Rencana-Rencanal Articles

Klang District and Town: History and Historical Sources

Khoo Kay Kim*

Abstrak: Makalah ini meninjau terutama sekali sejarah Kelang - termasuk kedua-dua
kawasan daerah dan bandar - dari awal 1870an hingga ke tahun 1930an. Walau bagaimana
pun sejarah bukan menjadi fokus utama. Petunjuk diberikan kepada sumber-sumber sejarah
yang berguna untuk menyusun semula sejarah Kelang dari masa ianya berfungsi sebagai
pelabuhan utama bagi negeri Selangor sehingga Kelang dan persekitarannya menjadi
pusat utama bagi pertanian. Akhirnya penyentuhan dibuat kepada satu perkembangan yang
penting yang pada masa ini kurang diketahui iaitu, permulaan penempatan perindustrian di
Malaya. Industri utama pada waktu itu ditempatkan di Kelang oleh kerana kedudukannya
yang berhampiran dengan Pelabuhan Swettenham.

Abstract: This paper deals primarily with the history of Klang - both the district and the town
- from the early 1870s to the 1930s. But history is not the main focus. References are made
to historical sources which are useful in helping to reconstruct the history of Klang from the
time it functioned as the principal port of the State of Selangor to the period when 'greater'
Klang and its surrounding territories became a major agricultural centre. Finally, mention
is made of an important development hitherto little known, namely, the beginnings of
industrialization in Malaya. The major industries were located in Klang because of the
proximity to Port Swettenham.

Early History guese sources, provides a little more information

about Klang as well as other territories under
Klang has a history, although still vaguely known, Melaka hegemony. He says:
which dates back to ancient times. RO. Winstedt
tells us that: Northwards beyond the Linggi River
was a succession of settlements
In the Nagarakrtagama Klang is men- which were under the direct rule of
tioned along with Sungai Ujong, then Malacca and which, in addition to
Sang Hyang Ujong, as subject in the paying an annual tribute of tin, en-
middle of the XIVth century to Maja- gaged in a coastal trade in foodstuffs
pahit. for that city. Most of these were mere
villages. Sungei Ujong ..., Klang (Clam)
Reputed to have been used by the and Perak ... each had about 200 per-
eunuch Cheng Ho who seven times sons, Selangor ...was somewhat larger,
visited the overseas "barbarians" be- while Bernam had 400.2
tween 1405 and 1433 A.D., Chinese
charts mention Langkawi, Kedah river, Klang was, apparently, important to Melaka
Pinang Island, Pulau Sembilan, South largely because of tin for it was one of those
Shoals (at the mouth of the Klang), territories with which Melaka concluded treaties
Selangor highlands, Klang river, Tu- by the terms of which they had to supply the
masik (or Singapore) and many other Melakan sultans with a certain amount of tin
places round the Malay Peninsula.' each year.3

A more meticulous scholar -- Paul Wheatley -- Throughout the succeeding centuries, after
writing much later, and using primarily Portu- the fall of Melaka in 1511, Klang continued to

• Professor of Malaysian History. University of Malaya

Kekal Abadi 8(2) Jun 1989

feature in the history of the Malay Peninsula, as the Klang. When I went there before,
an important source for the supply of tin. It was, of had seen many attap houses on the left
course, also a dependency of the kingdom of as one enters the river-mouth. Now they
Johor, Melaka's successor. By the early years of were derelict and tumbling down, and
the 18th century, together with Selangor and only one or two remained intact. On the
Linggi, Klang had become an important Bugis right as you enter the river-mouth,
settlement. For slightly more than a century Tengku Khia'uddin [Kudinl had recently
thereafter, Klang was, to a significant extent, built earth-works in the swamp, with a
overshadowed by Sungai Selangor. wooden stockade. As we passed, the
fort fired a salute to welcome the Pluto;6
It was at Sungai Selangor that the Bugis, in however we did not put in there but went
1766, founded a new kingdom. Kuala Selangor on upstream?
became a major trading centre along the Straits
of Melaka. Despite Dutch attempts to impose a The village or town of Klang, according to Mu-
monopoly on the tin trade, English country hammad Ibrahim, "is situated on the right as you
traders succeeded in purchasing tin at Kuala go upstream, and about eleven miles from the
Selangor even before the founding of Penang.4 river-mouth." Within a period of about two years
the town, apparently, had changed somewhat
For almost a century, Kuala Selangor re- for C.J. Irving, the British officer whom Muham-
mained the capital of the new kingdom of Sela- mad Ibrahim accompanied also remarked that
ngor. However, when the third ruler, Sultan Mu- "When I came here two years ago there was
hammad, passed away in 1857, significant devel- nothing but jungle. All you could see was two or
opments had taken place to boost Klang's three attap houses. Now there are all these
position to a level never again to be overtaken by houses," and Irving gave the credit to Tengku
Kuala Selangor. Kudin. Muhammad Ibrahim himself testified that,
in 1872, "The town of Klang had many newly-
The Klang valley was the major tin producing built attap houses, and quite a large number of
area in the kingdom of Selangor by the mid-nine- inhabitants, but only two or three older houses
teenth century and the Klang estuary became with tiled roofs. "8
the main gateway for the valley. The main town,
situated at the estuary, was, until the 1870s After these preliminary remarks, Muhammad
known as Pengkalan Batu. It is from this period tbrahirn then proceeded to give a more detailed
onwards that Klang's history becomes more description of the town:
'visible'.
I saw many newly-built attap houses in
rows along both sides of the streets.
Klang in the 18705 There were many Chinese and Malay
shops, and there were large numbers of
One of the earliest descriptions of Klang that people about. A number of roads had
we have was given by Muhammed Ibrahim, son just been constructed, while others were
of that famous Malay literator, Munsyi Abdullah. planned but had not yet taken shape,
He visited Klang in 1871 and again the following and the roads intersected and branched
year. Unfortunately, his record of his earlier visit off in various places. There was one
cannot be located. His second visit to Klang long, straight road, stretching from the
together with his visits to other parts of the fort to the village, called China Street.
western Malay states were also recorded. At the end of the street there was a
These were printed in 1919 and the book was station and a bridge. At that time there
given the title - Kisah Pelayaran Muhammad was still no mosque, only an attap
Ibrahim Munsyi.5 On his second visit to Klang, prayer-house which had not yet been
Muhammad Ibrahim recorded: repaired. Similarly, the gaol, police sta-
tion and hospital etc., were all built of
At five o'clock the next morning, Satur- attap, except for a large limas9 house,
day 20th April [18721 we raised anchor which had a tiled roof; the lower part of
and sailed through the straits until, at the walls was stone and above this the
half past six, we entered the mouth of walls were of wood.!?

2
 Klang then was obviously being developed ning of a new phase in the history of the settle-
by Tengku Kudin. In earlier years, it could not ment. It would not be too far wrong to say that
have been more than a sparsely populated set- modern Klang began in early 1872. Atthat point
tlement with simple attap houses. It was certainly in time, apart from those living off Tengku Kudin,
not a town in a modern sense. Tengku Kudin there were also those who earned their living by
proceeded to introduce modern ideas. Apart poling boats, making palm-frond thatch and so
from erecting new buildings he planned and forth. Muhammad Ibrahim testified that:
named the streets as well. According to Muham-
mad Ibrahim: Previously, there had been people with
some money who lived by trading in tin
The regulations decreed by Tengku and sailing, but they had all fled
Khia'uddin, and the street names, were elsewhere due to the unrest in the
all modelled on English usage, but the settlement, which was in a state of
result was only a superficial approxima- constant upheaval and war; and the
tion of the original. Thus, the street previous rulers had been particularly
names employed were as follows: King oppressive. During my walk, I saw only
Street, Beach Street, Market Street, nine or ten bullock-carts and two or
Wharf Street, China Street, Chulia Street, three horses. A large number of cattle
Hospital Street and Mosque Street.11 were being reared by Tengku Khia'ud-
din, but as yet there were no horse-
All these names were reminiscent of street carriages.
names in Penang. It is plain where Tengku
Kudin's ideas originated from. Muhammad There were no fruit trees, crops or
Ibrahim was more than a little upset by what orchards in the hinterland, only forest
Tengku Kudin had done and did not hesitate and primary jungle; and there was noth-
to put on record that he thought "It would be an ing very much across the river apart
excellent idea to employ Malay names."12 from a few banana trees, some sugar-
cane and vegetables, which had only
Klang was in the early 1870s a flourishing recently been planted. There were no
settlement even though when Muhammad Ibrahim paddy-fields there nor anything which
was there, the civil war which had commenced in could serve as a basic foodstuff, and
1867 had not ended. "Many houses", in his words, everything was purchased and brought
"had been built along the streets to be let out at in from Malacca and elsewhere.l+
a high rental." And even before the houses had
been completed, "people were renting them, at
a cost of from three to five or six dollars a month." Still, as Muhammad Ibrahim had observed
He estimated that there were about four hundred earlier, Klang was developing. Indeed, just about
houses in the village of Klang at that time. The two years later, it became the new capital of the
total population of the village or town, including state of Selangor when British administration
young and old of both sexes, and taking into commenced. But, in Selangor as well as in Perak
account all races and the sepoys who were sta- and Sungai Ujong, the early years of British
tionedthere, numbered approximately 3,000 per- intervention brought little constructive change.
sons. Typical of the modern Peninsular town, the Even though Selangor experienced none of the
population was made up of numerous races: disturbances which occurred in Perak and Sungai
Malays, Chinese, Arabs, Eurasians, Southern Ujong, there was widespread opposition to Tengku
Indians, Bengalis as well as local-born persons of Kudin, the outsider, and whose good friend,
Straits Settlements origin. There were not a few James Guthrie Davidson, had been appointed
Europeans too - drifters who could not get jobs in the first Resident of Selangor. Davidson was
Singapore and were employed by Tengku Kudin transferred to Perak in 1876, not long after Birch
as officers of his sepoys. Already, Klang had a had been assassinated there. Bloomfield Dooglas
larger proportion of immigrants than those who became the second Resident of Selangor.
were born in that settlement itself.13
The civil war had adversely affected Klang so In early 1879, a second visitor came to Klang:
that the presence of Tengku Kudin who had someone who had travelled widely even before
obviously made it his base marked the begin- coming to the Malay Peninsula and who had

3
many more years of travelling to come. Her des- Returning to her evaluation of Klang, she said:
cription of the town conveys the impression
that since Muhammad Ibrahim's visit in 1872, Klang looks as if an incubus oppressed
despite being officially established as the state it .... At all events Klang, from whatever
capital, Klang experienced little significant trans- cause, has a blighted look, and
formation. Isabella l. Bird, alert and observant, deserted houses rapidly falling into
missed little as she surveyed the scene around decay, overgrown roads, fields choked
her when the boat approached Klang. She noted: with weeds, and an absence of life and
traffic in the melancholy streets, have
At daybreak the next morning we were a depressing influence. The people
steaming up the Klang river, whose low are harassed by a vexatious and
shores are entirely mangrove swamps, uncertain system of fees and taxes,
and when the sun was high and hot we calculated to engender ill feeling and
anchored in front of the village of Klang, things connected with the administra-
where a large fort 15 on an eminence, tion seen somewhat "mixed". 18
with grass embankments in which guns
are mounted, is the first prominent Her final remarks on Klang presaged the misfor-
object. Above this is a large wooden tune which was to befall Klang hardly one year
bungalow with an attap roof, which isthe after she left. She wrote:
British Residency. There was no air,
and the British ensign in front of the Klang does not improve on further
house hung limp on the flagstaff. Below acquaintance. It looks as if half the
there is a village, with clusters of houses were empty, and certainly half
Chinese houses on the ground, and the population is composed of Govern-
Malay houses on stilts, standing ment employees, chiefly police cons-
singly, with one or two Government tables. There is no air of business energy,
offices, bulking largely among them. and the queerly mixed population saun-
A substantial flight of stone steps leads ters with limp movements; even the few
from the river to a skeleton jetty with an Chinese look depressed, as if life were
attap roof, and near it a number of attap- too much for them. It looks too as if
roofed boats were lying, loaded with there were a need for holding down the
slabs of tin from the diggings in the population (which I am sure there isn't),
interior, to be transhipped to Penang.16 for in addition to the fort and its bar-
racks, military police stations are dotted
She next proceeded to give her impression of about. A jail, with a very high wall, is in
Klang: the middle of the village.

The village of Klang is not interesting. It The jungle comes so near to Klang that
looks like a place which has "seen tigers and herds of elephants, some-
better days," and does not impress one times forty strong, have been within half
favourably as regards the prosperity of a mile of it.19
the State. Above it the river passes
through rich alluvial deposits, well
adapted for sugar, rice, and other Isabella Bird would not have been surprised, of
products of low-lying tropical lands; but course, if in 1880 she was told that Kuala
though land can be purchased on a Lumpur had replaced Klang as the state capital.
system of deferred payments for two Although she had not visited Kuala Lumpur, she
dollars an acre, these lands are still was aware that it was a bustling trpding centre.
covered with primeval jungle. Steam- But, in 1880, Kuala Lumpur too was no more than
launches and fiattish bottomed native a village of numerous attap huts. Its growth,
boats go up the river eighteen miles however, was phenomenal especially since it
farther to a village called Damarsara [sic] also became the capital of the Federated Malay
from which a good country road has States in 1896. It went on to become the Malayan
been made to the great Chinese village capital after World War II and it is now the capital
and tin-mines of Kuala Lumpur."? of Malaysia.

4
The Centre of Commerce As everybody knows Klang is the princi-
pal port of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur
Klang had been eclipsed since 1880; yet, the the chief town. Instead, however, of
transfer of the state capital to Kuala Lumpur did running the railway from Kuala Lumpur
not lead to its demise. Klang had long replaced to Klang, the wise men of Selangor have
Kuala Selangor as the chief port of the state of run it only to Bukit Kuda about three
Selangor. Beginning from the early 1880s, it was miles further up the river, with the natural
in constant touch with the ports of Penang and result that the river is still preferred to the
Singapore. Steamships called reguarly at Klang rai~ay for the transit of goods. Mr. Rodger
as shown below: has made up his mind to stop this, and

Steamers Arrival (from) Departure (for)

S.S. Bentan Singapore and Penang Penang and Singapore

once in two weeks once in two weeks
S.S. Billton - do- - do-
S.S. Spaniel - do- - do-
S.S. Mayflower Singapore every week Singapore every week
S.S. Rainbow - do- - do-
S.S. Louisa - do- - do-

Goods brought into Selangor via Klang in- very effective means he has taken. He
cluded oil, rice, tobacco, salt, opium, etc. and has raised the tax on each boat taking
Selangor's export was confined solely to tin. Until cargo up the river from $2 to $5! The
railway services commenced operation in 1886 boatmen now find that they cannot
between Kuala Lumpur and Bukit Kuda, commu- make a living and are leaving Klang for
nication between Klang and the mining depot, Teluk Anson.23
Kuala Lumpur, in the interior, was dependent on
the Klang river, as Isabella Bird explained. A further comment was even harsher. The paper
said:
The Kuala Lumpur-Bukit Kuda line was the
... I cannot help again calling attention
second to be established in the country; the first
to Mr. Rodger's action in Selangor in
was the Taiping-Port Weld line which was opened
raising the boat duty from $2 to $5, with
a year earlier. J.P. Rodger, the Acting Resident
the intention, which he avowed at the
of Selangor (1884-1888), played a major role in time, of driving the trade from the river to
linking Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Kuda by rail.21 Bukit his pet railway. From what I hear, he
Kuda is situated at a point on the Klang river has succeeded beyond his most ardent
about 12 1/2 miles from its mouth. The original hopes. He has not only ruined the boat-
scheme was to connect Kuala Lumpur with the men, but has made the railway, which
coast. The port at Bukit Kuda was established many people said would be a failure, a
purely as a temporary measure. It was soon most paying concern. For this he will no
found to be unsuitable. But, since Rodger had doubt get kudos. To my mind any amount
declared that the Selangor railway was an abso- of loss would be preferable to such wicked
lute necessity and that it would soon pay well, he tyranny.24
was determined that he should not be proved
wrong.22 Not only was Bukit Kuda poorly situated, the jetty
there was apparently said to be "a wretched
The Pinang Gazette, usually critical of affair, and the steamers that go there can only
British policies in the Malay states, explained discharge at high tide". It was unavoidable that
how Rodger proceeded to help the Selangor rail- a decision had to be made to abandon Bukit
way succeed: Kuda. The town of Klang, three miles lower down

5
the river, was considered a more suitable place. Thus was born Port Swettenham which re-
So the Klang river was bridged at a cost of placed Klang as the principal port of Selangor.
$94,600 and the railway line opened to Klang in The beginning of Port Swettenham was more
August 1890.26 eventful than is generally known. According to
one account in the papers:
For the next ten years, Klang was again the
chief port of Selangor. Before World War II, there An event of great importance to the
was a document in the files of the District Office State and the shipping trade was the
which defined the port limits of Klang as being opening of Port Swettenham, which
from a point opposite the railway station to a took place on the 15th of September
sawmill which existed on the Bukit Kuda Road. [1901]. During the months of October
Steamers called there and even in the 1930s, the and November malaria was rife all over
steps of the old landing jetty could be seen near the coast districts, and Port Swetten-
the railway gate in the old Riverside Road.27 ham and Klang both suffered severely.
Owing to sickness among the coolies
Klang, as a port, succeeded beyond expec- and the staff generally, there was for
tation. Soon "the abnormal increase of both several weeks considerable difficulty
imports and exports ... so multiplied the railway and delay in discharging cargo, and in
traffic that, in 1895, it was decided to extend the a good many instances steamers had to
line right away to the mouth of the river, at a point leave the wharves with a part of their
where there is a capital land-locked harbour carqo undischarqed.P?
capable of affording anchorage for far larger
ships than those which now manage to get up the
Klang river". 28 With regard to this new plan, it was But this setback was only temporary and by the
stated in the Annual District Report for 1895 that: end of the year, there was a general decrease in
malaria, and steamers were again able to run to
The object of this extension ... is to their proper times. Nonetheless, the sanitary
connect Klang, the present port termi- condition of the port and its surroundings gave
nus of the State, with the mouth of the reason for concern. The Resident-General
Klang River, where it is proposed to (W.H.Treacher) appointed a Commission, con-
construct better wharfage accommo- sisting of the Director of the Institute for Medical
dation than at present exists at Klang. Research (as Chairman), the State Surgeon, the
The line is 5 1/2 miles long, and is esti- District Surgeon (Klang). the General Manager
mated to cost $157,000. It starts at for Railways, the State Engineer and the Resi-
Klang Station by an extension of the dent Engineer for Railways, to enquire into the
present main line across Rembau and causes of the unhealthiness of the place, and
Market Streets and Klang creek, then it to make recommendations for improving the
curves to the west round Fort Hill for sanitary conditions.j"
about a mile, from which point it goes
direct in a straight line to the west of the The Port Swettenham problem helped to
Kuala Klang Police Station. The land make one man famous - Sir Malcom Watson. He
traversed by the line is partly swamp was then the District Surgeon in Klang. Experi-
and partly agricultural. At Kuala Klang mental work in Klang and Port Swettenham
it is wholly swamp and not in the least helped him to ascertain that by clearing the
suitable for building purposes. The whole jungle and secondary growth and undertaking
of the earthwork, bridges (with one drainage construction at the same time, the inci-
exception), plate-laying, etc., was done dence of malaria could be drastically reduced. In
by the Railway Department. The labour 1903, he published an account of the mode of
employed was Chinese, Javanese and formation of the sexual form of the malaria
Tamil. The line is now practically com- parasite. The next year he described a case of
pleted with the exception of one bridge, blackwater fever followed by an account of cer-
and will, in 1896, be used for transport- tain complications of quartan malaria which pre-
ing the greater part of the material used viously had not been recognized to be of malaria
for the construction of the wharves.29 origin. To devote more time to the study of

6
THE RAILWAY EXTENSION FROM KLANG TO KUALA KLANG
JARAM
1898

P KLANG

MAP I
7
PORT SWEETENHAM
1913

P KLANG

TANJONG
S.AGAR

---_
TANJONG LUMUT

P LUfv1UT

T11\P .II

8
malaria he resigned from Government service Two reasons led to the concentration of
and, in 1908, became medical adviser to the agricultural activities among Europeans in the
rubber estates which were being opened all over Klang District. The Selangor Government di-
Selangor. Around 1909, there was again an out- rected the planters to the coastal area leaving the
break of malaria, this time in estates situated in inland districts practically free for miners. Acces-
hilly regions hitherto thought to be the healthiest. sibility also contributed to the preference for the
Watson decided to attack the problem at the root coastal districts.36 It should be remembered that
- the elimination of mosquitoes. The crucial ex- in the late 19th century the system of transport
periment was carried out on Seafield Estate near was still largely based on the rivers.
Klang. The work of draining the streams began
in 1911 and, when it was completed in 1918,
malaria had been successfully brought under The coffee boom was of very short duration.
control.32 By the late 1890s, the decline of coffee prices on
the world market, resulting from increased pro-
duction in Brazil, adversely affected Malayan
coffee. Although many coffee planters remained
The Centre of Agriculture optimistic that the situation would improve, the
last three years of the 19th century "witnessed
a noticeable growth of the desire to plant Rubber"
in Perak and Selangor.37
It was indeed not by accident that Watson chose
to carry out most of his work in the Klang area
In Jackson's words:
after his retirement from Government service.
Malaria was a problem in the estates rather than
Rubber was interplanted with coffee on
the tin mines. Since the 1880s, Klang, in particu-
many estates in Selangor during the
lar, and the surrounding districts became the
last years of the century, particularly in
centre of agriculture in the state of Selangor.
Klang. In most cases, however, these
James C. Jackson, discussing with meticulous
coffee planters merely planted rubber
care the development of commercial agriculture
whilst they waited 'for better times for
in Malaya, showed that European estates first
coffee' for in general they remained
established in the Klang District were confined
unconvinced that the prospects of
to pepper cultivation. Coffee which became
this new and untried crop were brighter
increasingly important in Selangor since the
than those of coffee; indeed, rubber
1880s was first grown largely in the vicinity of
planting was still 'considered by sober-
Kuala Lumpur.33
minded people as a hopeless gamble'.38

Gradually, however, in the course of the 1880s,

But, coffee never recovered and rubber pro-
coffee was planted on most of the former pepper
ceeded to become the most important aspect of
estates in Klang. In 1892, a planter expressed
the country's economy. Klang together with Port
his view that the soil of the Klang District was
Swettenham served an increasingly expand-
more suitable for coffee than any other district in
ing agricultural area in Selangor which, apart
Selangor. Coffee planting on new estates initially
from the Klang District itself, included the sur-
began in the Klang District in 1893. Within the
rounding territories of Kuala Selangor and Kuala
next two years, large areas were acquired by
Langat. Indeed, Klang was important to Kuala
European planters in Klang which rapidly
Lumpur as well, for the District of Kuala Lumpur
became the most important coffee planting
also continued to develop as a rubber-growing
district in Selangor.34
centre. It was pure coincidence that Port Swetten-
ham was opened at a time when more serious
The number of European-owned estates in
attention was being given to rubber planting.
Selangor increased from 35 in 1894 to 72 in 1896
But, the existence of Port Swettenham was to
and half of them were located in the Klang Dis-
give Klang an advantage over other towns when
trict. As Jackson put it: "The Malayan coffee
the manufacture of rubber goods began after
boom had found its greatest expression in the
World War I.
Klang District of Selangor."35

9
Development of Klang Town Many years later, two general accounts of
Klang at the beginning of the 20th century were
Little attention hitherto has been given to the published by the Malay Mail. The first, somewhat
history of Klang town. Visitors to Selangor were brief, referred largely to a few buildings in Klang in
easily drawn towards Kuala Lumpur, the federal about 1903:
capital, with its magnificent Sultan Abdul Samad
building and the splendid railway station, second About thirty years ago the District Office
to none in the world, from an aesthetic point of was housed in the present police station
view. Compared to Kuala Lumpur, Klang was and the building now being used, was a
drab, perhaps even dirty. But a visitor there in Chinese temple which was removed to,
1886 who was more kind than Isabella Bird, and still remains in, Simpang Lima.41
wrote:
The Chartered Bank started its Klang
branch inthe D.O.'s office, the Treasury
Klang is rather a pretty place; it has a being removed to the top floor and the
neat, clean, an orderly appearance strong room being made use of by the
about it which is very pleasant. There is bank whose first manager was Mr.
a large substantial building near the C.L.Chapman, now of Whittall and Co.,
water's edge called "the Godowns" Kuala Lumpur.
which is used for the same purposes as
the Public Office at Kuala Lumpur; The P.W.D. in those days was by the
there is a prison, a hospital, and police side of the present Federal Dispensary.
stations, all of which are well kept up, Later, when the new Astana was built
there are a number of brick shop-houses the Chartered Bank removed to the
all of which are occupied, but there are late residence of His Highness which is
also a great many houses built of wood opposite the present imposing bank
and roofed with attap. The grassy slop- premises and is now occupied by one
ing banks of the old fort are mounted of His Highness's sons.
with a dreadful array of venerable guns
of different shapes and sizes, a curious Many of the old buildings are still to be
type of 4. pounder being the most seen in Klang to the north of Belfield
frequent specimen; some of the guns bridge before the erection of which
have quietly slipped down from their people had to get across the river in
carriages in search of a softer couch, sampans.V
and lie stretched at full length on the
beautiful turf. A sense of sweet security
reigns supreme within the precincts of The other account of Klang in about 1910 was a
this fortification. The Magistrate and talk given to the Klang Rotary Club by a Rotarian,
Collector of Klang, Mr. Tiernay [Turney], W.F.O. Stephens, who came to Klang in 1909.
lives in a roomy bungalow perched on a At that time, according to him:
high hill commanding the town, of which
the salient features have been thus There were no buildings in front of the
simply describeo.P? [railway] station and the Government
offices were housed in attap sheds in
the vacant land opposite the present
Government offices. The present court
Klang was already a thriving commercial centre house was then the Resthouse. The
at this juncture. Just outside the town, sago was Labour Office was housed where the
grown on one plantation, pepper on another and police station is at present and the po-
gambier a third. There was also a steam sawmill lice station occupied the present site of
a little way out of the town. The revenue for the Messrs. Hock Ban Seong and Co.
district during the first half of 1885 was $62,803.
For the first six months of 1886, the figure stood The evenings were generally spent
at $78,736, an increase of $15,935.40 either at the station watching the trains

10
come and go or at the Klang United Gambling was very popular and during
Association which is now the Selangor the racing on the Klangpadang the whole
Coast Club. Drinks were very cheap. town was present.
Stakes for billiard games were pints of
champagne, which was selling at $1.50 There were no buildings beyond Guan
a pint. Hup Street and at night no one dared to
go beyond that road for fear of tigers.
People went to Port Swettenham either
by rikisha or by hackney carriages at a Chineseladieswere never seen out alone
cost of fifty cents. Baju tutup either in and even when males well known to the
kahki or in white was the main dress. husbands went to the houses answers
The Chinese wore their cues, which to queries were given by the oldest lady
were well plaited, and put them in the in the house from inside. If a Malay lady
pockets of their bajus. If they were not went out alone she was not looked upon
mourning they had a red tape tied at the as respectable.
end of the cue. Slippers and Singapore
hat completed the dress of the Ma- There were half a dozen cars in Klang.
lacca Chinese, who were then employed A trip to Kuala Lumpur cost $18 and
in the many European mercantile firms one reached his destination after ten
in Klang. Swee Heng Leong and Co. hours by a de Dion car.43
was the first big Chinese firm, when
rubber was selling at $600 per pikul. One of the frequent complaints of Klang resi-
dents in the early part of the 20th century war,
There was a large Malay population in the absence of a bridge over the Klang river.
Klang in those days. The whole of Port Agitation, however, did not go unheeded; the
Swettenham road was owned by Belfield Bridge was officially opened by the High
Malaysand they cultivated coffee. Many Commissioner of theF.M.S., Sir John Anderson,
of them disposed of their land at the first on Saturday September 12, 1908. H. Conway
offer and with the money bought a Belfield, the British Resident, in thanking the
bicycle and a black coat or spent it on High Commissioner, said:
marriage festivities.
This structure is according to local stan-
On Hari Ray~ the Malays could be seen dards a work of the first magnitude. It is
with their black coats and black spec- by far the largest road bridge in the
tacles bought from Arab and Jewish Malay Peninsula, and its dimensions
pedlars, riding in rikishas, holding Eng- are such that I propose to ask your
lish papers upside down. patience for a few moments while I give
you some account of the history of its
There were no churches or services to origin and the details of its construction.
attend. Wayang Hassan and Wayang
Inche Putehwere the two popular amuse- The first talk about a bridge over the
ments. The collection for a night often river at Klang started about ten years
amounted to $500. Bullock cart was the ago at a time when Mr. Douglas
only means of travel between Klang and Campbell was District Officer at Klang.
Banting. A Government coach ran from At that time progress and development
Klang to Kuala Selangor. on the northern side of the river was
comparatively small, and for some years
The richest Chinese was Towkay Lim the proposal was negatived. Three years
Swee King,who owned most of the shop- ago, when the rubber industry had
houses in Rembau street. Dato Bintara attained larger proportions, Your Excel-
Kiri had a palatial house put up at the lency paid a personal visit to the spot
cost of $50,000 by the side of the pres- and decided that a pontoon ferry was
ent Chartered Bank, which was then oc- sufficient. This having been provided,
cupying the present Istana Bank. the planters set to work to obtain reliable

11
 statistics of the traffic across the river, (owned by Ng Teong Kiat) bought the
and the dimensions of the traffic indi- machinery of the rubber factory owned by Tan
cated by these statistics convinced Kah Kee & Co. after the Singapore firm went
Your Excellency and the Resident- bankrupt. Most of the skilled operators came
General that a permanent bridge was overto Klang from Singapore with the machinery.
necessary." The factory produced large quantities of rubber
shoes, bicycle tyres, rubber mats, toys, tubing
rings, etc. The oil factory produced oil from ground-
The bridge cost $26,000 to build. The purpose of nuts. The oil found a ready sale locally.49 By May
the bridge was indeed to facilitate development 1937, Bata Shoe Company also commenced
of the northern part of the river, including the operations in Klang.
territory of Kuala Selangor where, by then, about
10,000 acres had come under cultivation. In 1907, On the eve of World War II, a fourth rubber
the Kapar District alone exported half a million factory was established at Klang. The following
Ibs. of rubber.45 Although the bridge was in- was an announcement in the local newspaper:
tended, initially, to serve the needs of rubber
planting, its existence made it possible in later This new factory will be a branch of the
years for industries to be located on the northern Fung Keong Rubber Manufactory, the
side of the river. largest manufacturers of rubber goods
in Hongkong, where Mr. Fung Keong
started business almost a quarter of a
Manufacturing Centre of Malaya century ago.

When the former Chief Secretary, F.M.S.,

Few are aware that, after World War I, Klang
Sir William Peel, went to the Crown
gradually emerged as the principal manufactur-
Colony as Governor he visited the fac-
ing centre in the country. Possibly the first person
tory there and was much impressed by
to establish a factory in Klang was Tan Kah Kee,
all he saw. In course of conversation he
the Singapore millionaire who, at one time, was
mentioned that there were similar fac-
known as the 'Henry Ford of Malaya'. In about
tories in Malaya and although at the
1922, he opened a pineapple canning factory at
time Mr. Fung Keong had no intention
Klang which gave the necessary impetus for
of extending his activities in Malaya, the
the planting of pineapples in the Klang and Kuala
Sino-Japanese conflict forced him to
Langat districts. About four to five thousand
dose down his brandl at Canton, Honam,
acres of pineapples were planted for the most
part in small holdings. Soon the Klang factory which had been in existence for twenty
was unable to cope with the large deliveries. As years.
a result, the factory reduced the price paid to
the producers much to the disadvantage of the It was then that he considered Malaya as
latter.46It was only after Tan Kah Kee went bank- a new field. Coming here a year ago he
rupt ill 1934 that one of the pineapple producers studied conditions and, satisfied that
- Goh Hock Huat - decided to participate directly there was a big future in this country for
in the canning industry. He soon established a manufactured rubber goods, selected
number of factories under the name of Malayan Klang as a centre.
Pineapple company.F
He secured land in Kapar Road and on
In 1928, the first rubber factory was started at an area of 57,250 sq. ft., the factory and
Klang. This was Shum Yip Leong Rubber Works other buildings are now nearing com-
whose manufacturing activities first began at pletion. The buildings were all designed
Tapah in 1921. When business expanded, a by Mr. Yuen Shieu Kee.
larger factory had to be built and Klang was
chosen owing to its proximity to Port Swetten- In addition to the manufacture of boots
ham.48 By 1935, two new factories were estab- and shoes and general rubber goods,
lished at Klang - one a rubber factory and the the Fung Keong Rubber Manufactory
other an oil factory. The Malayan Rubber Works (Malaya), Limited, intend to produce

12
 tyres and tubes, machinery for which and the like, and the professors would
purpose is on its way to Malaya.The have to bring the students around the
head office in Malaya will be at High town so as to teach them something.
Street, Kuala Lumpur, opposite the for- What I do mean is a well-equipped, self-
mer building occupied by the Kwong contained University not much inferior in
Yik Bank. It was completed recently and scope than at least a university in China.
the ground floor now houses the Bank of
China till the bank's own premises are Whether the University would bear
ready.50 plenty of [sic] fruits depends largely on
the organisation of the University itself
and the ultimate aims for which it is es-
tablished. Malaya, as we know it, needs
Epilogue qualified physicians, technicians, scien-
tists and agriculturists to undertake
Klang's position as the premier industrial site in the huge task of reconstruction, and in
the country remained unchanged until the eve of this respect, there is no other place in
independence when plans were made to turn Malaya better than Klang, the industrial
Petaling Jaya into a new industrial site. In the centre, as the site of the future Univer-
early postwar years, when there was widespread sity of Malaya. It is not a place for
discussion of the possible site of the proposed amusement, but an ideal place for stud-
University of Malaya, there was at least one ies.
person cyv.S. Kao, a Research and Development
Chemist at Klang) who made out a good case for Here in Klang the students will have a
establishing the university at Klang. His argu- nice and quiet place to live in, plenty to
ments were: learn and to do. Being only twenty over
miles away from Kuala Lumpur, the pro-
The writer is of the opinion that the Uni- gressive students can easily make ar-
versity site should be so chosen that rangements with the departmental
the future students would be able to installations, research institutions, etc.,
devote more of their time and mind to for practical training, and if occasional
learn something really worth while to visits are considered necessary, the
them. If the site is chosen merely from distance should not be an obstacle.
the standpoint of beautiful scenery,
cold weather, or even modern comfort, If Klang should become the future site of
I doubt very much whether the students the University, it would also be develop-
could actually be benefitted [sic] by the ed into a more potential industrial centre
university education in view. of Malaya because the local industries
could be constantly guided and as-
It might be true that if the University is sisted by the professors and research
situated in a big town like Singapore or fellows of the University, who, being away
Kuala Lumpur, where facilities for re- from the capital, may devote most of
search, survey and practice do exist, the their time and mind to research and
development. 51
students will be able to avail themselves
of all such facilities for their acquirement
of experience and knowledge. But, in Of course, Klang was not even considered. In
my opinion, the prospect of their mak- the minds of Malaysians, then and now, Klang
ing use of such facilities is rather little, was a town frequently enough heard of but
especially if the students still have plenty elicited little excitement. Penang was the 'Pearl
to learn in the University itself while of the Orient' - long since considered the ideal
taking up their undergraduate courses. choice of tourists all over the world; Ipoh was
" the town that tin built" - rich, clean and well-
planned; Kuala Lumpur, the federal capital, was
I do not mean that the University, as
snobbish (the highest government officials con-
such, would consist of buildings alone
gregated here) and it was also known as a
without libraries, laboratories, workshops,

13
'Garden City'; and Melaka was 'the mother of a subject hitherto neglected in Malaysian histori-
Malaya' - here time was said to stand still; history ography - the history of Malaysian towns. More
oozed from every brick used to build the ancient than that, it is also intended to emphasize the
Portuguese and Dutch monuments as well as importance of newspapers as one of the more
other buildings. But, so few even today know that, indispensable sources of Malaysian history.
until it was gradually replaced by Petaling Jaya Valuable as official and archival materials are,
and, in recent years, by Shah Alam, Klang was their scope is inclined to be somewhat
indeed the premier industrial site in the country. limited because they provide, more specifically,
It was Klang that first experienced the whole only the administrative perspective. It is from
spectrum of development. Beginning from mari- newspapers that one is better able to obtain
time trade, it passed through a phase when a deeper insight into a particular society, espe-
agriculture was the mainstay of the economy cially the peoples' thoughts and views; often,
and, since the 1920s, industrialization became also their feelings. Perception is so important in
increasingly important there. history writing. Therefore, the more varied his
sources, the more likely it is that the historian
This is not an attempt to write a comprehensive will be able to obtain a truly rounded view of
history of Klang, merely an attempt to introduce his subject.

Notes

1. A.O. Winstedt, 'A History of Selangor' in Jour- 1975). This was followed by a romanized
nal of the Royal Asiatic Society Malcryan Branch version by Mohd. Fadzil Othman: Kisah
(JMBRAS), VoI.XII, pt.3, 1934, p.1 Pelayaran Muhammad Ibrahim Munsyi, Kuala
Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1980.

2. Paul Wheatley, Golden Khersonese, Studies in 6. The Pluto was a steamer which belonged to
the Historical Geography of the Malay Penin- the Straits Settlements Government.
sula before A.D. 1500. Kuala Lumpur: Univer-
sity of Malaya Press, 1966, p.317. 7. See Amin Sweeney & Nigel Phillips (eds.), op.
cit., p.62. Muhammad Ibrahim was in Klang
at a time when the Klang War was about to
3. MAP. Meilink-Roelofsz, Asian Trade and Euro- end. It had begun in 1867. Raja Mahdi (a
pean Influences in the Indonesian Archipel- Selangor prince) and Raja Abdullah (a Bugis
ago be~een 1500 and about 1630, The prince from Riau) fought for control of the
Hague: M. Nijhoff, 1962, p.29. Klang valley. The civil war spread; eventually,
it was clearly a contest between the local
aristrocrats and outsiders. Chinese mer-
4. See DK Bassett, 'British Commercial and chants and the Straits Government became
Strategic Interest in the Malay Peninsula involved. An important protagonist in the
During the Late Eighteenth Century' in John early 18705 was Tengku Kudin, a Kedah prince,
Bastin & A. Roolvink (eds.), Malayan and In- who, in 1868, became the son-in-law of
donesian Studies. Essays presented to Sir Sultan Abdul Samad (1857-1898). The
Richard Winstedt on his eighty-fifth birthday, Kudin faction comprised numerous merce-
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964. naries recruited from Singapore. In 1872,
Tengku Kudin was in control of Klang village
and he used it as his headquarters.
5. The book was reprinted in 1956. It was
subsequently translated by Amin Sweeney 8. Ibid.
and Nigel Phillips and published under the
title The Voyages of Mohamed Ibrahim Mun- 9. A house where the four sides of the roof run up
shi (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, to a point.

14
10. Amin Sweeney & Nigel Phillips (eds.), op. cit., 28. The Straits Times, 23 Sept., 1896, p.3.
p.71
29. 'Kuala Klang Railway Extension', in The Straits
11. Ibid., p.72-73. Times, 7 July 1896.

30. 'Selangor in 1901', in The Malay Mail, 15 July

12. Ibid., p.73.
1902.

13. Ibid. 31. Ibid.

14. Ibid., p.74. 32. 'Sir Malcolm Watson' in The Malay Mail, 11
April 1928. See also Chai Hon-Chan, The
Development of British Malaya 1896-1909,
15.This was Raja Mahdi's fort which Tengku
Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1967,
Kudin managed to capture at the time when
p.222-223.
Muhammad Ibrahim visited Klang. See his
description of the fort in ibid., p.63-64.
33. See James Charles Jackson, Planters and
16. See Isabella Lucy (Bird) Bishop, The Golden Speculators: Chinese and European Agricul-
Chersonese and the Way Thither, London, tural Enterprise in Malaya 1786-1921, Kuala
1883, p.217. . Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 1968,
p.181.

17. Ibid., p.219.

34. Ibid., p.192.

18. Ibid., p.21 0-220.

35. Ibid.

19. Ibid., p.221-222.

36. Ibid., p.1 93.

20. Colonial Office Records 273/119, Gov. to 37. Ibid., p.220.

Sec. of State, 12 Mar. 1883, with enclosures.

38. Ibid., p.221.

21. Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle 19 April
1887, p.5.
39. 'Selangor: A Sketch of Kuala Lumpur and
Kiang', in The Straits Times, 15 Oct., 1887.
22. Ibid.; see also The Straits Times, 23 Sept.,
1896, p.3. 40. Ibid.

23. Pinang Gazette, 19 April 1887, p.5.

41. A brief description of Simpang Lima
appeared in the Penang paper - The
24. Ibid., 26 July, 1887, p.5. Straits Echo & Times of Malaya - of 19 Aug
1950 (vide: "Suburb of Historic Kiang"). The
author, styling himself 'Simpang Lima', wrote:
25. Ibid., 19 April 1887, p.5.

An interesting and peaceful suburb of

26. The Straits Times, 23 Sept., 1896, p.3.
historic Klang is Simpang Lima (centre
of five junctions), originally so named
27. 'When Klang Was A Port', in The Malay Mail, after the five roads that converge at the
26 Sept., 1933. spot.

15
 Today in reality, Simpang Lima should 43. 'Memories of Klang Thirty Years Ago', Ibid, 20
be renamed Simpang Annam for, the Dec., 1940.
birth place of the writer, has seen the
44. 'The Belfield Bridge', in The Malay Mail, 14
addition of another road since the early
Sept. 1908.
days.

Simpang Lima is interesting in that it 45. Ibid.

contains a hospital, a graveyard, temples,
churches, schools, a kramat and a 46. The Malay Mail, 2 July 1924, p.16.
Sultan's palace, all within a stone's throw
of each other. 47. 'Mr Goh Hock Huat', in The Straits Echo, 6
Dec.,1936.
The kramat at the foot of the hospital
hill has been venerated for as many 48. 'Progress and Development of a Malayan
years as the writer can remember. It Rubber Firm', in Singapore Free Press, 1
contains the tomb of a Menangkabau Oct., 1949.
man who was supposed to have come
from Sungei Ujong and of whose swords- 49. 'New Factories at Kiang', in The Malay Mail
rnanship and courage the Malays of the (Supplement), 1 Aug., 1936.
neighbourhood speak to this day. The
kramat is sacred not only to Malays but 50. 'Industrialisation of Klang', in The Malay Mail,
to Chinese and Indians as well. 17 Aug. 1940.

42. 'When Klang Was A Port', The Malay Mail, 26 51. 'Klang As The University Site', in The Malay
Sept., 1933. Mail, 19 April 1947.

16