 Direct British rule meant better enforcement of the rule of law, as Penang's police force was vastly beefed up and the secret societies that had plagued George Town during the preceding decades were gradually outlawed.Meanwhile, in "Province Wellesley", new railway lines were being constructed, with the first railroad being the Bukit Mertajam-Perai line in 1899.The town of Butterworth was also established in the mid-19th century as the transportation hub within "Province Wellesley".