Annual report on Brunei / Colonial Office.

  • Colonial Office
Date:
[1949]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Brunei / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/90 page 4
    practised shifting cultivation only, but it is hoped they will adopt settled methods of cultivation. Of the alien races, the Chinese are by the far the most numerous. They are immigrants from the South China pro¬ vinces and are occupied principally as traders or shop-keepers. Other alien races, in much smaller numbers, are Indians, mostly Tamil and Malayalis who work as shop-keepers and as labourers in the Oilfields, and a few Arab traders. Religion. The religion of the Brunei Malays and Kedayans is Islam of the Shafi’i sect. The Tutongs and Belaits also generally profess Islam. Of the other races, the Dusuns, Dayaks .and Muruts are all pagan aninrists. Language. The languages spoken in the State are as diverse as the races which compose its population- The Bruneis and Kedayans speak Malay, and in general, each race has its own language, though colloquial Malay serves as a lingua franca both for indigenous and alien peoples. Of the foreign languages spoken in the State, Chinese is the most common, the principal dialects being Kheh, Hokkien and ■Cantonese. The Indian population speaks mostly Tamil and Malayalam. Total Population. A census of the population of the State was made in November 1947 and the final corrected figure shows that at that time the population was 40,657. The density of the population was then 18.2 per square mile. There has however been a considerable influx of labour into the State since 1947 and it is estimated that the total population at the end of 1949, allowing for natural increase and fresh immi¬ grants, was something between 45,000 and 50,000 according to the preliminary figures disclosed by National Registration. Births. The total number of births registered during the year was 2,073 representing a birth rate of 50.55 per mille. Of the births recorded 1,037 were male and 1,036 female giving an almost equal birth sex ratio. Deaths. The number of deaths registered was 766 represent¬ ing a crude death rate of 18.68 per mile. Registration of births and deaths is now fairly complete and these figures are reasonably accurate, but it must be remembered that the vast majority of deaths, although registered, are not certified. Infant Mortality. The infant mortality rate for the year was 128.3 which represents a fall of 11 on the 1948 figures. Immigration. There was a constant ebb and flow of popula¬ tion between the State and Singapore and the neighbouring territories of Sarawak and British North Borneo. It is however surprising to find from the official immigration figures given below that the number of departures exceeded that of arrivals by 123:—
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