4.Chew Boon Juan Meets Surveyor Charles Alma Baker

Contract Surveyor Charles Alma Baker and his residence at Batu Gajah

Chew Boon Juan had saved his business. He decided to further expand and take bigger risks for better returns and that meant venturing into tin mining.

The Chinese faced difficulties in getting land from the Government for mining. The Europeans however had no such difficulty in obtaining mining leases but could not get the coolies cheaply enough.

Charles Alma Baker from New Zealand came to Kinta in 1890 doing road construction for the government. In 1892 he was appointed the Contract Surveyor for Kinta Land Office in Batu Gajah. In the course of his surveying he came across a limestone hill, less than a square mile just beyond Kampong Kepayang called Gunong Lanno.

In 1893 C Fincham the Kinta Mining Surveyor made a visit to the area around Kg Kepayang and found some mines at the foot hills. He climbed to the top of Gunong Lanno and was surprised to see a vast plateau. The area was eminently suitable for mining even though it was hilly terrain.

However, Fincham’s report was forgotten until Alma Baker ‘rediscovered’ it. He applied for a 40 acre mining lease which was given to him in 1900.

Chew Boon Juan who was the principal towkay of Kampong Kepayang was approached by Charles Alma Baker.

Generally the Chinese did not like to mine in limestone areas. The tin deposits were usually found in pockets at different levels in the crevices of the limestone blocks. This involved extra costs in wire ropes, pulleys and other equipment. Although rich pockets of tin could be found they were usually worked out in a short time.

Additionally it was precarious and involved extra cost of shifting from time to time to different sites of operation. Unlike mining on flat land they could apply a systematic boring to determine the lifespan of the mine.

Considering all of the factors Alma Baker had to persuade the Boon Juan that Gunong Lanno was different from the usual limestone hills.

Chew Boon Juan together with his brother Chew Boon Seong agreed to work his land. They would provide the capital, employ the workers and pay him the chabut.

Destiny had found Chew Boon Juan to take him to the next level of prosperity.

End

Next: The Golden Mountain aka Gunong Lanno