ABSTRACT
The chief imports of the Straits Settlements were rice from Bangkok and Rangoon, but Singapore’s trade was principally that of a re-distribution centre, and most of the Chinese business men there were active in this. This chapter begins with outlining the activities of entrepreneurs like Tam King Ching, Ong Tiang Soon, Lim Ho Puah, Tan Kah Kee and others, using the business guidebooks of the day. Some handled Siam rice and others Saigon rice and owned rice mills in Singapore. But Penang was the milling centre for locally produced rice and again the Chinese merchants and companies operating there are discussed in detail.
