STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, the collective name given to the Crown colony formed by the British possessions on or adja cent to the mainland of the Malay peninsula, as opposed to the Federated and Unfederated Malay States, the British protector ates in the same region. The Straits Settlements consist of the island of Singapore with about a score of islets of insignificant size lying in its immediate vicinity, of the town and territory of Malacca, the islands and territory of the Dindings, the island of Penang, sometimes officially called Prince of Wales island, and Province Wellesley.
The colony of the Straits Settlements is administered by the governor with the aid of an executive council, composed of official and unofficial members, and there is a legislative council, composed partly of official and partly of unofficial members, of whom the former have a narrow permanent majority. The gov ernor of the Straits Settlements is also high commissioner for the Federated Malay States of the peninsula, for British North Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak in Borneo, and since the admin istration of the colony of Labuan, which for a period was vested in the British North Borneo company, has been resumed by the British Government, he is also governor of Labuan. The Cocos Keeling islands (which were settled and are still owned by a Scottish family named Ross) and Christmas island were formerly attached to Ceylon, but in 1886 the care of these islands was transferred to the Government of the Straits Settlements. Penang and Malacca are administered, under the governor, by resident councillors British residents administer the native States of Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Pahang, but since July 1, 1896, when the federation of these States was effected, a resident general (now styled chief secretary) responsible to the high commissioner, has been placed in charge of all the States forming the federation. The work of administration, both in the colony and in the Federated Malay States, is carried on by a civil service whose members are recruited by competitive examination held annually in London.
The following are the area and population, with details of race distribution, of the colony of the Straits Settlements, the figures being those of the census of 1931:— its problems for the community. It was necessary to establish a
censorship, and in June 1919 an anti-Japanese boycott resulted in rioting in Singapore and Penang.
The export trade of the colony depends primarily upon tin and rubber. The British Malay territories produce nearly half the world's yield of tin ore (the Federated Malay States yielding the great bulk), and more than half the smelted tin. Smelting is carried on at Pulau Brani, near Singapore, and at Penang, ore being imported not only from the Federated Malay States but also from the Dutch islands (Banka, etc.). Tin was more early developed than rubber, mainly, in the first in stance, by Chinese enterprise. The production of rubber was not large until 1909-10.
The reaction from prosperity which began to affect world com merce after 1920 struck at the tin and rubber trades of the colony and Malay States. The assistance of the Government was nec essary for both. Tin was purchased by the Government at agreed prices, and the stock for which there was no immediate market was brought into the so-called Bandoeng pool, formed in co-operation with the Government of Netherlands India on behalf of the mining industry of Banka and other Dutch islands; the stock thus retained was disposed of by 1924-25 as prices revived. The output of rubber was restricted ny legislation in concert with the Government of Ceylon, on the basis of the Stevenson scheme. Restriction, however, was removed in 1928.
Traders have been encouraged to develop a wide range of products. Rice, fish, areca nuts, sago, copra, pepper and pre served pineapples are among the exports. In 1925 the fisheries department started research, with a shore institution and a trawler, into the possibilities of extending the fish trade. The value of exports for Malaya as a whole in 1926 was 1148,095, and that of imports was L122,381,054. The revenue of the colony amounted to 14,284,818, and the expenditure to £4,609, in 1926. The value of the dollar is fixed at 2S. 4d.