COMMLKCE
167
The leading items of revenue for 1919 were — licences, excise, and internal revenue not otherwise classified, 2,601,913/. ; posts and telegraphs, 127, 643/.; fees of court or office, payments for specific serrices, and reim- bursements in aid, 85,948/.; rents of Government property, 144,755/. ; interest, 160,318/. ; land sales, 526,547/. ; and of expenditure— military expenditure, 509,796/.; marine, 53,108/. ; police, 140,978/. ; legal, 45, u. hospitals and dispensaries, 91,574/. ; medical, 33,403/.; education post office, 79,101/.; GoTernment monopolies, 56,561/.; public works, 204,076/. ; pensions, 73,574/. ; war expenditure, 171,080/.
The total assets of the colony, December 31, 1919, amounted to 7.38S.505/., and liabilities 2,527,38'6/. The debt on December 31, 1919, amounted to 6,913,352/., borrowed for public works ; and 7,621,553/. war loin.
Commerce.
The Straits ports are free from customs duties, and their trade, centred at Singapore, is a transit trade. Kxcise duties are levied on wines, petroleu m, and tobacco. The chief exports comprise tin, pepper, nutmegs, mace, sago, tapioca, buffalo hides and horns, rattans, gutta-percha, rubber, gambier. gum, copra. The cultivation of rice is giving place to rubber and coconut*.
Imports and exports for six years (inclusive of treasure and inclusive of trade with the Federated Maky States), including the trade of Labuan ami Christmas Island : —
Yrs
Exports
»M l,
1915 4. 19181 g
From U H.
£
304, 92? 626,814 430.53S ,53$, 771 ,385,0<0
From
Colonies,
Ac.
£
24,670,068
30,423,400
41,594,237
From Foreign, Countries
Total To U.K.
To Colonies,
to
£ £ £ £
22,868,554 55,936,472 10,74".
22,062,074 51.037 27,191. i
-'3 73,987 83,554,^
To
Foreign Countries
ToU!
20,512,610 25.803,760
ui.o-v NiMMH 646,568 43,088,668 ,096,002 47,39S,255
~
£
•7.4 IMM 72,306,91S
99,321,000
i Exclusive of treasure down to the middle of 1919.
Imports exclude transhipment goods. Exports do not include coal supplied to ships bunkers, ships' stores, telegraph cables, to., materials for building and repairing Teasels, and, since iyi2, they also exclude Para rubber from the Federated Malay States, tran- shipped in the Colony.
Trade of the Straits Settlements during two years (inclusive of inter- colonial trade) : —
Imports i Exports i
.
1917
191S 1917
1918
Singapore .
Fenang
Malacca
Labuan
Christmas Island
Dindings
£
61,596,056
,655
2,713,033
179,614
26,581
124,069
£ £
67,219,2S5 57,382.366
21,047,022 18,115,809
2,285,909 5,229,993
167,627 127,381
137,541
78,841 57,946
£
57,940,909
19,41'
3,849,934
135,575
95,366
69,404
1 Exclusive of treasurt.
