Perak Is The Land Of Palms, And
Produces The Invaluable Cocoa-Palm, Most Parts Of Which Have Their
Commercial Value,
The areca palm which produces the betel-nut, the
gomuti palm from whose strong black fibres they make ropes, cordage,
And strands for capturing the alligator; the jaggary-palm, from which
sugar is made, as well as a fermented beverage; the nibong palm, which
grows round the Malay kampong, and is used for their gridiron floors
and for the posts of their houses; the dwarf-palms which serve no other
purpose than to gladden the eyes by their beauty; and the nipah palm
which fringes the rivers, and, under the name of attap, forms the
thatch of both native and foreign houses.
Road-making has not made great strides in Perak, but railroads are
being planned, and a good road extends from the port of Larut to the
great Chinese mining town of Taipeng, and thence to the British
residency at Kwala Kangsa, a distance of over thirty-three miles, the
electric telegraph accompanying the road. Others are in course of
construction, and there are numerous elephant and jungle tracks through
the western parts of the State.
Still, the rivers form the natural highways. Perak has two ports - Teluk
Anson on the Perak river, thirty-four miles from its mouth, and Teluk
Kertang, a few miles up the Larut river, and eight miles from the great
tin mines of Taipeng. The import and export trade is carried on mainly
with Pinang, and at this time one of several small steamers leaves
Larut for that port daily.
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