NewYork of Java a Bustling City
AMHIMCAN COTTON IWCTOItS SHOULD
STUDY THIS PATTHItNS OK JAVA.
(Copyright. 1901. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
" ttwii t w i
m.IM i i...... n..t 7 mtmrinl
1 rorre nondi mo The Dee
v ,,u v 'ml o SoerbaH"
m u V 1 il ,', 1 U K
3 It is the ihler i(immi.rtlai city
s
of this island of 2...nuu.omi people.
It is situated us far east irotn natavia ns
rom Ntw ork to Cleveland and Is con-
ncctcd by railroad with all parts of Java,
I camo to It on tho government line, which
crosses tho Island from west to east, nnd
, , . ,, ., ,,i,
my whole Joiirn y was through rich plat a-
tlous of coffee, tea. tobacco, sugar, Indigo
and rice. There were villages In sight all
tho wny; the people fairly swarmed and 1
got sonic Idea of the enormous population of
this Dutch colony.
Tilt- Now York of .Inn.
. , , , ...
Soerbala is tho New -iork of Java. Ills
its principal seaport and It lias the most
trade. The city has UO.OOO lull ibltunts.and
of theso only 7.000 are nuiopeans. SHU.
those Kiiropi.ins livo far better than their
brothers of Kurope. Mnny of them nro
rich nnd their bonus nro palaces.
Tho streets of Soerbala aro wide and
shaded with magnificent trees. They nro
paved with nsphalt and beautifully lighted.
In the residence parts every house has n
largo lawn about It. with palm trees nnd
.i ...n i, 11,. ti, -ronn.is
i i. .,.. i, D ir,...
n,nUn nf K..ii,i nvomm nml thnv nrn cnuallv
...wuu w. ....u -" ' '
well kept. Some of tho houses aro of vast
extent. They aro of ono story, but the
rooms are large and tho ceilings very high,
Most of tho houses havo verandas roofed
with red tiles, which nro upheld by vvhlto
mnrblo pillars. Many of them nro lloored
with marnlo and marblo forms tho floors
of most of tho porches. 1110 town nas oicc-
trie lights. Kvory well-to-do man has a
tolephono nad all the modern conveniences,
Illeyi'lcN mill AiiioniolillfN,
I camo hero to Investigate tho chances
for American trade. There Is a good open
ing for our bicycles and nlso for auto
mobiles. There aro many Amcrlcnti bi
cycles used In Java. I seo our leading
makes ln every town. Hero In Soerbala
the bicycles arc taxed and thero Is n num
ber fastened to tho bnck of tho seat ot every
wheel. I noticed ono tho other day which
bore the figures 2,002. so I Judge there must
bo moro than 2,00n in the Uy. These people
wnnt n good thing and are accustomed to
paying high prices.
It seems strange tn have to get out of tho
wny of an nutomobllo In Java, but I was
nearly run down by one tho other night
The driver was a young Dutchman who
was out with his sweetheart taking tin
air. His hand, which should have been on
tho lover, wns about thu waist of his In-
, ,n ..,.1 I1.1 a.lil I . l.ti.a tn i, nlut
lllllllll.l, tlll'l i.W t.T . ... t,.UMU
trotters and every one else.
All kinds of cnrrlugi s are used here. I
ree English do? caits, vh torlas and lan
daus. Tho rich Dutchmen drive, nbout In
fine style, nnd many of tho nntlvo chiefs
nnd nobles hnve magnificent turnouts. Tho
ordinary vehicle Is the sado or ilos-a-dos
a sort of a little dogcart drawn by a pony
In which tho driver sits In front and tho
passengers behind facing tho rear. Thes"
aro tho cabs of Ilatavla, Soerbala nml til'1
other cities, although thero nro larger
vehicles for hire. No ono thinks of walk
lng in this hot climate, and In tho coolor
parts of tho day the roads are full of car-
rlagcs, private nnd public. There nro nntlvo
coachmen nml footmen In Itvery, ami, nc-
cording to law, each coachman has to have
a whistle to warn others to keep out of his
wny. lie carries this in his mouth nil I
toots oneo or twice at every block.
(iiiiiicc Kir , in i' I imi ii I'nlliiiiM
Our cotton factories should send agents
to Java to study the patterns and goods ,,,, pnRlnp,.r8 fl)I. approval and tho re
LhI l l !,JnV" '.Tp0r 9 'r. lt is that s..gar-n.aklng Is carried o.t as
(ov,vuu,uvu lu oii.uue,vuu nuiiu Hi DIUII
every year, ami n large amount of this la
cotton. England sells $5,000,000 worth of
piece goods to Java aunt. illy, and Oermany
.....i tin t i..... i i.. .i,
and Holland hnve a large share of tho trade.
li.il tilM finn . .!. nl iimntilnni... lu
Kngtand ever' - y ea7 and
an almost equal nmount of Iron. It used to
bo that tho Dutch monopolized everything,
but at present no difference Is mndo be-
tween Dutch and foreign imports nml tho
In HIT In low
The chief American goods now sold nre
larpenters' tools and sewing machines. A
cheap variety of hand sewing machines Is
common and American axes are everywhero
In demand. There are no American cottons
or prints to speak of. and these should ho
the chief feature of our trade
llnw I In- lloleli Trent 'I'm clem,
I don't think our commercial travelers
would have any trouble In uttering Java
The customs olllccrs are lenient. A drum
mer who brought some FninpliH of silver-
plated ware to Ilatavla not long ago was
allowed to open his stuff In tho custom
houso nnd sell there. Ho was charged
duty only on tho nrtlcles sold, and ho usrd
me k .iu,u i.iiiL-u a am c. mere is
a good opening here for American wntchrs
and clocks and for all kinds of American
1.lilnl.IftirwK nfiil nntliitia. 'Clin illalnnpn la
, " ,
too great for I our and perishab e products
nnd the freights are high. A present
cvcryming ciiiiius via i.uropo aim mo nuez
cannl, nnd this may still be the route after
tho opening of the Nicaragua cannl, ns the
Suez route will probably bo the cooler.
.Ihvii'n IIIk Sllgnr I'llllltlltliuiN.
, .., . . , . . , . I,,, i i
,Tn t v, n , ,i f "" kl,U,f '9
used In Java, and It will pay our exporters
to send their ngents to work tho vnrlous
'orles. There nro sugar mills hero
ivli I Itfivn tlli (lMiist nf nnwlnni nvmli nnftr
. . . . , . , . . """"i-wi
fclnK T?h ,"CS '""i1. ,,,Bh "" tl,0,t,10U:
B:"" 3, of AMan- ,At "rT"1 mMt of ,R,uch
"adilnwy comes from (Jer.nany or Kng-
IaIllli whereas It should como from tho
Mitcd Stales, for the United States takes n
rcni art f jaVa's suu-ar nroduct. Wo
i0i iast year ilS.000.000 worth of sug.ir
from this port of Soerbala alone, and our
total Imports of sugar last year from Java
amounted to $27,000,000.
... ...
Jnva ,3 ow producing about n billion nnd
.. )ia( nounds of sugar every year and Its
plantations nre among tho richest of tho
world. The cultivation is along scientific
lines. The Holds nro trenched to n grent
depth nnd nro otherwiso cultivated more
carefully perhaps than in any other part of
the world, with tho single exception of
(ho ,8amls. Thoy aro vmtvA
,)y cuttlIK ,u. rall0 , hhort lengihj nnd
BtlcknK lt I)rK,t mto tho ground. In
nlaees thn seed iil.mlsi nn rnlsnl nn
lho i,gi,iands nnd tho cuttings earned to the
f()r plalltlll(, ThB , 0 nccolint
of n disease which has recently affected tho
cnno of tho iowIands.
l '' Cinu. KlelilN.
Sugar grows luxuriantly here. Tho cano
Holds are a very thicket, through which It
ii ,.ii,i i .. r,n la full
,f iio i, rMnflln f
a.xr.nr i.'nr n H.nn n ,.rnnt nnrt nf tho nrod-
.......... . w - o"- " -
net was raised on thu government planta-
tlons, but about ten years ago such cultl-
vatlon was slopped. Now nil sugar lo
raised on lands leased from lho govcrn-
mcnt nnd on private estates. Tho govern-
ment estntes havo steadily decreased nnd
in jsos tliero wcro less than 200 of thorn.
Many ot tho largo sugar factories were
dovoloped through tho culture system. The
government advanced money to colonists to
build sugar mills, agreeing that tho natives
" ' "
HMllllIll IIU IUIUL11 ill ltri I'liuilKU oub'ii
cnno to keep tho mills going, Ono-flfth of
tho land wns nlnnted In sugar cano nnd
every native had to give ono day's labor a
THi:
week to tcml the crop. Tlio mill owner
agreed to sell otic-third of Ills product to
tho government nt n low llxeil rate, thus
pitying hack tho money advanced to hint.
Holland made an enormous prom out or
this limitless, receiving for years n revenue
of more than $.".000,000 annually from Us
sugar rales. It Insisted that nil plans for
,,',., ,'..,., ii,,.i , ,i, ...
sclent lib-ally here as at any place In the
world. The low wages and the machinery
, ' , (
, .... .... .
As it Is now they make refined stlga
sugar
for about $I.M) gold a pleul, or for a little
1 1-r pound
Our sugar lauds In the ritlllpplnes nre
iminngcd after the most wasteful methods
Nevertheless the planters make money. If
"", Agrli ulttiral department can establish
experimental stations and factories It can
probably show the sugar men how to In
crease their profits tenfold.
lHu rr Hie l'lillliilii.-..
i should think that Indigo could bo grown
nt n profit on almost every one of tho
Philippine islands. The Indigo plants nro
found in sexeial of the provinces of Luzon
nml a small nmount is grown In the north
nrtl luirt nf that Ixlntiil. I li.ro In .tuvn tlim'ii
nn va8l pianlat li.ns devoted to this crop
and I nm told that they pay very well
Some of the planters rent their Innds of th"
natives nml others have estates leased from
tho 1)lltt., K(m,rnmoiit. The best indigo Is
Krown , tho CCMtln ,,.m of ,ho sinml, t
S!UV n mnnlK,r r ,,tntlons on my wny
from S()1(, ,,, Soeiiala. Tiloy tnnUotl for nil
,,, wnrIll ,(0 pa,nto,,s of ragweed grown
In regular rows. The Indigo comes from the
,c wheh nro ,,.,,, )rco tlmoB
........
y0nr nn, ,ml , vntB Water to rcrment
,., ,, wn,cr , t , , Juat C()Vcr
,oim,8i Wlln al)nrl , U0 ,,, C(()r
lug matter or Juice goes out Into tho water,
nnd nfter n while the water turns n yellow
ish green. It Is now drawn off nnd nllowcd
to soak into powdered chalk, which, when
dried, becomes the Indigo of commerce.
The best Indigo has n lino purple hluo color
""I t Bhould have n sort of n copper gloss
.Million Working nt l Ci-ni mi iiotiv
So far l hnvc not discovered trades unions
. ... ....
in Java, nnd tlio contrnst between wngca
hero and In Australia Is painful. It Is dim-
cult to find a man In Australia nnd Now
Zl)nlaI)d who lg ot mak, , $2 or moro for
,,,. i,n,lro. ..,. 11llP1, tV,rn nrn mllitnn
Here tliero nro millions
who are glad to get 20 cents for ten hours'
work. It Is only In the cities that the men
In tho moun-
tuitions regions of the l'renngor I saw men
nnd women laboring for less than n cent nn
1 I t.. .1... 1 .ln..,..t ,1... - ..
iiuiir, mm in mu ii'a iiiiiiiiiiiiuiio ihu hku-
In nP1) - , ' ,,nv fnr B,Y
work. On the railways tho trackmen got
II cents, gold, a day, nnd on tho government
forms they recelvo less. Hero In Soerbala
some common laborers get 1C cents n day,
nnd this Is considered high wages.
I nm told Hint u man can live on 4 gulden.
(i about $1.00. per month, and tho man
who gets from $:t to fr n month has all ho
wants and money to bum. The result Is
' "
that with nil the low wnges there Is little
poverty In Java
The people everywhere
look fat nnd hen. hy. Thoy respect hem-
fives, " "' tliliiU,
wppy- They spend all they mako nnd de-
Hgtil I" Ky ciotuing. in some regions
they wear tho craziest patterns of brwvn,
red nnd yellow cnllcoes. The men wear
calico pantaloons, a sort of divided skirt,
which has zigzag stripes, looking an though
It had been Btriick hy lightning. Many of
tho patterns nro beautiful. They aro tho
, , ....! ,1,,. 1 .. .
lllveillliili in i in niu ii 1 iv 111 iiiui-
lug them being done by hand and In t-omo
cases tho design being sketched out of tho
head of the designer. Tho KuglUh nnd Gcr-
mans hnve copied these patterns, even to
their faults, nnd nro shipping In printed
rottons In vast fpiantltles. Tho homo-
mailo nrucios oring iiigu prices, out ino
.lnininI1c, s,,n fnr a fair tiroflt on tho coat
,,f nianufacturlng. To Introduce American
,rts u might be well for our factories to
nbtnlu tho original designs nnd copy them.
.linn' .M-w oil I'lel.U.
1 nnsHcd throiiuh Java's new oil fields on
my way eastward. They are situated not
far from the north coast One lies nenr
OltDINAUY VKIIICU: USUI) IN JAVA IS
UfXUItlANT (IIIOWTII 01'
Soerbala nnd tho other not far fnm 11a
tavla, the two being several huiidnd miles
nimrl None of the oil bo far gollon U
In Mini frum tint Itnlliol tfifta ritnl II
' " ,
' .w Helling for about 20 cents l-ss per
Jli.. Standard Oil company has the
bulk of the trade here. It has . agencies
nt Ilatavla, Samarang and Soeibaia. nnd It
"K , h' Blilp1..nl. The oil Is
'Bh' .Uy lh" ''"'Iiiuho ml.Mleiiii'i.. who so
" i. ... . i i. ..i ...t.ii.. ii
" 11 1111 "i,,1' uicilii.uii, mm iiv i.
out In small quantities. In the market the
average measure Is 11 tin cup about the si.
of 11 claret glass, and tlio usual purcliiiH
would not more than till nil egg shell. The
oil Is sold on a very close margin, costing
about IS cents a gallon. The Chinese 11
oil largely In their trade with the natives.
e.i hanging it for rice and other 111 tides.
How Hie Muted IMiiciitr the .! iinex.-.
During my ntn In Java I have looked
Into the methods which the Dutch aro 0111-
lllOVIIIg to eilirnto the natives. I lie ll.ne
, . . . . . 1.. .1... in. in...
'I"110 " 11 " '
l"ts' nn" ao ll,r ult' "r" '"inny i
'""" ZiZZ
" " V h .rimmf mako
on hi d In Hi iiu hoi t iimUo sic
ncgiiiiiing. ror years nicy um inn -
hi.wku i 1.. ...w.
government. I trnviVft from Ilatavla to
Djokjakarta with one of the school exam n-
ers, n man who has been teaching hero for
tvv en ty-llvo yenrs, and who Is no w em ployed
In tho High school at llatavln. Ho tells me
that tho government has Its department of
........! I.I. ...l..l.,l..H t.. lw. ...il.lonl
eiiiieuiiuii, iiiii 11 iiiiiuniui 111 111. 1 ct.M.ui.
of tho governor general and that tho nu-
thoiitlcB nro doing nil thoy can to advance
tho natives. They nro training teachers
right nlong In tno native Hchools and thoy
expect thnt In tlmo the wholo population
wm ron,i and write.
Thero aro now High schools nt Ilatavla,
Soerbala and Snmnrang. Thero aro five
colleges for tho training of native school-
masters und moro than 1,000 schools
of a lower order, with 12.ri,000 pupils. Thero
aro somo private Bchnols taught hy mis-
slonarles, and also schools of a mechanical
'""1 Industrial order. All told, however,
"'uro are not moro thnn 200.000 children In
THK SODO.
Sl'OAlt CANE IN J V
school nml this in a population of 2,..ooo,00i
Is very few.
We liave 'Just mm.1 a shipload of teachers
tn lllit Pit 1 1 1 il i 1 1 itu mi nil 1 1 1 1 1 I u I n 1 1 1 1 1 1 tllflf
, ' ' "7
thev are to l. paid fiom $7. to tm a
.nouth. The Dulcb pny Ihelr teacluts inn.h
,.U(,r, eMuelally tho.e of higher rank. The
mhoo! examiner 1 have refeiied to told me
that Ills xalary was JiUMi a month In gold
Ho said that nrliiiarv teachers lcrcivcd
. .... ....
nun j,-,u to $220 per mimlli, with iinusn
rent, and high school teachers from Jiso to
flUMI per nieiitli, while sil 1 dlrcctois or
superlulehilenlH get fiom $210 to $11111 per
month. In addition lo this tho teaehois
have a ycni's vat at Ion nil half pay at the
close of every ten years' hci vice and a free
trip In Kuropc and had.. After t.crvlug
twenty years every teacher has the right to
let I re on a pension aiiiouiillug to III per
cent of his salary at the I hue of leaving.
Tho school uink is not so haul In Java
as in Hie Philippines. I ho bouts 1110
.i.,....,.. i n.,,i vli lln.v nm rrmn K n 111.
-
to 1 p, 111., nnd no a rule teacheiH expect to
iul ln ll)()U, twenty-four hours per week
Thu i..H, ..,lc, i,m . ,).,, H:liiml Is given In
'"" '?' 1,1
lho Dutch lauguag
n c)mrv)
igo and It Is required that
ii.tir llii.rn In 1 T 1 1'nlu.ii n
elothes whether they be Kuropcaus, Javan
ese or Chinese.
A YInII lo 11 No 1-ill 11 1 School.
During my slay nt Uandong I was taken
by ihu government secielary, Mr. K. Meer-
tens, through the schools. Wo llrwl went
... .1 - , 1 .....I.... .......
in um iiiiiuiiii neiiiiiii 1111 niiiivii irucuui d.
it h hehl In u collection of (lieek biilldliigR
surrounded by huge grounds. At lho back
Uie.ro Is n gymnasium and about II an acir
()f campus. Kiitranco to tho school Is by
competitive examination, tho applicants
coming from lho schools below. In this
college only boys were taken. They enter
at lho ago of 12 or more rears and graduate
three years thereafter. They upend a yenr
under tho supoi liitendeneii of n Dutch
teacher, after which they may manngo n
school for themselves. The boys aro paid
from the limn of entrance lo lho college,
receiving $:. or $B per month, which Is
enough lo clothe tin md give them
upending money.
Thn utudles Include the higher branches
taught In our public schools. They have
geography, algebra, chemistry and physl
(logy, i'liey must also learn the Malay and
Javanese languages us well as the Dutch
They are taught to draw and palut and
they aie In short given what would be
considered 11 very good nl in 11 1 lull even
In the l ulled States.
1 visited I lii class 1 (Minis and heard the
h 1 111 1 1 1 1 1 1 rei Ite. They do quite as well as
our bovH nnd ar pially Intelligent. In a
gengiaphy 1 lass I nslied a boy lo go lo the
limp and put his linger on New York. He
did ho at dine. I asl.ed him how he could
in 1 to Kan P'rautiHi 11 fiom l tint point. He
11 plied that he would cross the United
SmiIih by railroad nml outlined the route
with his llugiis, although there was no
railroad marked upon the map. 1 referred
lo tho war between tho ICugllsh and Doors
and he took another map and described for
mo the territory of the TratiHvaal, and In
response to my question pointed out the
Nile and located Cairo and Khartoum. I
found boys equally bright In every class
and was told by the director that thoy
showed fully ns much Intelligence ns the
European children.
MANIC O. CAHI'ICNTKH.
