Source Based Question (Reliability) Chapter 5 Pg 89

Source A : Page 89

The world is passing through the worst economic recession in history. This Government has been so badly hit that 11 of my colleagues have been prematurely retired. My salary, as District Judge, is $1000 per month and I felt it my duty to the Treasury to take this opportunity to ensure that they would be in a position to pay my salary for one more month.

Adapted from Eastern Cadet's Anecdotage by Andrew Gilmour

Read Source A. Is Source A reliable as evidence to show that Singapore was badly hit during the Great Depression? Explain your answer. (5m)

Source A shows that Singapore was going through the worst economic recession. This suggests that Singapore was going through very bad times. This meant that there might have been many who lost their jobs. In addition, Source A also shows that 11 judges have been prematurely retired. This implies that the Government has to resort to retrenching its officials. This meant that the Government has probably suffered losses and has not enough revenue to hire officials. (step 2 Inferring)

Source A is reliable in showing that Singapore was badly hit during the Great Depression. From the source, the author indicated that he had to resort to imposing the maximum penalty on a businessman for not obtaining a licence. He seems to be giving us unbiased information regarding his action which is indicative of the hard times. Hence the purpose of the author in writing the source was to show us that times were really bad and he had to resort to desperate measures.

In addition, during the Great Depression, trade suffered. This was due to the very low demand for raw materials and other exotic products from the east. With this low demand, it meant that Singapore lost much of its trade from importing and exporting. This further affected the livelihood of people who depended on entrepot trade for a living. They included the coolies who provided labour services and traders and middlemen who conducted trade. This resulted in widespread unemployment and many coolies had to be sent home. Many businesses also closed down due to poor business.

The purpose of the writer was to highlight that Singapore was badly affected by the Great Depression and the Great Depression did indeed have very adverse effects on Singapore. Hence the source corroborated with the actual situation and given the purpose of the author, it is clear that Source A is reliable in showing that Singapore was badly hit during the Great Depression.