and turn out 10 see the fun, The lasl crackers having been fired an adjournme-nl was m:lde to

crack: a fricndly bottle of champagne in honour of the Capt:tin Superintendent. The Captain China Yt'.:all KW:III Scng m:tde a short lIpc«:h rde-rring to the cstttm in which C.:aJlt:tin SyeB W:tS hdd by all the Chinese re-s idents of Kuala Lumpur, .:and s:t id that it w:ts the hope of himself .:and of all those prescnt th:tt Capl:tin Syers might long continue to carryon the work which he h:ad so f:aithfully pcrforme-d during lhc last 20 "cars of his rell idcncc in the St.:ate. Captain'SycB a'plied thanking the Capt.:ain China and those prellcnt for their good

;;~~hC;pt~~~ ~~~~~:s 'l~~';e~~r)~e~~ ~-:hna~f of the others made a lengthy :and fluent speech eulogising the Captain Superintendent, widl ing him all m:tnne-r of good luck and h.:appinl'llll .:and congratulating him in Ihe name of thc Chincse community on his occupalion of the new offitts. The following is a list of those: present: TheCaptain China., Yap Kwan Seng, 'I'owka}'5 Yeap Fuk, H ang Pow, Yeap Lin, Yeap F:tt Lin. Ycap Lai Sun. Chrow Lin, Teo\\' Sung, Chin Chun, Hap Lung, Dong 5:tm, Vong Chong, '{e-ap Long a.nd Chow Kui .

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SELANGOR TURF CLUB (1896).

The formation of ou r new Racecourse hu hc:cn progrening I'ery rapidly lately ;lnd alrt'ady begins to look quitt' tempting fo r a gallop. Tht' inside nils arc all up :lnd look I'ery well, the nihongs heing, I think, ;I dis tinct 5UCCt"5S; of cou rlC.', it remains to tw: &c.'en \\hether they will last. but I do not &c.'e :lny reuon why they sholiid not when tl1(: joints arc filled ur with cement. At lI ll el't'nll, they afe a I'ery great impro\'emt'nt on bamboos. with which the greater I>ortioll of the old cour&c was f('ncnt. The unly P;lTt of the course which is ~ivi ng any troublt' is the filling on tile back s traight ; this keeps on sinkin).:, bllt as soon as :;an~' suhsidence is noticed our encrgetic Seen', tary is al once on the ~ llOt and it is soon filled up 10 le\"t·1 again.

It was hoped that lI"e should hal'c heen able to hold OU f finn IIIl'i:ting :11 Christmas, hut I th in k th at this idea will be gi\'cn lip now for se l'l'ral reasons. In the finll plal""C . the COUf5l' will nut be really fit for racing by that tillIe, and it would not be fai r 10

ask owners of good hor!(.'§ to !ll-nd t hCIll up to race 011 a cuu r~ with the leas t suspicioll uf u nsoundncss :about it. anOl hl'r thi n).: which would kl'i:p away Wille p\.-ople at this time i!l the inter-Colony cricket which \\;11 lake plaet' in SingallOfe :aboUI the end of the ycar; then . agaill, mall)' men prcfl'r to spend thei r CllTistm;a.. .. in their own 5t:all' . ' I'hc probable (I :;ate of the net's \\;llthcrcfoTe, he aft ef Ihe Kinta )Iee ting, prob:ahly some time earl~' in ) Ia rch.

The idea to h:a\"{' ont' set of r :acin~ rul!."s for all the Sirain and NOl t i\'l~ St:all'§ C lubs, which h:a5 heen t:alked of fur :lOme tillit'. h:a§ :;a t la§t taken 50ml' 50rt of form, and n:presl'ntati\,ell from all the various Clubs wi ll met' t togc thcr in Si ngal>Ofe lluring Ihe nt'xt face IllCt·ting 10 di~cus.~ the mailer. ,\ t :a gCll l'nll meeting held in Ihe Sdangor Clull un S:aturd:a )" the 14th inst. l\lessrs. Syt'flII :and Gumll\in~ were elected to rep rcs<:nt the Selangor Turf C lub. Tht, idt'a, no (Iouli t, i5 an l'xcellent one, and if only all th t' C lubs can be induced to :agn 'i: t t>g(,ther about the penaitil'$ and :a l lo\\antt~

fo r prof\.'55ionlll.!i amI am:ateurs , thne IS

no reason why tht' thin~ should not hc.' put t~rough vcry short ly.

TUNG SHIN INSTITUTION

In 1882, finding Ih:at many sick we'rc &Cattered O\'cr the place and afraid to ~o to hospi tal, 3nd considering the trooble the Go\'ernmenl hlld 10 induce them to go 10 hospit:al, Tow~:ay Y:ap Kwan Sc:ng startcd :an institution of his own call I'ui Shin Tong to p rovide the s i,k with mt'dical advice and drugs, ht' aiM) pro\'idcd coffins :and money for burial expenSCI. The in.!i t itutioll ellbraged 111"0 Chin~e doctoflll. i.:ater on, owillg 10 the continual and rapid increase of thc sick and n«dy it W3S thought advisable th:at the institution should take a IlCrmanent and enlarged form and be jointly supported by the Chinese community. With this in \'il'w C:a ptain Y"p Kw:an Seng consul led the late Towkay :\h Yok who not only coneurred in the opinion but promised to take the malll' r in hand. Unfortunateh'. in 1892 , befure a n~'1hing could be done Towkay Ah Yok died and not hing w:as accom pl ished unti l recently when the Captain China again hrought the SUbjl'ct forward before Ihe Icadin~ Chinese IOwkays: and the)' supported hi ll \'iew~. The name of the Institution was IIll"n changed to T'un~ Shin T 'oll/.: - ix. run/.: Shill Hospit :a l ; and the institution is to be henceforth carrit'd on join tly by the Chi nese IOwk:ays. T he approximatc annual ex· IlClld iHITl' of the origina l institution the I"ui Shin Tong, as borne by the Caplain <..: hina alone, W3ll between 54,000 .. ncl 55,000 ami during t:pidemics :as much as SS,OOO 10 5').000.

OPENING OF TUNG SHIN HOSPITAL (1895).

) In<. ROllgcr, on Friday No\'. the 22ml opcm'd thl' Tung Shin H ospital, Pudu Ro:ad, in the presencc of thc Acting Ht'sid en l, a large company of ladies and ~entlemen and the leading Chinese T owkays invited hy the Captain China (T owkay Yap Kw:an St.'n~) :a nd T owkay Loke Yew. the Tru!ltees (or the ins titu tiun. The huildings were dt:(;Or~ted with fl ags and ~rC"enery, :and the Capt:ain Chin:a 's tent, :IS usual 011 the~ occasions, sheltered two l on~ tables spre:ad with ~ood thi ngs. Act'ording 10 ) I r. n udger's Adrninistration Repo rt for 189-1, " T his institution consists o( a hospit:al:and out-door dispenS:lr)' . whcre sit'k Chincsc ft'ttive IIlcdit'a l treatment (roll1 their own doetoN, 2nd an additional

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J

ward pro\'ides free ~helter for the desti tute. The wholc initial expenditure and cost of maintenance arc borne by private individuals, whilst the institution itself is entirely managed by a Chinesc Committee, unde'r the Chairmanship of the Captain China, 31though it is all times open to the inspection of the Residt'ncy Surgeon 3nd the Chinese Secreta!")'."

RODGER FOOTBALL CHALLENGE CUP, (18%).

At the commencement of 1896 the Acting Resident offered a Challenge Footbal1 Cup, open for competition to an\, District Association football team in Sclangor, the members of ,which arc of other than European nationality, subjC{:t to the apprm'al of the St'langor Club Football SUb,Colllllliuee.

The entrit'S for 1896 were as follow~ :-

:: ~~::l~:~~r:::rf~sti:~il~} K I L football tt:am ua a ulilpur

3. The ), Iohamedan footha11tcam

4. Ulu Langat District team 5. l;lu Selangor District team (,. Kua];, Selangor District team 7. Klang District It'a m

Rule I I of the rules go\'erning the competition reads: "Should marc than one ream enrer from anyone district, the teams so entering will play their lies in the home Jistrict, the winning teams in each district will then he drawn against cach other" . Consequently the Kuala Lumpur teams

had first of all to decide which of them was to obtain the honour of representing their district.

The first tic was played in Kuala Lumpur, on 24th Januar", between the MohameJan and the Rames football te2ms, resulting in a win for the l\ lohamedans by one goal to nil.

The second tic, between the i\'1ohamedans and the Sclangor Asiatics team W3.8 played on 12th February al Kuala Lumpur and resulted in a win fo r the latter by two g021s to nil. this leaving the Sclangor Asiatics to reprcsent the Kuala Lumpu r District in the competition proper.

I n the firs t round Klang drew a bye, the Sclangor Asiatics were d rawn against Vl u Selangor, and Kuala Sclangor against Vlu LanRat. T he SclanRor Asiatics defeated Vlu Sclangor at Kuala Kubu on 2nd i\lay by three goals to nil, and Kuala Sclangor scratched to Vlu Lang-oil.

I n the second round Klang again drew a bye. and the Sclangor Asiatics werc d rawn against Ulu Langat. This tic was played at Kuala Lumpur on 30th May; the Vlu Langat leam was outclassed and suffered defeat by three goals to nil. The absence of the sporting European community of Ulu Langat to back up thei r dist rict was much commented upon.

The final, Selangor Asiatics \'. Klang, is being kept in view for f'cderat ion, and will be played at Kuala Lumpu r some time next month. The Sclangor Asiatics, are undcr the able captaincy of Mr. Ramasami.

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