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.

    16/90 page 10
    Year Number of Depositors Amount' 1948 625 $231,863 1949 675 161,147' Chapter V. COMMERCE The total value of Trade amounted to $97,897,961 as com¬ pared with $84,460,035 in 1948. Imports. An attempt has been made this year to record statistics for Trade Returns in greater detail and the results are¬ te be seen in Appendix A. The overall volume of imports is very little more than in 1948. There are however variations in several items which are deserving of mention. Cement, ironware and vehicles show considerable increases. This is accounted for by the extensive building programme under execution by both the local Oil Company and by the. Government. It is in the nature of rehabilitation and also of new undertakings. On the other hand there is a drop of some $6,000,000 in the case of machinery. This was to be expected because the- accumulation of major equipment required for the post-war activities at the Oilfields must at some time reach a workable limit and thereafter be regulated by circumstances and develop¬ ment. Rice imports increased despite increased local production: owing to the more generous allowance granted by I.E.F.C. A small sea-plane was imported by the British Malayan? Petroleum Company for business purposes. Exports. There are two additional items this year im Appendix B. A sharp decline in the quantity of rubber exported is dis¬ closed. This is due to a considerable drop in price during the months of June, July and August. The production and export of Crude Oil and Natural Gas have steadily increased since the war. The amount exported; this year was 20% more than in 1948. A considerable improvement is shown for firewood, the whole of which is exported to Plong Kong. Chapter VI. PRODUCTION (a) Agriculture and Animal Elusbandry. Crop Reports Rubber. Owing to the fact that a large proportion of the rubber in the State was originally planted on sloping land already
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