United Nations Nations Unies E/CN .1/Sub .1/ c .2j\v.9 ECONOMIC CONSElL 31 Jnnua.ry 191t7 AND ECONOMIQUE ORIGI!ML: ll!2ISH
SOCIAL COUNCIL n .··soCIAL,
ECONONIC RECviJSTRUCTIC'N OF DEVASTATED AREAS vfORICING GROUP FOR ASIA 1~ND TffE FAR EAST
Bac ~.:round materie l 11:r·cpered in the United Naticn~ Secr~tariat for submission to the Horldnc Group for Asic: and the F~.r East of the Temporary Sub -Collillliosion on Economic R~construction of Deve.stated Jl.reas at its meetine at Lr·ke Succosfl on 14 Febrv.ar y 1947 .
UJ1'l' II CCU!ll.'RY STUD.LES
I. BRITISH 130R.\lEO Roe.ds
J.fet ~llcd 'BoaJ.s Earth Roads -:- (Miles) (Miles ) Sara\fek ll3 390 North Borneo 87 Brunei 600
Trade
~1e principal exports 0f Borneo aro mineral f roducts, acricultural
}!r oducta, and timber; the chief :importc ar e rice and mc.nufactured 13oods.
The value of t he trade ~. s as follm·rs ~
Ssra.wak 1939 .£.3 , 079, 318 £4, 044, 676 North :Borneo
1939 .£. 7&5 , 708 £1, 597, 976 1940 £.1Jl64,19S £2, 364, e91 Brt·noi
J9lt0 £ 453 ,502 ;;:1 , 122, ueo
The t ot al ton.-•ace of ahippifl3 ent~ r il".g Sarc,·tak in 1939 '\-laS
974,543; enterirlt'3 North Borneo, 1939, 335,48.5 tons .
The valus oi" the dollar is Z/4d :-:t~rlins.
,.__ British Bc·rneo______Revenue ancl _Expend.itu.~a __ _
Ser £n:ak
1939 £ 5G0,298 l:orth Dcrneo
1940 £ 181, 574 £. 170_.587 '!-her o i s no p'..lblic debt in Brit ish Borneo. · E/CN.l/Sub.l/C. 2/W. 9 Paae 3
The J a::anese ~Dcc upiod British Nor t h ·Borneo on 17 December 1941 .
The createst '·rar da.D:lllGe occurred in North Borneo, but B~unei and Sar awak as far eouth ·as ~.iri , whe1·e ~ctive o:pe:.-ations were in proareos u~ the time
Of th~ Jap~.l'Le Se SurTender in 1945, alSO SUffered COnOidera~ ly,
J.n l~orr n .tlo;t'neo t.no main to1me vere a J.J. badly dar.Jag ?d, I t ls under st::>od that about '70 percent of t he buedings in J esselton were destroyed, and . that dee;tr uction at Sandakan ap:p;roaches 100 percent . The re.il'.iay had much of i ts r olliDB otock and locomotives damaged and a n~ber of br idges, incl udi ng t he le..rr;eet ~t Paper wer-~ renderE'd U."'ltJervica.ble. Impr ovised
lU'l all6emcnts, "-ith jeeya to,·ring light W8.60llB1 have b9en used for movi ng
9eople, etor~ e, and produce.
In Brunei the cent re of thfl min town was destroyed EO.nd the valuable oil f ields at Seria. w~re set on f i r e by the retrEatinG J apanese, The refir.Elry at Lutor>.,c Wl:I.S also serious]..Jf damaaod,
In general, the people of British Borr.eo euf:fe ..~e d :!;) er sonal hardship and loos , though dea.t hs lrere relatively f mf, Diseer:le e..ncl malnutrition vere ilidespree.d; bark had at times t o be used. as a s ubot i tute for cl othi::'lg .
Savin;:s were co~pulso:!'ily e.xchanljod into i-rorthles s J e.pe.neoe cu:l:'rency.
/BRITISH EOP.l'!EO E/CN.l/Sub,l/C.2/W.9 PaGe 4
BR!TISB: ]ORNEO
British Borneo is composed of S3rawak, the State of North Bo~neoj
and Brunei.
Al·ea ( fll:i,U::tre Population m:!.les .).
Sarawak 50;000 490;800 ? 9~· 0) Nor th Borneo 29;500 3091000 1941) :B.rune:i 2, 226 40 2700 (1941) 81., 726 840,500
The population of Sarawak i s composed of ivw.lays 1 Da~ · ake 1 and other racco, and Chinese and other 3ettlera; that of North Borneo of
1-iohv.mmedo.n set·clers on the c-oast and abor i~inal t ::-ibes inland; and that of Brnnei of Malays end :Oornean r aces. ?rodt;ction
Rub be:r and oil ore the chief products of Brit ::.oh :Bo:r:r1eo.
!~an~~ ion a.:?~ Exj>O~- of Rub~et:.t.l:2.37 Area of Plantat i on · F.:xpo:cte (acres) (£1000 )
Sara>·re.k 230, 000 2.017 ; 0 Ncrth :Sc~cneo 126 , 61~0 1, 6<50 , !. 300 Brunei - •.J ._ .2!~1. 3'10, 940 3, 842
Sera:1m.k 209,8?4 100 :Brunei d50 ,~47 .!±?.~. 760,141 552 (There i s no oil in North Bcrneo) In 1940 t he rroduction of petroleum oil in Br unei alone amuunted to 930, 000 tons .
A railuay in British Nort h Bc-rneo, 127 miles in lencth runs from J csselton to Nelala'l? in tho interior, '1-rith a b:s:anch from Beauf'ol•t to Vleoton ,