COMMERCE

165

• Commerce.

The Straits ports are free from duties, and their trade, centred at Singapore, is a transit trade. Import duties are levied only on wine (1 dollar and 1^ dollars per gallon), malt liquors (24 cents per gallon), spirits (2 '40 dollars per gallon) and petroleum (5 cents per gallon). The chief exports comprise tin, sugar, pepper, nutmegs, mace, sago, tapioca, rice, buflalo hides and horns, rattans, gutta-percha, india-rubber, gambler, gum, copra, coffee, dyestuffs, tobacco, Para rubber, &c.

Imports and exports for five yearii (inclusive of treasure and inclusive of trade with the Federated Malay States). Since 1908 the trade of Labuan and Christmas Island is included : —

Imports

Exports

Yrs.

1907 1908 1909 1910 1911

From U.K.

From

Colonies,

&c.

From Foreign, Countries

£ £ £

5,767,400, 19,005,600 16,126,800

4,385,8001 17,530,700' 14,996,400

3,892,124' 17,472,618 15,193,740

4,568,615' 22,008,041 15.941,920

4,759,064j 24,802,434 16,875,851

Total

£ I £ ' £ ' £

40,899,800 8,823,000 9,672,800 17,122,800 35,618,600 36,912,900' 7,584,900 10,032,30014,296,500 31,945,400 30,558,4821 7,488,700 9,962,200 15, 353,800|32,804,700 42,521,576 10,190,123 10,681,821 10,950,197 37,822.141 46,437,349J10,022, 758 11,875,095 l7,9S9,293'39,S87;i46

These exi>orts do not include coal supplied to ships' bunkers, ships' stores, telegraph cables, &c., materials for building and repairing vessels, nor opium sent to Johore for con- sumption there piior to 1910.

Trade of the Straits Settlements during two years (inclusive of inter- colonial trade and treasure) : —

Imports

Exports

1910

1911

1910

1911

Singapore . Penang Malacca Labuan

£

31,872,0631

12,082,6421

776,399

167,696

£

33,272,4001

15,305,4041

904,353

146,869

£

27,408,6541

11.724,9981

787,243

141,995

£ 28,032,7741 13,819,2811 871,539 125,343

1 Imports into Cliristmas Island, 32,6S9/. in 1910, and 6,065/. in 1911; Exports from, 413,244/. in 1910, and 383,4387. in 1911 ; Imports into Bindings, 44,8347. in 1910, and 1,7857. in 1911 ; exports, 36,9707. in 1910, and 10,1527. in 1911, are included under Singa- pore and Penang respectively.

The most important imports and exports in 1911, exclusive of inter-settle- ment trade, were : —

1911

Imports

1911

Exports

£

£

Machinery, Hardware and

Tin

10,737,716

Ironware, <fec. .

853,059

Spices ....

1,600,088

Rice

5,572,472

Gambler ....

502,618

Opium ....

1,735,150

Gums ....

4.279,909

Fish

1,275,477

Tapioca and Sago .

1,007,649

Tobacco, Cigars, ^Cigarettes

1,063,959

Rattans ....

515,140

Sugar

831,230

Copra ....

1,984,111

Cotton Piece Goods .

1,903,471

Preserved Pineapples

288,806

Coal

851,717

Hides ....

445,264

Petroleum .

202,313