TAIPING REST HOUSES AT REST

1. THE STATE REST HOUSE
During the 1950s there were 2 rest houses in town namely, State Rest House and Town Rest House.The STATE REST HOUSE was a wooden building that once occupied the land opposite the present McDonalds in the Lake Gardens. It was demolished during the 1960s.

 However, a new complex with a double storey building and VIP wing was built on the land that was once British Residency. The last occupant was a British army general. The building was demolished but the round brick pillars were preserved and are still standing until today.

 During the heyday of the REST HOUSE these pillars were popular with wedding couples for photo shoot.The Rest House was very popular for meetings and events. The VIP wing was well furnished with the balcony over looking the lake gardens. One unit was specially reserved for royalty while the other was for other VIPs.

To-day the rest house complex is abandoned and the beautiful surroundings are over grown with weeds and secondary jungle.

2. THE TOWN REST HOUSE

The TOWN REST HOUSE along Jalan Stesen was built in 1894. It is a well known building as it is part of the heritage trail. The rest house was to complement  the first railway station which was just opposite to meet the needs of travellers. It was popular then  as there were not many hotels in town. During general elections the place was the meeting/focal point  for supporters of  political parties to get together before marching with the candidate/s to the nomination centre.

To-day the heritage building is an eye-sore and the top wooden structures of the  buildings on each side are near collapse.

Questions
 The 2 rest houses are under the state government.
What are plans of the State Government for these 2 rest houses?

RUBBER LATEX CUPS IN MALAYSIA


The size of rubber latex cups shows the growth of the rubber industry since the first rubber trees were planted in 1877 in Malaya.

Credit goes to the research and development in the private sector plantations and RRI (Rubber Research Institute)  for developing new clones with increased yields. With the increase in latex yields the size of the cups increased.

The 2 photos show the improved yields of rubber latex over the years. Before 1950 most latex cups were about 50 fluid ounces.

 After 1950  most latex cups were 200 fluid ounces with the improved yields.

Early latex cups were glazed and could have been imported from England. See Photo 1. Harrison and Crossfield. They had the Agency's or estate's name embossed on them.

 In the 1960s glass latex cups with the name SOCFIN embossed were used. Today most latex cups are plastic. See Photo 2 fourth from left.
Another interesting cup is the third from left . It is a glass cup with a pointed base and the name of the estate (Hidden Stream Estate Trong) embossed on it.

Occasionally, milo tins (3rd photo) were used to collect latex from some slaughter tapping trees due for replanting because the yields were high.

                                                   Photo 1

                                                  Photo 2

                                                   Photo 3

RECYCLE & ATTRACTIVE

LAMP SHADES


The lamp stand is recycled from a 1960s knapsack pressure pump for weedicides, insecticides or fungicides, The cylinder is made of copper brass. The lamp shade is made of batik.

 The lamp stand is recycled from a 5 gallon (20 litre) formic acid bottle. Formic acid an  important raw material in the rubber industry was once imported. The shade is made of fabric.

The lamp stand is recycled from a demijohn bottle which is 15 inches tall. The bottle is in a wicker basket and painted red white and blue.  The lamp shade is also made of fabric.

PLACE OF WORSHIP

PLACE OF WORSHIP

        A place of worship can be spelt in any way.

 There are many spellings in the Malay language for a mosque in Malaysia.

 For example: MASJEED, MASJID, MESJID . But another very interesting spelling is found in a particular 100 year old mosque situated along the main road near Bagan Serai, Malaysia. The   unfamiliar spelling  is MASIGIT!!

The Masigit Lawas (Banjari spelling) was built by one of the original settlers, Hj. Din who was a Banjari from Indonesia.

Preventing Wild Boar Damage in Oil Palm Plantings

Wild Boar Damage to Oil Palm Plantings

Wild boars can be pests in  new and replantings of oil palms. They  dig up the whole clod of earth with roots. They pull out the young shoots  and eat them. The incidence of damage depends on the weather and the wild boar population. The wild boar is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 but can be hunted with a permit. Various methods have been adopted to prevent or minimise wild boar damage.






1. In under plantings the base of oil palm fronds are stacked around the seedlings. The wild boar could not attack the seedlings because of the spikes/thorns of the fronds. These spikes/thorns  poke the snout of the wild boars.

2. Wrapping the planted seedlings with old/used  zinc sheets. The zinc sheets are about 1.5 foot high. This method prevents the wild boar from attacking/pulling out the young shoots. It is highly effective.

3. Wrapping the planted seedlings with plastic sheets This method is not effective.

Bukit Merah Lake/Dam - Pictures

Bukit Merah Lake/Dam 

 Pictures taken in early 2016 before the drought.

Bukit Merah Lake

KTM doubl tracking railway line

Home of the Arowana

The northern gate of the dam

Bukit Merah Lake/Dam

Bukit Merah Lake/Dam Perak


    Bukit Merah lake hit headlines during this year's dry spell March to early May.
When the dam was constructed in 1902 and completed in 1906 Bukit Merah lake was created.The dam was constructed with mud/earth  and is one of the oldest if not oldest in the country. The original objective was to supply water to the rice bowl of Perak, Kerian. Later on the water was drawn to supply to parts of Larut Matang and Kerian.

     About 20 years ago in the mid 1990s a new township with a lake town resort was developed under the name of Bukit Merah Lake Town. It covers an area of at least 1000 acres.While the area between the lake and the North South Expressway was being developed, illegal and legal agricultural  activities were on going.


     Part of the Pondok Tanjong forest reserve was invaded causing disturbance and damage to the environment. USM carried out a study in 2007/08 on the lake and concluded that the sedimentation was 10 to 15% of the lake volume. The serious drop of the water level caused a water crisis and the Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry announced the proposal of drawing water from Sungei Perak that will cost RM300 million.


   Meanwhile, the rain has come and very soon the water level will be back to normal. And as usual all the BIG HOO HAA of shortage of water in the lake  will be FORGOTTEN until the next dry season.

Below are some related articles from the newspapers.

 For further reading please refer :

•     Ipoh Echo Issue 237 - Ipoh's Community Newspaper
•     Bukit Merah Lake Brief (22 & 23 Feb. 2010) By JPS District Engineer Tn. Hj. Hidzrami bin Hj Shamsul Anwar