say in their own government. Although the Japanese invasion followed almost immediately, the new constitution was introduced when Sarawak became a Crown Colony in 1946, and a Supreme Council (Executive) and a Council Negri (Legislative) were set up. A new constitution was granted in 1956 and came into force on 1st April 1957. This provided for a reformed legislature of forty-five Members of whom twentyfour were to be elected, fourteen to be ex-officio Members, four were to be nominated by the Governor, and three were to be Standing Members for life. The Supreme Council was to consist of three ex officio Members, two Nominated Members and five Elected Members. Orders in Council made in 1962 and 1963 provided for the Supreme Council to consist of a Chief Minister, three ex officio Members and five Members appointed on the advice of the Chief Minister from among the Members of the Council Negri, and for the Council Negri to consist of a Speaker, three ex officio Members, thirty-six elected Members and not more than three Nominated Members and one Standing Member. The latter seat was abolished in September 1963, on the establishment of Malaysia. In May and June 1963 direct elections were held to the District and Municipal Councils, which in turn elected representatives to the five Divisional Councils. The latter in July 1963 acted as electoral colleges for the Council Negri. Direct elections to the Council Negri which were suspended in May 1969, were held in June 1970. Since the 1974 General Election the composition of the Council Negri is as follows: Governor: H. E. Tun Datuk Tuanku Haji Bujang bin Tuanku Othman, PSM, OBE Chief Minister: The Hon. Datuk Haji Abdul Rahman bin Ya'akob Deputy Chief Ministers: Datuk Sin Kheng Hong; SELANGOR This west coast State of Peninsular Malaysia is bounded on the north by Perak, on the east by Pahang and on the south by Negri Sembilan. Its area is 3,160 square miles. Its population at the 1970 Census was 1,630,707 (Malays 564,029, Chinese 754,348, Indians 298,876, Others 13,454). The State capital is Kuala Lumpur, which is also the capital of Malaysia. The seat of the Ruler is Klang, 25 miles to the west. The State contains Malaysia's port of Port Swettenham. The composition of the State Legislative Assembly, is now as follows:National Front Democratic Action Party 30 1 2 Ruler: His Royal Highness Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Mentri Besar (Chief Minister): Datuk Harun bin Idris, SMS TRENGGANU This State lies on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia bordered to the north t Lelantan and to the south by Pahang. Its area is about 5,000 square miles. I population at the 1970 Census was 405,539 (Malays 380,847, Chinese 21,72 Indians 2,441, Others 526). The capital is Kuala Trengganu. The composition of the State Legislative Assembly, is now as follows: Regent: Yang Teramat Mulia Tengku Mahmud ibni Sultan Ismail Nasaruddin Shah Mentri Besar (Chief Minister): Wan Mokhtar bin Ahmad, AMN, JP, PJK, SPMT, PSD, KM MALAYSIAN TITLES, ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDAL A detailed list of Malaysian titles, orders, decorations and medals may be foun in the Commonwealth Relations Office Year Book, 1966. REPUBLIC OF MALTA ALTA lies in the Mediterranean, latitude 35° 8' N., longitude 14° 5' E. 58 miles south of Sicily and approximately 180 miles east of Tunisia The Maltese archipelago consists of the islands of Malta (94-4 square miles), Gozo (25.9 square miles) and Comino (1·1 square miles) together with four uninhabited islets, Cominotto, St. Paul's Islands and Filfla. The name Malta is derived from the Roman name for the island, Melita. The highest point in Malta is just over 800 feet above sea level. The islands enjoy an average winter temperature of 55°F while in summer the average is 80°F. The mean annual rainfall is 20 inches, falling mainly between October and March. The soil, which contains much lime, is shallow except in low-lying places. There are 34,314 acres of arable land, the main crops being potatoes, onions, tomatoes, grapes, wheat, barley and oranges. The total population of the Maltese Islands at the end of 1970 was estimated to be 322,173 of which about 40 per cent live in the nine main towns. Valletta, the capital, has a population of 15,547 while Sliema is the largest town with a population of 21,983. Other towns are Qormi (15,761), Hamrun (14,910), Paola (12,197), Birkirkara (17,767), and Rabat (12,399). The capital of Gozo is Victoria (5,498). Emigration between 1946 and 1971 totalled 127,125 and was mainly directed to Australia, followed by the U.K. and Canada. The population is mainly European, speaking the Maltese and English languages, and 90-95 per cent of the people are Roman Catholic. The birth and death rates in 1971 were 17.1 and 9.5 per thousand respectively. Education in Malta is compulsory between the ages of 5 plus and 15 and is offered free of charge in State Schools. Children enter the Primary School for a six year course. On completion of this they automatically move to the Secondary Schools of their respective areas. In October 1973 there were 107 Primary Schools with a population of 22,520 children. In the Secondary Schools children follow a common course in the first two years, following which they opt for different groups for the next three years. Each group has a core of common subjects: Religion, Maltese, English, one foreign language, History of Malta, and Physical Education. In addition each group has a special bias: Arts or Languages or Sciences, or Craft (Boys), Home Economics and Needlework (Girls). The number of Secondary Schools in October 1973 was 38, with a population of 20,709 children. The aim of the Secondary Schools is to give as liberal an education as possible. The schools receive a mixed ability intake and the syllabus provides for the various aptitudes. Provision is made so that every child with the will and ability to go to tertiary education receives the necessary education for so doing. Having completed a five-year secondary course and obtained the necessary 'O' levels, students are offered the opportunity to continue for 2 more years in the Upper Secondary School to take an Arts/Science course, studying 3 subjects at 'A' level. There were 756 students in Upper Secondary Education in 1973/74. Students who complete the Upper Secondary School have the opportunity to enter the Royal University of Malta to read for a General or Honours Degree in the Faculty of Arts or Science. Alternatively they may join one of the other Faculties at the University, Theology, Laws, Medicine and Surgery, Engineering and Architecture, Dental Surgery. Students who are technically minded or wish to pursue Business Studies are offered the facility of entering the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Polytechnic). There are five Departments: Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Business Studies, and Catering and Food Technology. Teacher training facilities are offered at the Malta College of Education: a three-year non-residential course. Students are admitted after obtaining a number of 'O' and 'A' levels in GCE. As far as Technical Education goes, children of 14 plus are offered the opportunity of entering either the Trade Schools or the Technical Institutes. In the former a 3-year course with main emphasis on the practical side of the trade is offered. The aim is to produce skilled workmen and craftsmen. In the latter, students follow a five-year course with the final examinations of the City and Guilds of London Institute in view. There were 1,388 boys and 120 girls in 7 Trade Schools and 1,381 students in 3 Technical Institutes in 1973/74. Those who wish to pursue higher studies may do so at the Polytechnic. A number of Private Schools both primary and secondary, offer more or less the same facilities that exist in State Schools. The Private Schools are fee paying. These schools offer no facilities in Technical Education. The Grand Harbour is the main port. Traffic handled (excluding mineral oils) was 926,000 tons in 1973. Anchorage facing the S.E. is provided at Marsaxlokk Bay and anchorage facing the N.E. is provided at St Paul's Bay. A yachting centre is established at Marsamxett Harbour. The airport at Luqa (runway, 7,800 feet), 5 miles from Valletta, is used by both civil and military aircraft. The principal airlines are Air Malta, British Airways, Alitalia, UTA and Libyan Arab Airlines. Scheduled services are operated between Malta and the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Libya. There are no railways and there are 710 miles of surfaced road. The Broadcasting services of Radio Malta, Rediffusion and Malta Television are under the supervision of the Malta Broadcasting Authority which also itself produces and prescribes programmes on Sound and Television The Telemalta Corporation is responsible for overall management of the tele phone, telex and cable services as well as the broadcasting services. The Malta Development Corporation was constituted by virtue of Act No XVII of 1967. The Corporation is responsible for executing the Aids Scheme or behalf of the Malta Government. At the end of 1973, 2,018 manufacturing firms were in operation employing some 25,000 people. The turnover value was £M72-76 million of which £M31-83 million were export sales. The industries cover a wide range of products such as bacon, canned foods, poultry packing, margarine, cooking fats and ghee, savoury foods, pasta, custards, compound fodder, wine, yarns, fabric and made-up textile articles (including clothing for men, women and children, knitwear, shirts, stockings, tights, jeans, protective clothing, gloves etc), dressing of sheepskins, suede and sheepskin garments, industrial gloves, mattresses, furniture, cardboard containers, typesetting and printing of books, sporting prints, synthetic rubber seals, polyurethane foam, paints, detergent, medicinal and toilet preparations, plastic goods, plastic crates and containers, fibreglass building materials and gift merchandise, pottery, tiles, glass, machine knives, iron and steel rods, steel furniture, high precision tools, stainless steel sinks, electro-plating, light engineering products, steel moulds for plastic injection, electrical heating elements, electronic components, toys, wigs and musical instruments. Vehicles are assembled, and flowers, cuttings, tomatoes, mushrooms, strawberries and courgettes are produced for export markets. Tourism is assuming primary importance, and a number of new hotels have been built over the past few years. There are now 7,919 tourist beds and 79 hotels in Malta, Gozo and Comino. Stern to quay berthing facilities for about 350 yachts are provided at Marsamxett Harbour which lies to the West of Valletta. This is only part of the general plan to develop the whole of this harbour into a yachting centre. The two thermal Power Stations supplying the electricity requirements of the Maltese Archipelago have capacities of 85 Megawatts and 30 Megawatts, respectively. The System Maximum Demand realised so far is 65.4 Megawatts. All areas in the Maltese islands are served with electricity supply which is transmitted by a primary system operating at 33,000 Volts and a secondary network at 11,000 Volts. The supply at the consumer's terminals is 215/240 Volts, 50 Cycles. The electricity distribution system is capable of supplying efficiently the power requirements throughout the country. However, works on the reinforcement of the system are regularly carried out to maintain this capability. The major Power Station also incorporates four sea-water desalination plants with a total production of 4.5 million gallons of potable distillate per day. This water supplements the supplies obtained from natural resources to meet the Island's water requirements. Malta's National Day is 13th December, the anniversary of the declaration of the Republic of Malta in 1974. HISTORY There are notable stone-age survivals in Malta, but its history begins with settlement by the Phoenicians. After Phoenicia was conquered by the Persians, Carthage became the capital of the Punic Empire, and from Carthage Malta was colonised and received the earliest known form of its language. Malta remained under Carthaginian control until Hamilcar's surrender to the Roman Consul, Titus Sempronius, in 216 B.C. The best known event during Malta's occupation by the Romans was St Paul's shipwreck in the bay which now bears his name, and the conversion of the Maltese to Christianity. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Malta remained within the jurisdiction of the Byzantine Emperors in Constantinople until it was taken by the Arabs in 870. The Arabic occupation, which lasted for two centuries, served to introduce into the Maltese language a vocabulary of contemporary Arabic words which did not, however, destroy the earlier related Punic words. This produced a blend which still forms the core of modern Maltese and into this framework fresh words, mostly English or Italian, have been fitted. After the expulsion of the Arabs by Roger the Norman, Malta remained in the hands of successive Sicilian rulers until it passed to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who, in 1530, gave it as a sovereign fief to the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, which had been homeless since its eviction by the Turks from Rhodes in 1523. The gift was conditional on the Knights of the Order assuming the defence of Tripoli as a Christian outpost in North Africa. Tripoli was lost to the Turks in 1551, but when the Turks tried to capture Malta itself they were eventually repelled in 1565, after the Great Siege. Soon after this victory, the Knights set about building Valletta within an impressive system of fortifications. At first Malta flourished as a bastion of Christendom and developed as a centre of trade and communications; but its importance declined after the Ottoman sea-power was broken at the battle of Lepanto in 1571. Thenceforth the Knights turned their activities to politics, and by the eighteenth century the Order had declined and become an anachronism, dependent on the support of other countries rather than on its own resources. Napoleon Bonaparte regarded Malta as a vital link in a route to the East and in his designs on Egypt and India. The French met with no resistance when they landed at Valletta in June 1798 and Bonaparte departed for Egypt leaving a force of 6,000 troops on the island. The Maltese, however, soon rose against the French, offended by their pillaging of churches and encouraged by the defeat of Bonaparte at the Nile. In response to an appeal from the Maltese people for help Admiral Nelson set up a blockade and on 9th September 1798 sent Captain Ball RN, to assume responsibility for the administration of the island. The French were driven into the fortified towns where they remained until they capitulated in 1800 whereupon they were evicted from the island. In May 1801 the administration of Malta was divided between the British Military Commander and a British Civil Commission. In 1802 the Treaty of Amiens provided for the Maltese administration to revert to the Knights of St John but the Maltese people petitioned Britain to place the island under British sovereignty and protection. The first British Governor was appointed in July 1813 and Malta formally became British by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Recognising Malta's strategic importance, Britain introduced a garrison which not only protected the islands but provided a source of income for their in |