Development of District Administration in Batang...

Development of District Admin istration in Batang Padang

by

R.S. NATIIAN

Ualang " ,Idang in 1889 ~as Inc: largest th ough not the mm;t prosrcrous dl~lrict in PcraJ.. . It had trcmcndoll~ mineral and agricultu ra l pOlctlliailliCS bUI In order \0 dc\clop II. (I loystc m of gO\crnmcnt which ensured law and order. cSlahl"hed rm:;Ifll> of COTlllllUilICiitlOIl and promoted com· merce: \\;I~ reqUired . Up 10 Ihi~ time the main means of accc~~ to "alang 1\ldang wa~ ii, ri ven. namci) the (Jat:lIl/;. Padan£:. the UHJlH. the Sunglar, thc Shm and the lkrnam and e\en the)t: \\erc rather l>haltow and were 11;1\ igablc only to the poling of sma ll. nal·bollomcd boats. Hence, in order tn exploit it!, miner,1I and agnellltum] pOlentialitles there was n cryi ng n=cd for an cSlabli~hcd admllli~tralion aTld good means of communications.

natang I'adans. a district of 1.800 square miles. wns di\ided into sc,'cn mu· kims vi7. Batang P"dang. Chendcriang. lJidor. Sungkai UJu, Sunglai Hilir. Slim lind Ulu Rcrnam . Each Mulim "':IS

under a J'cnghulu appoint~ by thc Ruler in Council. The principal vill3ges in the district then "en:: Tapah, Chenderinng. Uemblln, Kuala Lipis. Slim :Hld Tanjong Malim. Tapah. by vir tue of Its being the largest village with a popul:llion of appro;!;· inmtdy 1.800 and its situation Oil the Jargest river. the Uatang I'adang. was sclected to be the administrative head· quarlers for the district. Other reasons for Tapah's choicc were that it was in the centre of the tin.mining rnulims of U.llang !'adang, Chenderiang :lIld Kuala Lipis (later re·named Bidor). Tanjong ~·I:lliTII. which is si tuated on the northcrn bank of thc Uernam River. scned the agricultural lllulilllS of Slim and Ulu Ue rnam respect· ively and in 181)4 became the headquarters of II sub·dist rict of the S!lnle name.

The total population of Uatang Padang Di strict in IHS9 \\as approximately 8.100. more than half of whom "crc Ma lays.

When the first census was taken in 189 1 the district'" population was established as approxmlatcly 10.500 of whom about 7,000 wcre r..hlays. 2.500 Chinese, !:ISO Indians and 27 Europeans. Figures for aborigines werc not available.

The Malays \\-ere engaged principally in agricultur..:. Ihe Chinese 111 commerce and Illining. the Indian s III construction work and the Europeans in administration. mining. plantlllg and const ruction work.

Ih H190. the dislrlct showed excellent pro;p:cts of b:commg a rich mining arc:a for tin and som: g lid anti al~o an ngri· cultur.ll arca for culti\.uion of colf:e and SOIll'! p~pp:r.

When a district adminislrativc head· quarters was se t up in Taplh in 1889. the oniccr in chargc was designated the Col· lector and Magistrate, As hi s designation implied he was not only the predecessor of the present day District Officer but was also thc District Magistrate. ,\fter 1892. he camc tu be known as thc District Magistrate.

Uerore 1890, the District Magistrate in Batang Padang functioned under thc supcn-ision of the Superintcndent of Lowcr Perak but after 1890 he was pul in general executi"e charge of the district under the British Resident of !'crak. He had both executive and judicial functions and had also supcrvisory powers ovcr the various departments such as Posts :lI1d Tdegr.lphs. thc Public Wo rks. the Police. the Medical and Health Department. lie was however directly responsible for thc Land Oflicc and the Dislrict Treasury. A directl\c from the Uritish Resident in 1!:I92 to oflieers sen'ing in the district read ;

··Onicrn. o f all departments in outsta· tioll. arc duty bound to lalc whatever

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Hak Cipta Terpelihara © 1970 – Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia


Kinta

10 1""" ..........

"

Lower Perak

.~ .,

/

SELANGOR

Map 0/ 'he Distric, 0/ Baraflg Pat/(mg. 1889.

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orders may be givcn by thc District Magistrate In charge. and thcn refer thc m:llter to thclr u .... n hcads (Jf depart men I."

Among Ill, multlfaTious dUlles. the Dilotm:t ~l:igllotratc had 10 hold Court and hear both CI\l1 and cTlmln:11 C:I!>Clo. !>uper· \ I!>C the ..... )rL. of Ihe Land Ofliee and the Dilotnet Trea ~ur} :lIld o\er!>ce thc .... ork of the \ arious departments funetlomng In the district . lie had to sec Ihal adequate sanil:llion and health Il1caSure~ .... cre taL.en to pre\enl outbreaL.s of InrectlOus dl!>Ca!>e!> and ttl L.eep the district a hcalthy place for itl> inhabitant!> . l ie had tll \i!>it Ihe L.ampong~ and rural areas to encourage P:ITl-nts 10 scnll their children to schonl. and above all 10 emUTe that a u!>cable 'y"l\crn of bridle-path!>. and later ro:uh. \lcre cl>lablished to encourage commerce. mining and agrkultural dcvclopmcnt.

Uct\lecn 11\1\9 and 1900 the di~trict wa~ fortunate 111 ha\ing DI!>tril-t 1'-1agistratc!> who \Iere :lbJc and eoncicntious men and their periodic \' i~it\ In the L.all1pong~ hdpc.·d to maL.c an allcn !>}!>tcm uf admini~tratlon acrcpt:lhJc nOI only to thc indigcllnth popul.lIl1ln bUI :Ihu 1t1 the immigrants. The lJi!>lnct Magl!>lralcs durmg this period \lere also fortunate 1Il Ihal thelT di)I:lI1ce fWIl1 the State Capital g:1\e them :10 independence \\hleh thcir l>uceCl>:o(Jr,. III the era IIf gooc.l mads and te!ccommuIW.-atIOIl!>. \Iere unat-olt- 10 eIlJo~. The contribution of the~e ollice rs at a tlllle \\hell 11 lo)) telll lIf admlnl~lr;lIlUn .... a~ hemg e~lab li~hed m Ihe (Jutl~lIlg di~tm:ts \\as 'IIml1lafl~cd b) Sir FranL. S"cttcnham in the PeraL. Annual Repurl fur IKI){):

" 1 cOlhlder Ih;\1 thi !> Gll\eTl1lllclll i~ \·cry faithfully and n-alou!>l) !>crvcd by a body nf llllicerl> \\ hose hcarts arc in their \\lIrL.. and \Iho. had they !>pared Ihelll~h·es o r been lllorC ticd b,rcgulallom and c:ltcful of IIccertll~g rcsponslbillty. the State .... ould 1I0t h:l\e been III thc rllMllon of rro~perity It nO\l lx-eupie!>."

Mr. S.W. Jone~. in hiS booL. on PI/blic Admillistratioll ;11 Mulu.1l1 {Glasgo\l 1953) .... rue!> a!> follo\\): -

..... Ihc) had 10 dlschargc Illan) of thc dUlies \lhieh .... erc IUler apportioned

among man)' hands. 10 be at once policeman and Illagi~ t rage :md gao!cr. engineer. sur\·c)or. colleelor and treasurer. here IIIspectll[ IIf minc". there harbour-master and clI!>tom!> onicer. The) .... ere ahlays on the road dealing \11th Ihc pTl)h1clll~ I)f the !:irge Iracts of terntory under thclr charge. tra\dling b) traeL. and bndlc-p:llh. III dugnu tl> un the TI\cr~. and flIfts on the rapld~. Confidcnce in them sl rucL. !>o strong a root th:1I e\"eT) thin g was c=-:peeted uf them and a <;cnse of dUlY sa\\ 10 it that c\eryth1l1g \\l\silllcmptcd and a great deal done. ~1:tybe that \la~ ju~t al> \lcll. ft)f hard worL. ga\e no tllllC to brood o\cr Ihc kmciinc!>!>. the certain I}' of ill-health. the cntirc la l,;L. of 1 • ."llmfoT\ and aillenitie" which made up their lut'-'

Communicatiuns

Sir Fril1lL. S\\cllcnham wrotc in 1894:

" In the admillistration ofa Malay Statc. fe\CIlUC and pm!>pent) follow the liberal hUI prudcntl~ directed c=-:pcndltun: ,If public funds. espeCially whcn thc~ arc m\c~ted in high-da!>s roads. in raih\a)~. Iclegr:lph~ ..... ater-worL.s and c\cr~thlllg IIL.eI) hi encourage trade and pn\atc enterpTl~e'-'

llat.lIlg l';ldang .... :I!> ,I 1.lrge and scattercd dl~trtet and II \la~ reall~d Ihat only thruugh a \1<:11 planned and c=-:ceutec.l p()llc~ of liberal e).pendlture could the di~lrict be dc\clojlCd. Govcrnment itself \la~ ulla ble to develop the a~ncultur:ll and mining potcntialities but it could c;lIaly~c Ihi~ dc\dopmellt by building bridk-pllth~. road!> and raih\a}s ~o Ihat private enterprise could step in. With thl!> rcali~atiul1. the St,lIc GovernIllent resorted 10 a poliey whereby surplus re\cnul.! fwm thc morc de\dupcd districh .... as uljlllCd to open up the rdatu·ely undc\elopcd areas. Thul> the first stcp taL.clI in Ihls dircction \\a~ to improve commUnications hy building bridle-paths. roads and rail .... :I)~.

ll~ 1890. therc \Icre bridlc-p:llhs connccting Tapah .... ilh TeloL. Anson . Uemban. Tanjong Malim and Chenderiang. These were howcver suitable mainly

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for travel by foot or on hon,e-back and Ihese bridle-p:uhs "ere laler developed into ca rl roads whICh c,"enlually beclme metalled and were of I"che-fool width. Thc~e cart roads \\er..: constructed by contractors ~upcr\'; sed by Ihe Di~lric t Engineer or the Assistant Engineer. There \\:1S at this time, also an Inspector of Road Construction in Ihe State who had to insP'!cl and certify that the roads constructed were in :Iccordancc with the specifications.

In 189 1. work also co mmenced on a cart-road from Tapah to the Pahang Pass a di Stance of 35 miles to prov ide ;u;ceh not only to the repuledly rich mining lands of the Ulu Telom in Pahang but also 10

open up the "'ountry for settlemen t b} ;\gnculturists. Work was abo commenced on a ca rt ro;lLl from T'lpah to Rid or (Kuala Li pl s) 10 the sou th , a dlst:Lnce of 70 miles, and from Tapah to l:Uangah on

the Kin ta-lJatang Padang district boundary. a distance of 9 miles. When both these roads ..... ere completcd the road system in Perak stretched from the Pro\'lIlce Wellesley border to Bidor.

E\en a~ early as 1889, a proposal was considered for the const ruction of 3

mct re-guage milway from Tclok Ansoll to Tapah a distance of 21 miles. Although this proposal was sa nctioned in that year, construction work commenced only in April 189 1. But even before work commenced, the original plan to link Tclok Anson with Tapah was abandoned and a new p1:111 was drawn up whereby the line from Tclok Anson to Ipoh would first be constructed to a point approximately 5 miles from Tapah, and extended later to Ipoh thereby prM iding Jpoh with a direct Imk wilh Ihe sea. The termi nal poin t where the original line rrom Telok Anson stopped came 10 be called Tapah Road.

The Ope/lill}] CeremollY 01 Iht· Tapa" Road Raih\"O)' StatiOll, 16 miles f rom Te lok At/SOli, 011 Ihe Kmlll Valh.'y Line. Perak SIllII! Raillmy. 18th May 189), performed b)' Ihe Governur. Sir Cail Cleme1lfj SmUll.

Plwto: {Ilo/(tHIlll Ardr/us.

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It was intended to build a branch line to Tapah but this idea ..... as abandoned and a cart-road ..... as constructed in~lead, Work on Ihe Tclok Amon - Tapah Road line \~hich necessi tated also the construcli on of t\O, o large bridges over the Bido r and !lawng I'ad:tn g Rivers. proceeded smoothly under the supcn'ision of Mr. C.R. Hanson. Resident Engineer Rail..... ays. Per;lk. alltl the line from Tclo [.. Anso n to Tapah Road ..... a s opened by the G m'ernor. Sir Cecil Cle menti Smith on 19 ~l:Iy 1893, From Tapah Road. the line \~il S later extended \0 Ipoh.

Work was (;omme tlt'ed III 189610 cxtcnd the line South from Tapah Roa d to Tanjong Malim and thi s \\a ~ completed in May 1898. After the construction of a bridge 11\ 1900 over the Rernam River the first train from Se langM steamed irllO T'lJlj ong ~1:Ilim on 26 September 19(X). By 1900. Batang Pad:tng was scrved by a good syste m of bridle-paths. cart-road~ :lIId railways.

Public Works

The Public Works Department in addition to supe rvisin g the construction of roads. \\'a~ al~o re~pomlble fo r the (;1)11-

struction of bridgcs and public buildings A roofed \~oO(IeI1 bridgc was constructed o\'e r the B:llan!! Pad'lIIg Rrwr :11 T"pah in 1892 and during the period from 1889 to 1900 the Dep:r rtmen t was respmr~ible for the supcn'ision of the construct ion of go\'ernmen t ofliccs at T:tpah and Tanjong Malim. Court houses at Tapah . Tanjong Malim :tnd Slim. and post-ofliccs. police statiOIiS. rest hou ses and quarter~ fur govern ment employees in the larger senlements wit hin the district.

Posis and T('leJ!raphs

The POSI and Telegraphs Derartment \~" S respomible no t only for the handling of mails and telegram s hut also for the 1II'lintellullce of many mrles of teleph one lines within the district. hen by 1889, Tarah wa s in telegraph ic cOlllll1unic.llion wit h Batll Gajah, the district headquarters for Kint:l. \)11 the one si de. :H1d Telo [.. Ansoll 0 11 the o ther. ily 1890. tht' line was cxtended In Tanjong Malim and linled with the Selangor - Sungai Ujong - Malacca trunk line.

The transr 0rt of mail was done by mail-runners. pony carts and. after 1893, by railway,

lAlit' lind Order

For de\'elopment to take place the prcvalencc of law and ordcr is a necessi ty. In Pemk in the late nineteenth century . !inancial stringency did not permit the 1Il.l intena nce of a poli(;c for(;e that was ~ullkiently large to deal With an ything but pett)' crime in the townships. Sir lIugh Low. then Briti sh Resident of Per:lk. pl;rnned to surmount thi s by making the penghulu5 in the mukims and thc Chinese headmen (la:pa1as ) in the milling are'ls responsible for the maintenance of order among the people under thei r charge.

R:ltang Padang is an ex tensive district and the ~maJl police force ~ t:ltioncd III

Tapah in early 1889. consisting of one European Inspector. 4 Non-Colllmi~sioncd Ollkcr~ and 16 pri\ate~. was alway~ o\'er \O,or[..ed in its cfforts to maintain law and (lrder.

Till \~a~ ext::nsi\'cly mined in the ~outhern half of the district and the predominantly Chi ne~e mining popUlation was (;onccntrated marnl y in or around the mining villages of Chenderiang. Bielo r and Temoh. The millers were gener:llly unruly and they brought with them not unly their energy and enterprise but also their sccret societies and habits like gambling and opium-smok ing. Since it WilS not po~~ible to prc\ent them from indulging in these practices the 01 her alternative was to regulate and control them . The miners who worked undcr \'ery trying conditions "consoled their weilriness with opium lind lightcned the tedium of their exile \\ith sim ple-minded wage rs." Sillce their predcJic\io li fo r ~ecret societies could not be eliminated. thi s attraction was ch;r nn elkd into friendl y societ ies wh ose membership lists were constan tly checked by the Chinese Protectomte up to 1893 and the police thereaftcr.

The ~'lal;rys on the other hand. hoth nati\'e and immigrant. had long li\'ed under conditions where might and nobi lity of birth were of greater consequence

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than the law, and th~'refore they experienced diflicully in adapting Ihemsclv~ 10 Ihe lIe\\ and unfamiliar s)stem of adlTllni!>tr:llion.

In 1889 there were 1\\0 police stallOll) JJ) the dIstrict. One al Tapah and the other al Tanjnng Malim . In 1 ~90 two more police !> tali ons. one at Chcnderiang and the other in the fa sl de\clopmg mimng \ illage of Uidur. were e~tabli~hed and a n:inforcement of 17 pri\:ltes \\;)!> scm to the diSotricl 10 help man theM: ~ tati ons. In 1895 the police !>t;ltion :it Chendcriallg \\as mmcd to Tcmoh ;1

\illage on the Kint;1 Valley Raill\:t). III 1 89~ a police !>wlion \\as set up in Sung~ai a \illage on the projccled Irun~ road III TanJong Mallm. In 1900 a ne" police ~t:ltion \\as c)tabll!>hed 011 Tapah Road the important rail";)) junction and statiun for Tarah. and :Inother \\as rc""\!~t;Jbh!>hcd at Chendcriang \\ Ilich had been \\ IlhoUI one )irl(·c 1 ~95.

Uefore 1896 the Perak Sikhs under Major R.S. F. Walker provided a major part of the police force in Ihe State but after this date a mixed force consisting of bot h Punjabis and ~hl:lYs was introduced. Thi!> combination was u happy one since the former were ideal for duty in the towns and villages where immigrants predominated and the lalter for dulies in the l;lmpongs and coastnl arcas peopled by the f\-1alay). Wilh the formation of the Feder-Ilion in 1895 the control of the rolice force was transferred to the Federal Commissioner of Police in Kuala Lumpur.

$lIlce the police prescnce was felt llIuinly in the lowns and \'iHages. highway robhcrie!> and murder ..... ere a frequent OC(.·urcncc. In Ihe l;lmpongs lind in the mining area) where lhe penghulus and lcp;lla!> \\ere vested with the responsibihty for maintaining law and order. Ihey had not been provided with the means of cnforl'emcnl.

The Pt'fuk Sikhs. Photo: Nat/(m,,1 A,rhl~n.

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The policc were rc:quired to perform many :lIld varied dulies. Man) of thcir duties "ere roulllle :lOd thc)C pre\clltcd thc:m from using thc:ir energlCl> fur thc: marc: urgent t a~ks. Am ollg o thc:rs, IhC:lr routlnc job!> "crc 10 rcgll>tcr hirth~ and deaths and thc:y conductc:d thc dlstrict'~ first census in 189 1. Whcn the Chine~ Protcctorat c walt withdrawn in IK93. they were responsible aho for the registration and control of brothels. gambl ing and opIUm farlTl ~, chcd, ing of I1lcmhcr~hlJl lists of friendly socletlCS. regl~tratlon of dogs. firearms and \chides and the man:lgemcllt uf Ihc firc hngalle ;I' Ilell. Udng few III number. and encumbered with numerous routine duties they Ilere unable In function efTcctu'ely ao;; the a~cnl' of enforccment of la" and (lrder. '1 hc~ were quite often unable to prelent smuggling or in fringcmcnt of the OpIUm lind Gambling Farm regubtiom. La" breakers wilhin the district. and particularly 111 Tanjllng r.lalim, .;ould elade arrest merel) b) crossing the Ikrnam Ri ver 11110 Selangur "here the Peral.. polll"C ('ould not. at leal>t unlll Ihe I edcratioil "as established, arrest a wallled criminal withou t a "arrant issued by a Selangor magistra te.

The policema n's job was a dillicu lt and thal1I..1c~~ onc and hi ~ good Ilorl.. 111 apprehending a particularly dangerous criminal was often nullified hI ~ome inc:<pcrienccd magi~tratc who cl{hl"r acquilted him for lack of conclusi\e e\ idence or let him o fT with a scntcn<.'C entirel) dl l>proporti onate to the crime committed. The fault here was not :1 1"a)s the Magistrates' sinn: the polll"C with their inadequate tT:lin ing in criminal investigation had nOl :llway~ been able to produce cust-iron ca~s.

Hut in~pi t e of being under-staffed. bogged dOlI n wi th routine dUlies and h:l\llIg h:IJ in:ldequate training. particul.uly in crime investigati on. they Ilere :lble to contribute their sl1:l1'( 10 the del'dopment of the distric\.

Sir Fronl.. S"ell enham Ilrotc in his boo l.. Bri/ish Malaya (London, 19(6) that

"To the people of Ihe coun lr~ tthe Protected Mulay State~) the gre:lle~t

mnO\ lItlon ":IS the institution of Cou rts of JUStlCC (presided ovcr by EUfopean ll1:1gi"t rates. often assisted b) Mala) magJ)trate~). where all classes and n:llionalities. Europeans. Malay Rajas. and raiat s. Chi ne!>C c:lpltali sts and coolics. were treolled alike."

The Judicia l s.,.s tem in Perak hclween ISS9 :lIld 1900 "'as ~uch that the Residencv Court and thc Penghulus's Court Ilere' the highest and the lowest judicia l tx-,dic~ rel>pectilel). In Ilata ng Padang. the Dist rict Magist rate's Court at Tapah "as the chief judicial body. In each mukim. the Ilenghu lu 's Courl W:lS the nearest to the pe<"plc and therefore the m(l~t patroni"ed. The pcnghulu deri\'cs hi ~ judicial pOI\e r ~ frolll the -k/lasa' granted him by the Sultan in Council aTld \\a~ I'e~ted wi th the power 10 hear aTld dctermlllc all ca~s brough t to him h} ~ l ala~s and other Asians. ill\'oh'ing "all l>u it ~ "here debt, da mage. demand or mailer m dl)PUtC" did not excced the ~um of tl\enty-lil'e dolla rs. The penghulu could not 1Il1pO~ a fine exceeding fi"e dolla rs.

In each mukim there was also the Kathi'~ Co urt wh ich dc:.lt with mallcr.i concerning the Musli m religion and custom ;lIld o ther mailers regulated by I/Ukllfll Sharo. The Kathi too derived his authority from the 'kuusa' received from the Sult;lI\ in Council. The Kat hi could impose tines up to ten dollars.

AbOle the Pcnghulu'~ Court "ere the Courts of the Just ices of Peace, who were appointcd by the Reside nt with the consent of thc Sultan and vcsted wilh the powcrs or :I 3rd Class ~'I agistrate . A Ju )tice of the Peace was cmpowercd to try any o lTencc under the Penal Code of the Straits Settlements which could be punished by a term or imprisonment not exceeding a year, and any othe r offence "hich could be tried by him under tbe existing la"s of PeTak. He could also hea r "a ll sui ts II here the dcbt. damage. demand or maHer in dispute" did not e~ceed fift) dollars. A Justice of the Peace could impose a term or imprisonment not e~cccdi ng olle month or a fine not excl'Cding twenty-five dollars.

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Above the Court of the Justice of the Peace was thc Assistant Magi5trate '~ Court. Each Assistant Magist rate was vc~ted with the pOWCf'j of a 2nd CJllSS

Magistrate. A 2nd Class M;lgistrate's Court. Vohich could be ca lled into session bv t\~ O or more Justice of the Peace. was e~lpowered to handle all cases involving orTenl'es under the Str.lits Settlements j'cnal Code and the existing laws of Perak which were punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding 3 yeaf'j. The 2nd Class 1\-l agistrate. who had also the powers of a Coroner. could he:l r "nil suits where the debt. dam:lge. demand or matter in dispute" which did not exceed one th ousand dollars and try all bre:lches of the Customs and Revenue laws within the district. He could impose a term of impri sonment not exceeding six months or a fine of not more than Ihe-hundred dollars and also corporal punishment where he thought fit.

The highest court in the district was the Court of the Di st rict M;lgi~trale who had the powers of a 1st Class Magistr;lte whereby he could tT)' all olTenees under the Straits Sett1cme rll ~ Penal Code which carried a penalty not exceeding sc\en year:,' imprisonment and a ll other offences under the existing laws of Perak . He wa~ a Coroner and was empowered to hear "all suits where debt. damage. demand or matter in dispute" was nOI more than si x th ous,and dollars and 10 de:L1 Volth all ca)Cs of probate and succession in which th e \'a lue of the estate of Ihe dCl"Ca~ed did 1I0t c.,ceed six thousand dollars. All breaches of Ihc Re\'enue and Customs la\\ ) could also be tried by thi s Court . j \ 1st Class 1\'!agistratc's Court cou ld be called into seSSion by lVoO or more 2nd Cla)s ~·I agislratc). This Cou rt could also hear appe:lis against any deci)ion in the IOVoer Courts but on such occasions there should be one or more native Justices of the Peace to scn'e as assessor. This Court could impose a term of imprison. ment not exceedi ng two yeaf'j or a fine that did not exceed IwO thousand dollars. A I st Class Magistrate cou ld also impose corporal puni shment.

All appeals against the decisions of the Dist rict Magistrate's Coun in Tapah were heard in the Senior Magistrate Court in

Sir Fronk SII'f!ftf'lIlwm.

Briti-th R(·sit/rnt of Perak.

1889 - 1896

Taiping which consisted of the British Resident. The Secretary 10 the Government and the Senior Magistrate.

In all ca!iC:S Vohere capi tal punishment could be imposed. the Cou rt had to in clude one or more assessors sclected from the Asian members of the State Council. In 1895. the Jury system was introduced ill PeTak hut W:IS withdrawn in 1897 and the old assessors system hrought back. In 1897 the State Government decided Ihat the accused in a murder case be given S25 to engage a defence counsel.

The Senior Magistrate·s Court could hear a ll cases and impo!iC: any sentence authorised by law provided that every death sentence was subject to confirmation by the Sultan in Council.

The Residency Court. which consisted of the Sultan. the Resident and the Secretary to the Government. was the :lpex of the judicial system in PeTak . The

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duties. obligations and powers of this Cou rt .... ere the same <IS those of the Senior ~hgi~trate's Court.

IJ)' 1889 a temporary courl-hou.\oc had been buill :11 T:lpah and in 11:194 a temporary building ,~as abo crectcd in Tanjong Malim for the A~islant Magistrate to hold Court. In 1897 new court-hou)C.\o .... ere built a t Tapah_ Slim and Tanjong Maliln .

Many of the Di )lrict Magistrates and ASSI)",nl Magist rate) who )Cr\'cd in the dist riet bct .... ccn 1889 and 19<X> ..... ere men .... ho had no legal tr.tining and their JudIcia l ..... ork therefore lad.ed quallt)'. From 11:198 onwards, the Collector of Land Rnenue W:I) not pcrllHtted to hear ca!tes and therefore the load on the f)i~Iricl Mugi~lrate lind hiS A~~i~lanl) illcreased rather rapidl) . Bul in ~pi te of their many dimeullte~. thclr tIlade(lu:l1e legal traimng :lIId experience the} "ere able to do much good "or~ In melmg oul cheap and ~rcrdy jU~licc

Sir Frank Swettenham 111 hl~ reference to the Di~ lril;l ~I:lgi ~trale In Pt·r'l~ \\nlle in the Pera~ Go\ernmenl Ga/cne lhal

"Our M:lgl~tr:lh." :Irc nOI as thoroughly tr:lIned as I shtluld \\Ish. but I belie\'e Ihal substanllal JuSllt'C I) done at small I;ost hl the SUitOrs, and the\ probably prefer ehe;lp and ~pecd; justil;c 10 thc dela}~ and expcmc of more elaborately con~lIIuled Courl~."

l.a nd and R(,H'nUt' Adminisl ralion in

IblanJ: Padan!;

In Pera~ of the late Illlletl"Clllh ccntur}. nil 1:lI1d not held under title was theorelll;· ally ,"cst cd in the Sultan. and Slate l;lIld could be cOll\erled illln prlvale owner:.hip b) the admlllistr;lIl\c authoTltles actlllg on bch;tlf of the Sultan.

Land Administrallon in Perak then "a!> based on the TOTrcn, system used III Au)tralin. whereby dear ami !>imple tltlc ~ "ere issued. Thi s litle cnabled the largely agricu ltu ral population to 0\\11 Ih land, 10 sell II, borrow mane\' on 1\ and to transfe r it aCle r death \\Iih the mtnunum of leg;11 formalil~ and expense. Ntl

Imtrumcnt of transfer unless regl!>lercd III the pre!>l."Tlbcd manner was regarded as \alld or accepled ,,~ e,idcl1l;c of Ilwner· ~hir 111 Cllurt.

Before '\e)tern admHlISlTation "as IJltroduccd mto Batang Pad;lIIg, wille bnd III the dl~lnct \\as already 0"" ned by the inh:tbllanb and Ihe 1I)I[I;t1 step taken \~a~ to com pile a regl)ler of land held under Cu~tol1lary Tenure. Thl~ reglstralion entitled the ow ner 10 a certlficale whidl gil\e him a permanent bUI I;lmditlOnal right of usc and occupancy of the land. The Torren!> ~»)telll \\llIch ncccs~l t;lIed a precise theodolite ~unc}. led III

lime to thc rcpl;lccmcnt of the ~)Slem of cu<;tolllar) lenure b)' onc of rcgl~tration of \IIlc. The success of Ihl) )y~telll wa~ hO\\Cler n'uuccd by the delay In gelling the land sunc)ed.

A pcrM)Il maklllg a fresh application for land for culti\atll>n "lluld halc to appl) for II III the prescrtbed manner to the Penghulu of the 1l1U~lrn ..... here the land \1.1' !>Itualed On n:cci\ing the applicalLun lhe Pcnghulu would visil the land applied for. enler It1 hi) . llanelli Boo~' the n;lme of the applie;tnt, thc p,lslllon. the length and brcadth of thc boundaries of thc land III que~llon. The Penghulu I\ould then reqUlrc Ihe applicant to gel Ihe boundane!> clearly 1II,Irked OUI and \\ht'll tIm 11> completed the lIpplicanl l;(llIld occupy and cultl\alC the land.

AI Ihe end of e:ach month. Ihe PCllghulu'~ 'BlII/rllI' Boo~ \\a~ brought to Ihe Land Ollkc al T;lp.1.h tlr Tanjong MalLm and the applications lIere el1lcre:d IIllO the 'ApplicatIon nook' and rcnl collected. The Penghulu had to !tee Ihal nu land '~a~ de:tred IIn til il had been dClllarl;alcd and an y applK:ttion for morc than the acre~ \~a, referred to the I)lstrKt 1\1agl~Irate before It I~a~ en tered III the 'Banc!II" Uool. The Dlst rlcl Magistrate h,ld the po\~er 10 alll:nate up 1\) t\~enty.li\e acres of land on behalf of Ihe Sullan. All applicallOlI~ for land in excess of {\\enty· fivc acres had to be referred to Ihc Urit ish K e~idenl. Aflcr the land had been properly sUT\c~ed by the Government Sur\evor. Ihe: full details of the land \lere eniered In Ihe MUkim Kegl!>tcr (the title "as callcd E.M.R. - Entry in the MUkim

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Kinta

Lower Perak

o ~MllES

"--'

"-.

... .:: ... ,<1\.& .. // \ . ' 'C I

\ /- / 1~ ,~

"

....... ... _ ... - ..

~ - ··· - SI .. I[ -- DOS I IIIC I

.. ..... RQ.\OSANOPATHS

/

i __ ~:;:W~_:;:Jl I lIO.o.o

: M£1"ll[O CoUll 1lOlo.O ,--'2'-ltIWDf: . tlII-OL( lIo,.t..t)IUNM[ T.t.u.[O) ---- 6 ~[[' .... ,0(

//1 I/"/ (

/ \

\.

IIICE CUl..TIV"IION ..... j .. lT ~Oll SI,i&$lSTENCE

Map of &JIang Padang Districl in /900.

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Register). When an appllc'llion wns entcred InlO the Mukim R egi~ter all pre· vious tilles 10 Ihe land became null and \oid irresrc<:llvc of \\hether Ihey had been surrendcred or nol. The holder of the E.M .R. w,,~ then Ihe de f:!C1O owner of Ihe land and wa~ enllIlcd 10 dispose or il :I~ he wl~hed. subject to ,Ill annual pay · ment to Ihe GO\ernmenl of a ~milll qU11

rent and his :tbld ing by an) <;pedal condl' tlOn~ "hich thc Iitle mlghl eilrr~.

Application:. for Illllllllg land had al )l! 10 fo llow a pn::l>Cnbcd procedure which varied according 10 the Iype of Illllllllg intended. Tho~ who \\i shcd to do 'Iampal/' nunlllg had Itl obtam special pahcs \Ihl le those \Iho \\;lIl1ed III prtls· pect fo r tll\ "Ith a \ICW to opemng a nunc had to obtalll pnhpccllIl g Ilccnces.

All applications for 'lulllp(II/' p.:1SSCS had 10 be made to Ihe I~enghulu \1 h". nn linding that Ihe land applied for \\a:. ;1\'li lable. g;l\e thc applicant a leller to the Dislrict ~ l agiqratc dc~criblOg the posit ion of Ihe 1'lIld. On p.l) Illent of the dullars. the District Magl ~tratc "ould then I s~ue a pa~~ "hich "" .. \alld for ~Hlc ~ear. Thc Penghulu had 10 ~ce that the lall/pon \\or\..er worl.ed Iqthlll hi' J.lIld ;Ind that he had hi) p;l\~ lIn him \\hlle al \lork. 'L(IIII/WI!' p,,:.!>C~ \\ere non·transfer· able and c,luld be cancelled at an) time by Ihe Di strict M;lgl~Ir.lte b) refundlll l:l the amounl paid for Ihe p,w,. 1'1,., ~y~tem uf minlllg \\a~ e .xlen~l\'d~ u~ed b} the Chinese and Malll~:' .

When applying for pTCI~pcl·tlng liccncc~ for speCific loh of land JI) the distTlcl the applicallon had to be- made either III per~on ur in \\Titing to Ihe Dl strtct Magi~· Irate. Such appltc:ttiun~ were entered in Ihe 'ApplicatlOn ' Rool. "il lt all partl' cu la rs. includmg the dale and hour ('If application. When Ihe land appllcd for excceded Illel1ty. fi\e acre~ Ihe Bnll)h Resident's S:,"CI IOIl h:ld 10 be oblained . When this was done. the Dislnct Magi). trale wou ld imtrucl the applicant to denmrcale Ihe land applied for. clearing and mnr\..ulg the boundanes in a rectangular bloc\", The In:,pcclo r of Minc) W:15 then consu lted 011 Ihe advisability of granting Ihe land and on hi) agrl'eing the applic,lnt \Iould be asked to deposi l

Iwcnty.five doll:us for the pro)pcc ling licence and a fur ther sum to defray the CO:.I of sun'c),. The land would Ihen be ~uf\e}cd and a prospecling licencc would be granted 10 him . If the bnd un "tuch prospect ing wa~ done )ho\\ed promi!>t: a mining lc:tse was tal.en <JUt. When agree· mcnt~ for mining Ic:tscs we re made, it \Ias clearly :.tipulated Ihat every ~tream and w:tler-course Wllhlll ~1r near the bnd Ica~d \\<Ju ld remain under Ihe ab:.n lule control of the Gu\ernmenl.

All Town land:. III the dislrict \lc re diVided into lots which \\cre governed by the l1ulldtng and M ullIcip:tI Regulation:. of Pera\.. of 1889. The l{lh \Icre normally sold b) ,w Cllon and" condlllOn of the s..'llc I\;I:. that buddlllg ,1perations on them ~hould commence wilhln IWO monlhs of Ihelr purcha:.e Otherwise the land re\encd to GO\CfIlmenl.

The Dl st nct ,\ Iagl)tra te \\3S directed frum Inile 10 lime by the British Re~ldenl to mark uut Forc'l Reserves 11\ Ihe dl)lnct. and 10 regulate Ihe I~,ue of Ilmber pa:.f>C:. for Ihe CUlling down of

The L:lIld Officer ,'II Tapah had man) dUlie~ II) perform, amung \\hich Ihe mosl importanl one was Ihe collection of land re\enue . He had tll ,end to the DI~tTlcl Magl~lr;tte at the end of eitch lTlolllh :t

return ~ho"lng Ihe 1\)lal land re\enue. o.)th current and arn:an. due III each mU\..1Il1 .l1Id Ihe total collection made. A~ Inng a\ the delllarCall\!Il of holdings ill the dl,tncl was inc('Implele he had lu :.ce Ihal thc ~une~ " ')r l. :tnd the prepar,lItOn ~!f a new renl-roll \\ere I;Urncd out. If an) IIlfnngcmenl 'If the condJllon~ <Jr Ica~e:. look pla(·e. he h;td to inform Ihe DI:.lrict Magistrale, and abo enforce lhe laller's dlrectiolh regardmg Ihe resena· liun IIf f!)feSI lands and the prutection of timber and other jungle produce. Flnall~. he h:ld to prepa re an accurale a~~css merl\ of town land:. and houses hable for rate~ after gelling the propertic) valued and the hou)c:. numbered .

The Land Officer'~ \\ork "3S 1ll3de more dlfl'icult by Ihe abscnct: before 1896 of hoth IUpographieal :lJld land uliliZ31 ion m:lps of th e d istriel.

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The most imporlanl source: of re:venue ill Ihe dislricl ""as Ihe customs dUly on Ihe lin e:xported. T his dU lY was S12 .5O per bhara (3 picu ls) in ;,11 Ihe mukims except Ulu Ucrnam "here Ihe duty was S9.oo per bhara. This rcduclion was madc in o rder 10 discou rage: smuggling inlo Sclangor "here the dUI)' was S II . OO pe r bllOrtl. To emure thai no smuggling look place. II "as o rdcred Ihal no lin was 10 be remove:d from any minc wilhou t a pass from the Penghulu of Ihe mukim. These pa))es had to be produced at the customs houses b,)t h ;1\ Tdok Anson and at Tanjong Mallnl . The importance of thi s rC\'enue can be gauged from thc fact that out of a lotal revenue of S284.593.-l9 collected in Uat ang Padan g in 1900. the dUl Y on tin al one accounted fo r SI80.529.

The o ther Im portant ilen)) of revenue were the General Fa rm which Included the sole right s 10 operale gambling. liquor and p:mn-broking shops and 10 import opium in to Ihc dlslrict. The oper.l lion of opium ~ Imps "as nOI included in the Gener;,1 Farm. hut this could be done by an)one ohtaifling a licencc for that purpo!'>e. In 1 89-l . there \\ere 25 opi um shops III Tapah alone. The next important item of re\cnue "US thai dcri\ed from land. There "ere also mher )ourccs such a) sa le of licence) and passes. dues collected by the Samlary Iloard and the Courts.

All financial mailers "lthin the districi "ere dealt with hy the !-inancial Assistant in charge of the DlSIri ct Tre;\)ury under the direct supervision of the District Magistrate.

I h'll lt h

11'lIang Padang was subject to man y endemic and epidemic diseases among which the most common ones were inte:rmillent fe\er (malaria). bc ri -bcri . sm all-po". dlilrrhoell and dYM:ntry. The immigrant populat ion. partIcularly. lacked resislance to the endemic discases and the death rate among them was high. Economic developmen t. which depended o n the inOux of people from outside the district. "as be:st when the environmen t was reasonably healthy. Hence. the n~d of an efficient hea lth service in Oat3ng

Padang was secn a nd a hospital established in Tapah as early as 1888. The hospital. ",hich had a slaff of three - two dressers and a vaccinator - did useful work under the supervision of the District Surgeon. Lower Pemk. In 1893, an apothecary was sent to Tapah and he ca me 10 be known as the Medical Officer. In 1896. a travelling di spensary was o rga nised 10 pay weekly visi ts to the: neighbouring vilJage:s of Temoh. Oidor and Chenderiang a nd this pro\'cd popu la r.

Besides attendi ng 10 his normal hospita l dulies. the Medical Officcr had to perform iI num ber of ot her functions. When there was an ou tbreak of infecti ous diseases either ;lmong men or nnimals, he had to take the necessary precautions. enforce quarantine measurcs and prescribe the necessnry treatment. l ie had 1I0t on ly 10 visit weekly the principa l mining centres in the dist rict and dist ribute medicines but also to visit the various villages periodically to carry out vaccina ti on work. Defore the establishment of a Sanitary Uoard in 1 89-l. he was also in general charge of the health and sanitary work in the distr ict.

The Medical Office:r had to overcome many difficu lt ies arising from his lack of adequate training. Inadequate facilities a t the hospital and insuflicient drugs and little co-operation rec:ci\'ed from the inhabit'lIlts in so far as health and preve:nlive measures "ere concerned .

The Sanitary Boa rd consisted of bot h oflicial and unofficial members with the District ~'Iagistr:lte as Chai rman. Besidcs concerning itself wil h the gener:,1 health of Tapah, Ihe Hoard h;,d muny specific duties con nected with revcnue collect ion. drainage. watcr-supply. conservency and the fi re-brigade. It s influence was chieOy felt in the field of dr:linage bot h within and outside the lown. Swamps we re drained. foresls and bclukar o utside the lown were cleared and brick drains were built in the town .

Educalion

Since Malay was the ' Iingua franca' of the Malay States. and was "the language

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of Ihe Siale Councils and Ihe Co urts, of hospilals and police-stalions and a ll Go\'ernnlent depa rt ments in thei r deal ings with the public", it was natu ra lly se lected as the medium of instruclion in the earl y schools.

Educa tion in Batang Padang began with the establishment of a school at Tapah in 1890. Schools "ere also est:lblished in 189 1 lit Bidor and Chcnderiang and in 1892 threc more schools were opened at Sungkll i. Tanjong Malim and Slim. The last school sct up in the distr ict before 1900 was that a t Ternoh in IS96. By 1896, Batang I'adans had six boys' schools with a to ta l en rolmelll of 17-' bo)"s.

The aim of the early schoo l ~ wa ~ to enllb1e the Mala y boys to read and "rile their OWI\ langua ge. to do a little arithmetic, to know the geogra phy of the a rca in which they li ved. to wnte Ro manl scd Maln y and 10 take an act ive interest in physica l exercise and manly ~po r ts. Their educ.IIion was a lso intended to inculcate in them habits of punctuali ty. neatlle s ~ , obedience and genera l good beha vlOlIT. Consideration was al ~o given to their Muslim religion lind Ihe Kora n was la ugh t in the schools. The educ.:.i1 HJ II In

a ll sc hools was free.

When schools were first started, the inhabitants showed a milfked reluclance to se nd their children there and the District Magistrate and the va ri ous Penghulus faced Ihe task of persu:ldin g parents to send thei r children to school. The silua· ti on was so acute that G overnment had to enforce by law the compu l ~ory au endance of children at school.

Conclusion

By 1900. the district admini stra tion had more or less a:.sumed ib lIlt imate fo rm and thc incrcased cfliciency :lnd greater capacit ), fo r work resulted in an accelera· tion of econo mic de,elopl1lent .

Bet\l cen 1889 and 1900, the annual re\ cnlle of the di~tnc l increased ten·fo ld and the popu la ti on doubled .

EconomiC de\ clopmenl , \\hidl commenced I II the nort hern p.ut of the distr ict, spre:ld g radua ll ~ south " a rds. and by 1900 in addi tion to ti n-mmmg. COIlsidcra tlUll \\ a~ givell to the culti vation of rllhbcr ror wh ich the d i~tnc t was found 10 be id eall y suited.

Thus b} 1900. a ~tlu J\d f.lUndatio n fo r the econo mic development and prospent y of the dl~ tric t had bel'n laid .

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