Unit 4: From Unit 4 Reading Notes

How Singapore developed under the British before World War II

1. Political Development
a. Government: Direct Rule by the British Government
i. Combined three possessions (Penang, Malacca & Singapore) into one
single administrative Unit, known as ‘Straits Settlements.
ii. EIC disbanded and the British government took control of British India.
iii. Colonies like Singapore were administered by a Governor-General.
iv. As the Straits Settlements became a British Crown Colony, the Straits
settlements were ruled directly by the British Queen.
b. People: Involvement in Planning Government Policies
i. When the government in London made the number of official and
non-official members equal, more local people were involved in the
governing of Singapore.
ii. Lower levels of government
1. Staffed by the British, Eurasian and Asians
2. Those who could communicate in English worked as clerks and
office attendants
iii. Higher levels of government
1. Nominated as Justice of Peace
2. Serve as unpaid magistrates or judges who settle court cases,
disputes etc. of lesser importance.
3. Notable individuals include:
a. Mohammad bin Ahmed Alsagoff (A prominent Malay
leader)
b. P. Govindasamy Pillai (A successful South Indian
businessman)
iv. Notable Asian traders
1. Nominated as non-official members of the Legislative Council
2. Have better knowledge than the British of issues faced by
common people, using their limited influence to propose laws
that benefit respective communities.
3. Such people include:
a. Hoo Ah Kay (First to receive this honour)
b. Lim Boon Keng (Petitioned the council to pass a lew
controlling house rents)
c. Eunos Abdullah (Procure land for creation of a Malay
settlement area, setting aside a piece of land for a Malay
settlement known as ‘Kampong Melayu’. Such settlements
provided low-cost housing, allowing the Malays to earn a
living by growing agriculture and rearing poultry)
4. One legislation proposed by the Asian leaders that were rejected
by the Legislative Council was the ban on opium.
Unit 4: From Unit 4 Reading Notes
v. Case Study: Ban on opium (Why it was rejected)
1. What the government said:
a. Although opium drove some to a bottomless pit of debt,
some benefited from it and became wealthy.
b. Opium was sold under licence by the government, and
many became wealthy by running opium dens.
c. Those who passed the night smoking opium, some were
rich, some were poor, and all who went were not
ashamed to be there.
2. What the government did:
a. Unwilling to ban opium as it would be a huge loss of
revenue for the government.
b. Proposed to tax people’s income, like their salaries and
business profit.
c. Many were angry and opposed this income tax law, as it
would greatly reduce their income.
d. Due to the opposition, the law was never implemented,
and opium continued to be legal.
2. Economic Development
a. The Industrial Revolution (1750-1850)
i. The British invented machines to produce goods faster in larger
quantities.
ii. Materials such as tin, cotton and coal were needed to manufacture these
goods.
iii. European and American steamships made Singapore their port of call,
obtaining raw materials and finding markets to sell their goods
iv. Asians used steamships to transport their goods
v. Industrialization thus created demand for coal, which was used to keep
engines of steamships running.
vi. So, Singapore became one of the most important coaling stations as
steam ships travelling Asian sea routes would stop by Singapore to refuel.
b. The Opening of the Suez Canal (1869)
i. European traders need a shorter route to the East for the search of raw
materials and new markets to sell their goods.
ii. After the opening of the Suez Canal, European traders had easier
access, saving distance, time and cost. They did not have to sail
around the southern tip of Africa.
iii. Ships use less coal using the Suez Canal route, saving cost of fuel
iv. Saving in distance and time, merchants get their goods faster to
Singapore, reducing cost of transporting goods and increasing
volume of trade as more and more steamships use the Suez Canal
route.
c. Government: Implementing Policies that Promoted Trade
Unit 4: From Unit 4 Reading Notes
i. Besides maintaining the free port and free trade policies, the government
also improved Singapore’s port facilities as trade traffic is growing.
Initially, Singapore port facilities did not keep up with commercial
development.
ii. Towards the mid-1800s, as steamships requiring the use of coal were
calling at the port for refuelling, congestion occurred at an
already-overcrowded river, so the government built a New Harbour.
iii. Wharves, warehouses and coal stores were opening around the New
Harbour.
iv. Modern machinery was also installed, causing shipping traffic to
increase quickly as greater availability of wharves and more shipping
companies began regular steamship services through Singapore.
v. To increase the rate of cargo handling, mechanical installation, like
cranes were employed, replacing manual loading and unloading of
cargo.
vi. Land reclamation provided additional land for the construction of new
roads, helping to address the congestion problem, resulting in increased
volume of cargo.
vii. The British encouraged open immigration, providing Singapore with
financial and human capital. Traders and workers settled in Singapore in
search of work, to earn a good living and have good opportunities to be
successful and prosperous.
d. People: Strengthening Singapore’s Capacity as a Trading Hub
i. Setting up of Trading Companies and Agency Houses
1. Europeans are important in setting up business infrastructure.
2. They had vast capital required to start and run such
businesses
3. Such individuals include:
a. Alexander Guthrie (Trading agent on behalf of English
companies who wished to export their goods), company
also arranged for traded goods to be brought back in bulk
to Europe. In return for their efforts, they were paid
commissions.
b. The Aljunied family (Immigrants)
i. Syed Sharif Omar bin Ali Aljunied (a successful
trader, known for his honesty)
ii. His uncle, Syed Mohammad bin Harun Aljunied (set
up a trading business in Singapore)
iii. They profited from the lucrative trade between
Europe and the far east, benefitting from Singapore
being a free port.
iv. Syed Omar’s son, Syed Abu Bakar (co-founder of
Singapore International Chamber of Commerce,
assisting in the development of Singapore’s port)
Unit 4: From Unit 4 Reading Notes

ii. Providing Capital for Businesses

1. Chettiars from South India were moneylenders who provided
financial support. Their money-lending facilities were important as
there were few banks, and these banks would provide loans only
when they were assured they would be repaid, so only large and
well established businesses were provided loans.
2. Small-scale traders and businesses who needed loans would
find Chettiars, who were more willing to take risks, charging high
interest rates.
3. Their business was so successful that they formed their own
Chettiar Chamber of Commerce.
iii. Providing Manpower for Businesses
1. Coolie-agents would look for workers to provide much-needed
labour for the port to function smoothly.
2. Chinese coolies came to Singapore in search of a better life, and
formed the majority of Singapore’s labour force.
3. Indian labourers were often convicts sent over by the British as
part of their prison sentences, tasked with constructing public
works, and well-known landmarks today such as the Istana and
St.Andrew’s Cathedral.
iv. Providing Support Services to the Local Population
1. With a diverse population of traders, communication became a
difficulty.
2. Middlemen played an important part, speaking sufficient English
and various local dialects to translate transactions for European
and Malay traders, allowing commerce to be conducted
smoothly.
3. Many malay were expert shipbuilders and sailors, servicing the
ships and boats. Others were also involved in constructing and
building, supplying raw materials necessary for building.
4. Due to growing settlement, there was a need for a steady
provision of daily necessities, so Siamese and Cochin Chinese
junks would carry cargoes of rice, sugar, tea and other
important items from China.
5. Malay traders would also come to Singapore carrying spices,
coffee etc. to Singapore
6. All these parties combined helped ensure that Singapore’s
economy continued to grow well into the 20th century.
Unit 4: From Unit 4 Reading Notes

3. Social Development
a. Government: Implementing and Formalising Nation-Wide Measures
i. Much later in the 19th century, the British government needed to keep the
threat of poor healthcare and sanitation in check.
ii. Only until the 20th century did the government pay attention to the
provision of social services, including education and better health
services.
iii. Healthcare
1. The government set up a Public Health Department, improving
public health.
2. They also set up a malaria committee, supervising the infilling of
mosquito-infested swamps, replacing pail systems with modern
water-carriage sewage systems etc.
3. They also improved housing conditions, reducing overcrowding
among Chinese quarters in Chinatown.
4. They also built outpatient clinics, a leper camp and lunatic
asylum to provide healthcare to the public and serve the public.
5. People who arrived in Singapore had to be checked for any
infectious diseases, if they are positive, they would have to be
quarantined in St. John’s Island.
6. List of public health improvements:
a. First official health survey (1906)
b. Expansion of the General Hospital (1907)
c. Campaign to deal with malaria (1911)
d. Laying of City’s first Sewage pipes (1913)
e. Opening of a new reservoir (Water supplies to town
increased) (1921)
f. Forming the Singapore Improvement Trust, responsible for
clearing slums and providing alternative housing (To tackle
overcrowding) (1927)
g. Public health generally improved and the spread of
disease was greatly reduced by the 1940s.
iv. Education
1. As the government needed skilled individuals to fill the positions in
the government offices and trading companies, they set English
and Malay schools, also providing grants.
2. They also established the Queen’s Scholarship for top scoring
students to further their studies in British universities, and many of
them returned as doctors, lawyers and teachers.
3. They also set up a medical school to train doctors, and other
institutions of higher education were also built.
Unit 4: From Unit 4 Reading Notes
4. However, the Chinese schools received less funding and are
more neglected than Malay and English schools as the British
government felt that Chinese schools bred anti-British
sentiments.
b. People: Taking Interventive Measures to Meet the Needs of the People
i. Healthcare
1. Few medical services were provided for the general for a long time
since the founding of Singapore, and some poor asians could not
afford to pay proper medical treatment, so many were sick and
homeless beggars who roamed the streets.
2. Despite Singapore’s growing population, the death rate in the first
half of the 19th century was very high
3. Much of Singapore Town (until the 1860s) was dirty and polluted,
roads filled with garbage, few hospitals and no fire brigades, and
no sewage system for adequate water supply.
4. Individuals playing a part:
a. Tan Tock Seng
i. A wealthy merchant, and a great philanthropist,
building a hospital for the poor and sick,
founding a pauper hospital in Pearl’s Hill where
immigrants could seek medical help at little or
no cost.
ii. He helped bury the bodies of those needy who
passed away, paying the funeral expenses of
those who could not afford one.
iii. While other Chinese who began with the same goal
quickly gave up due to the atrocious living
conditions, Tan Tock Seng persevered, and
became a respected leader.
ii. Education
1. During the 19th century, many children did not go to school, and
most schools were little-equipped.
2. Raffles founded the Singapore Institution, yet the building was not
used as a school until an Anglican priest founded the school,
naming it Singapore Free School, which was renamed as
Singapore Institution Free School, until many years later when it
was renamed to Raffles Institution.
3. Except for Raffles, the British government did not see a need to
provide education for the locals, leaving such matters to the hands
of private organisations.
4. Examples include:
a. Narayana Pillai, an Indian merchant, founding a small
school for Indian children.
Unit 4: From Unit 4 Reading Notes
b. Christian missionaries opening Cantonese, Hokkien and
English schools.
c. Missionaries establishing Chinese and Tamil schools.
4. Conclusion
a. The government’s efforts to modernise Singapore increased steadily, and the
amount the authorities spent on town improvements increased from 1857 and
1886. However, as most of the money was spent on projects in the European
district, it made little impact on public welfare in the city’s poorer areas.
b. During the 1920s, the situation improved, as economic and civic activism grew.
c. Over time, Singapore changed into a faster, safer and slightly healthier city,
continuing to develop and transform under the British administration until the
Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945.