ABSTRACT
British Malaya is made up of no less than ten separate governments which fall into three different varieties of colonial administration. The Straits Settlements which alone are British territory are a Crown Colony of the ordinary and traditional type. The nine Malay States are protectorates where sovereign power belongs legally to the sultans but is exercised by the British Government by virtue of treaties negotiated with the rulers. The complexity of governmental organization and problems in Malaya is largely the result of the mixture of races. The British Government feels strongly that its first duty is to the Malays. Burman lawyers multiplied rapidly in competition with the ever-growing number of Indian lawyers, and the excess of the supply over the demand encouraged litigation and a decline of ethical standards. The Colonial Office exercises a general supervision over the government of the Colony, and no important measures may be adopted without its approval.
