1900

» Following the death of Mrs. Cameron, the complete plant and assets of the Straits Times Press were sold off at an auction. On May 30, 1900, all the Straits Times Press assets were bought by a son-in-law of Mrs Cameron on behalf of a syndicate, which converted the Straits Times Press into a private limited company, The Straits Times Press Pte Ltd, capitalised at $100,000. The days of the proprietor/editor were over. The Procurer in Singapore of the Roman Catholic mission became the largest single shareholder of the Straits Times Press Pte Ltd.

1903

» The Straits Times Pte Ltd moved to its own permanent purpose-built premises at Cecil Street, Singapore.

1905

» The Straits Times Press launched the first Straits Times Annual, aiming for the Christmas market, but the first edition was destroyed by the fire and the second printing arrived in late January 1906.

1908

» Alexander William Still was appointed the Straits Times editor. Under him, the Straits Times earned a reputation as “The Thunderer of the East” with circulation figures of 5,000 a day.

1928

» George William Seabridge who took over from Alexander William Still, increased the size of the paper to 24 pages, changed the format, and enlivened it with pictures. The Straits Times Press opened an office in London for editorial and advertising services.

1930

» In March, The Straits Times Press Pte Ltd opened its first office in Federated Malay States (FMS) at Market Square, Java Street (now Jalan Tun Perak), Kuala Lumpur. George Peet became its first resident correspondent.

» The Straits Times was carried by mail train for distribution in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

1931

» In July, the Straits Times Press Pte Ltd invested in the first of a fleet of Morris Minor vans to expedite deliveries upcountry.

» On December 20, Malaya’s first Sunday newspaper, the Sunday Times was launched with a circulation of 10,000. It was printed in the early hours of Sunday morning, for delivery in Singapore and Johore Bahru in time with morning tea, and rushed upcountry in the company’s vans to reach Malacca by mid-morning, Kuala Lumpur by noon, and Ipoh by 6p.m.

» At the end of 1931, the Straits Times Press Pte Ltd expanded premises and plant facilities and installed the first rotary printing machine.

1932

» On October 1, the Straits Times Press Pte Ltd launched its own eight-page morning tabloid, the Singapore Daily News, which lasted slightly more than four months.

1933

» The Straits Times Press Pte Ltd merged its first morning tabloid, Singapore Daily News with the Free Press. The Free Press moved into Cecil Street, where it shared facilities with the Straits Times but preserved its individual character, with its own editor and sub-editors.

1935

» First delivery of The Sunday Times to Kuala Lumpur and Penang by air.

1936

» The Straits Times Press Pte Ltd bought over the Pinang Gazette in April and the Times of Malaya in November. These two newspapers were later sold to The Straits Echo of Penang.

1937

» The Straits Times became the first newspaper in the Far East to print colour advertisements on newspaper rotary printing machines.

» In October, The Straits Times Press Pte Ltd contracted with Wearne’s Air Service to fly the Free Press to Kuala Lumpur each morning.

1942 – 1945 (During World War II)

» Japanese invasion of Malaya. Readers read the last wartime issue of Sunday Times on February 15, 1942.

» February 20, The Japanese used the Straits Times printing operations to publish the Shonan Times. Local Straits Times staff continued to work under Japanese directives, but many of their British counterparts ended up in internment camps around Singapore.

1945

» The Straits Times resumed publication on September 7 as a morning newspaper.

» The Sunday Times resumed publication on September 23 with a four-page issue.

» The Straits Times Press Pte Ltd took over the printing of SEAC, a daily newspaper for South-East Asia Command troops; Oranje, a bi-weekly Dutch-language paper for Netherlands forces; Jawan, a daily in romanised Urdu for Indian troops; and a weekly for Japanese prisoners.

1946

» From May 1, The Straits Times Press took on the full Associated Press services in addition to Reuters and United Press.

» The closing down of the SEAC paper from May 15, enabled The Straits Times Press to revive the Free Press, which re-appeared the following afternoon.

1947

» In November, a teleprinter was installed to link The Straits Times Press headquarters at Cecil Street, Singapore with the Kuala Lumpur branch office.

1950

» The Straits Times Press Pte Ltd became a public listed company on May 11, 1950 with an issued capital of $1.44 million, quoted on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Thomas Aiken became its Chairman.

1952

» A.C. Simmons was appointed Managing Director of The Straits Times Press Ltd.

» The Straits Times Press Ltd took over the Kuala Lumpur-based The Malay Mail, the pioneer newspaper in the Federated Malay States which was set up by H.M. Robson in 1896.

1955

»R.C. Kendall succeeded Thomas Aiken as Chairman of The Straits Times Press Ltd.

1956

» The first Malayan edition of the Straits Times was printed at Robson House, Pudu Road, after the company acquired The Malay Mail from J.H.M. Robson.

» The Straits Times Press created an editorial board. Leslie Hoffman was appointed as editor-in-chief.

1957

» The Straits Times Press Ltd launched the first romanised Malay newspaper, the Berita Harian, as a rival to the Jawi-script Utusan Melayu.

» The acquisition of the printing business company in the Federation of Malaya, known as The Caxton Press (1957) Ltd to enable the printing of newspaper in Malaya.

1958

» The Straits Times Press Ltd moved into Times House, Singapore.

1959

» The Straits Times Press Ltd rationalised its activities in the Federation of Malaya and Singapore. The Company transferred its newspaper operations to the Malay Mail Press Company Ltd, which was registered in Malaya. All its land and buildings in Singapore were transferred to a wholly-owned property company, the Straits Times Press (Singapore) Limited. The Malay Mail Press Company Ltd became a public company and changed its name to the Straits Times Press (Malaya) Ltd. Printing operations were carried out both in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, with the headquarters at Robson House in Pudu Road, Kuala Lumpur.

» The Straits Times Press (Malaya) Ltd bought an aircraft for the carriage of matrices between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

» Expanded into book publishing, with the launch of Federal Publications Sdn Bhd.

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