Singapore, A Study of A Port (1954)

stud of a port this is part of the harbor of Singapore almost all travelers get their first sight of Singapore from the harbor for this is the seventh largest port in the world and almost everything comes to Singapore or leaves it by sea so most Travelers arrive by sea in big liners or passenger cargo boats like this one tied up at the key side here already passengers are disembarking to see the city wearing tropical clothes for Singapore lies almost on the equator but the busy life of the Singapore Waterfront is best seen outside the docks to the north on the keys alongside the Singapore River which cuts the city in two the great Office Buildings of European and Asiatic Merchants look down on the native craft unloading Goods for the godown or warehouses along the keys the scene is typical of one kind of life in Singapore but not far off and another kind of Singapore life are the pleasant Gardens the smart shops and the tall fight buildings of Raffles place named after s Stanford Raffles who bought the swampy island of Singapore in 1819 for the East India Company and set up a free port to extend British trade Singapore Island lies at the foot of the peninsula of Mala in a position to dominate shipping routes between the islands of the East Indies besides its importance for local shipping routes Singapore is a vital point on the route through the SE Canal linking Europe with China and Japan and other routs link Singapore with Africa Australia the Philippines and the Pacific the site that Raffles chose possessed a wide river estery for Native craft a low Ridge of Hills providing Shelter From the winds and ending in firm ground along the edge of a fine natural Harbor for seagoing ships almost landlocked and with a deep Waterfront from these Beginnings the port and City have grown up its history as a British colony has Justified raffle's Choice Singapore has become one of the great commercial centers of the East it is a free port and ships May tie up in the docks or lie at anchor in the harbor or the roads without payment of special dues here the products of east and west meet and are exchanged Rubber and Tin from Mala tea Timber COA SEO Spice from Sumatra and Java silk and rice from China cotton and jute from India to be exchanged for Motorcars manufactured goods and textiles from America the British Empire and Europe the majority of ships lie at anchor in the roads or Harbor while lighters F cargo to and fro but the docks are roomy and well equipped and can accommodate vessels of very deep draft the trans shipment of cargo is the basis of Singapore's trade the port has brought together the equipment and the skill to deal with any type of cargo and great warehouses are available at cheap rates to store cargo unloaded from one ship and waiting for another here the Commodities of Southeast Asia are collected for dispatch to the West here the manufacturers of Europe and America arrive in bulk for distribution five dry docks are available for ships in need of repair the port provides work for large numbers of men and here in the dry dock and in the great ship building and repair shops attached to them some have the opportunity to learn skilled trades on the island of f brani which is near the harbor an important local industry is carried on tin ore is brought from mines on the mainland of Mala to be smelted here in one of the largest tin refineries in the world the molon tin in a fairly pure state is cast into bars these are stacked ready for loading direct into ships to be sent all over the world there are other local Industries using local raw materials these Chinese girls are making shoes with soles made of rubber which is one of mala's Chief natural products the Chinese by the way make up 3/4 of the population of Singapore this pipeline is also concerned with rubber or rather with the raw latex large quantities of latex are shipped abroad in tankers latex is obtained from rubber trees by making small Cuts in the bark from which the sap drips the sap collects in small cups each tree yielding only a small amount so that each Plantation needs many trees most of the plantations are on the mainland but Singapore island has a few other plantations on the island grow the beautiful feathery coconut palm whose nuts provide COA and COA fiber in other parts whole fields of pineapple can be seen in earlier days the colony was to be unhealthy because of malaria from the swamps around the coasts but a system of drains and sloes has been built up to discharge the water into the sea and to keep out tidal water even now fresh drains are still being dug to reclaim further swampland and strict malaria control is practiced by preventing mosquitoes from breeding in pools and stretches of Still Water thus though mangrove swamps may still be seen the mosquitoes which bred there and spread disease have been banished certainly the climate of Singapore is wet as well as hot and in all months of the year there is heavy tropical rain at s High rainfall and high temperatures produce a humid kind of heat this abundant rainfall ensures a plentiful water supply partly from the mainland and partly from the Island's own reservoirs the chief reservoirs lie in the Hills Northwest of the Town one is actually inside the municipal area north and south of Singapore River lie densely populated areas with the main Business Center the government offices and other public buildings lying close to the water on either side of the estery close by the docks and warehouses front the Inner Harbor which occupies this area across the kalang river lie the residences of weled Asiatic citizens while in the Tang Lin District lie government house and the houses of European officials and businessmen in these residential suburbs the average house is a fairly simple affair with large and Airy rooms but Rich Merchants often have Splendid Colonial houses like small palaces sometimes enriched with fantastic Oriental decoration but the bulk of Singapore's 1 million inhabitants live and work in the crowded Quarters on both sides of the Singapore River Chinese malaise and Indians make up most of the population there are only about 10,000 Europeans the shop fronts are covered with Chinese signs shiny black cars share the road with the Traw a kind of Passenger carrying tricycle which has replaced the Rickshaw as a form of cheat transport the streets are full of surprises one decked with lines of laundry like Flags another Made Beautiful by one of the many temples and mosques that serve the varied races and religions of Singapore a Hindu temple of traditional design stands next to a gas holder the mixture of east and west is typical on Kia's key the massive offices of international business still stand on the old trading site from their roofs you can look down on the busy heart of Singapore and the wide prospects which forms a Noble Center for this Colony that Raffles founded The Travelers come via Singapore chain ships and leave again the ships unload their caros refill their holds and sail for fresh ports as Raffles Force Singapore has become a great port and center of Commerce for the whole of the East