Chapter 3.2 - Pull Factors / Reasons for Coming to Singapore Flashcards
Why did the early immigrants choose to settle in Singapore during the 19th and the early 20th centuries? What did Singapore have to offer that was so attractive to them? Why did Singapore become a magnet that attracted immigrants from many countries by the mid-19th century?
- Better trade and business opportunities
2. Better job prospects
Where were the people / traders who were attracted to Singapore from?
Europe, India, China, the Middle East and neighbouring islands
What were the reasons for the many trading opportunities that were available in Singapore?
- Singapore’s excellent geographical location which served as a meeting point for merchants and traders from many parts of the world.
- Singapore’s status as a free port which enabled merchants to do business and make more profits since they did not have to pay custom duties or taxes.
- Singapore’s free immigration policy which meant that the immigrants could come and go as they please without having to pay for immigrant passes and papers.
Why was Singapore’s geographical location excellent?
- It was situated along the Straits of Melaka, which connected the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
- It was also at the midpoint of the trade route between Britain, India and South China.
As a result of its location, Singapore served as a convenient meeting point for merchants and traders from many parts of the world.
What wold the merchants and traders do when they had a stopover in Singapore?
- Replenish their fuel (e.g. coal supplies) and food supplies.
- Exchange or sell their goods and buy local products.
What did the Europeans bring with them to Singapore?
cotton, woollen cloth, iron, steel, guns, glassware, clocks
What did the Indians bring with them to Singapore?
opium, cotton and cloth
What did the Siamese (Thais) and people from French Indo-China bring with them to Singapore?
Rice, sugar and salt
What did the Chinese bring with them to Singapore?
tea, silk, foodstuffs, medicines, porcelain
What did the people from the Malay Archipelago bring with them to Singapore?
rice, spices, coffee, bird’s nests, shark fins, sea cucumbers, precious wood
What was the advantage of Singapore’s free immigration policy?
Immigrants could come and go as they please without having to pay for immigration passes and papers. This made it easier for many poorer immigrants from India and China to come to Singapore. For the merchants and traders, this also meant that they could come as regularly as they liked to conduct business and trade.
Give another reason as to why people were attracted to come to Singapore.
Better job prospects because there were many jobs available.
Why were there many jobs available in Singapore?
Because Singapore was a new and growing trading settlement. Thus the British needed to develop infrastructure to support the increase in activities at the port and to provide for the growing population.
Define ‘infrastructure’.
Basic facilities, systems and structures that are necessary for a place to function, such as water pipes roads and sewage drains.
Give some examples what workers were needed for in Singapore in the early 20th century.
- To build a new harbour to accommodate the steamships arriving in Singapore.
- To unload goods from ships that arrived or load goods onto ships that were preparing to sail off.
- To refuel and restock the food and water supplies for the steamships that came to Singapore from other countries.
- To repair ships.
- To clear the jungles for settlements to house the incoming immigrants.
- To work in farms to grow crops.
- To construct roads and buildings as the town of Singapore continued to expand and grow.
- To sell food and to provide the people living in Singapore with services, such as pulling rickshaws and operating horse carriages.
