11^ 



ITHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST* 



[May 2, X887. 



end of this season, with a black infusion may be 

 knocifed off the Export altogether. Our present quo- 

 tations ot 4^1! to 5d should settle the question, as it 

 must be under the cost of production. 



NETHERLANDS INDIA : JAVA. 



"VYe are always pleased to see, and to listen attent- 

 ively to, anything that Mr. J. P. Van den Berg writes 

 on Java. He has lately compiled two exhaustive letters 

 on the financial and commercial condition of Nether- 

 lands India. If any one desires to make himself ac- 

 quainted with the present condition of Holland's colo- 

 nies in the East, he cannot do better than turn, when 

 he has an opportunity of so doiner, to any work by the 

 President of the Java Bank. The tolerably heavy pam- 

 phlet which Mr. Van den Berg has written for H. B. 

 M.'s Consul at Batavia, in reply to queries from the 

 British Indian Government, is marked only for private 

 circulation. We trust that it may be formally published, 

 as the facts are martialled in proper array, and one can 

 tell at a glance the economic position of the countries. 

 Broadly speaking, it deals first with the financial situation; 

 secondly, with the commercial condition; and, thirdly, 

 in a second letter we have some remarks on the question 

 of currency. We will take them in the order Mr. Van 

 den Berg places them before us, only regretting that 

 space will not permit us to do so at a length that the 

 importance of the subject demands. 



One very import point to be noted in connection with 

 the finances is the extreme instability of the revenue of 

 Netherlands India, the fluctuations being really of a 

 violent nature. This is of course in larga part due to 

 the fact that the colony is dependent on the prices it 

 realises tor produce sent to Europe for sale. It has 

 always occurred to us, and the system has been more 

 than once animadverted upon in these columns, that 

 the custom of including the Budget of the colonies in 

 that of the mother country is exceedingly inconvenient, 

 and approximately accurate figures cannot be deter- 

 mined on. It must be apparent that the figures 

 which, at the time we write, have, say, just been des- 

 patched for next year (1888), can only be roughly put 

 down. Bj' all means let the Colonial Minister retain 

 the power of vetoing the colonial proposals, should he 

 have sufficient cause to do so ; much in the same way 

 as is adopted in the case of British Crown Colonies. 

 This is a detail ; but the suggestion is, we think, 

 worthy of serious consideration. We wish that the 

 question of the deficits were as easily reckoned with. 

 From 1876 to 1884 the Netherlands India have been 

 spending on an average eight millions of guilders more 

 than their revenue. The Acheen war is the primary 

 cause of the disturbance in the desired equilibrium. 

 Before it commenced " the normal military and naval 

 expenditure may be taken in round numbers as having 

 averaged f. 30,000,000 per annum. During the period of 

 l873-lS81the yearly average increased to about f. -50,000, 

 thus showing a difference of f. 20,000,000 a year, or 

 f. 240,000,000 in the course of the last twelve years, 

 ■which amount maj' be taken as the usual actual cost 

 of the Acheen war, apart from the expenses for civil 

 purposes in the newly-annexed territory, which appear 

 under other heads of the Budget." Railways the Bata- 

 via Harbour Works, and the measures for the suppres- 

 sion of the cattle disease also made heavy inroads in 

 the revenue, amounting in all to some 335,000.000 

 guilders. In the connection of Public Works Mr. Van 

 den Berg contends that the money should have been 

 procured on loan, as circumstance-s required, and not 

 hav3 been charged against current revenue. To meet 

 all these heavy calls the Government had to resort 

 to new taxea, and readjust others, so that they yielded 

 their maximum. So much were the imposts increased 

 that once or twice trouble has been on the verge of 

 being the result. And yet the deficits were not over- 

 taken ; despite the fact that the system of taxation 

 included many items which are generally of a purely 

 municipal character. This may, perhaps, bo owing, 

 however, to the fact that the country is destitute of 

 any special provincial or municipal funds. 



Of the commercial condition Mr. Van den Berg, 

 though he points out the disasters which have to be 



met, conveys a more hopeful impression than moat 

 writings on Netherlands India have assumed since 1884. 

 That matters are bad in sugar, however, he 

 thus points out: — " On the whole the actual posi- 

 tion of the Java sugar industry which, as stated 

 in my former letter, is a matter of vital 

 importance to the welfare of the island, may be called 

 rather critical. Many estates have run largely into 

 debt, and unless a material improvement of prices sets 

 in, it may be taken for granted that the year 1887 will 

 bring ruin on more than one estate which till now has 

 been able to keep up the struggle, on the issue of which 

 the future of the colony so largely depends." Sugar is, 

 of course, the most vital interest of Java, and thus of the 

 whole colony. It is a matter discussed by every one 

 who has any interest directly or indirectly in the 

 colony, and the system of bounties and the production 

 of beetroot are more keenly studied than in this 

 country, deputations and Chambers of Commerce 

 memorials notwithstanding. Van den Bosch's system 

 created in 1831, and which has in the past very 

 largely conduced to the prosperity of the colony, is now 

 shown to be of no further practical utility.' This system, 

 as far as sugar is concerned, will be termmated in 1889, 

 and only coffee will then remain, which in turn will, 

 we presume, be likewise turned over to free labour and 

 private enterprise, what is to be done for the future 

 then ? The Acheen war seems farther off a conclusion 

 than it was at the commencement of the present decade. 

 We wish that Mr. Van den Berg had proceeded and 

 answered this question, as from his long experience 

 he would be well qualified to do. 



We can only mention the long dissertation on the 

 question of currency which Mr. Van den Berg so ably 

 argues out. As a banker and a person who has devoted 

 considerable attention to the questions of bimetahsm, 

 the appreciation of gold, &c., liis opinions carry con- 

 siderable weight. He concludes that the disadvantages, 

 by raising so largely the prices of imports, would more 

 than counterbalance the increased rates obtained for 

 produce, whilst it would be unfair to Government 

 oflicers dependent for their incomes on silver, and to 

 capitahsts in Holland who have invested in estates in 

 Java, to upset the present equilibrium. He therefore 

 argues against any change in the present currency re- 

 gulations. — L. Sf C. Express. 



THE BREAK IN QUININE. 



(New York Dm;/ Kej)orter, March IQi.) 

 The cause of the depression in the quinine market 

 is one of the mysteries that defy investigation. No 

 one appears to have any decided opinion as to the 

 reason why prices should have taken such a remark- 

 able tumble during the past week or two, but the 

 impression prevails that it is due to one of two 

 causes ; namely, that either the small holders became 

 frightened when the market fell off a cent or two 

 at the beginning of the downward movement and have 

 been unloading ever since ; or that the market is being 

 depressed by some large operator or operators with a 

 purpose. In support of the first mentioned reason it is 

 stated that when prices were so low a few weeks ago 

 a I ' everj'body was talkiner of much higher prices as 

 ;i. J inevitable outcome of the position of b irk at that, 

 time, many small speculators including clerks and 

 even truckmen connected with the large houses, and 

 not a few si./iilarly situated in other branches of trade 

 took a flyer in quinine. Without capital to hold out 

 for any length "i time they were forced to sell as soon 

 as the market devt-loped any signs of weakness, and 

 their iiiixiety to get out precipated the decline. Those 

 wh.ilio'.d to this version believe that nearly all of the 

 weakh.>lders have unloaded, and that in a few days 

 a decided change for the better will occur. There 

 seems to be less tangible^grounds for the impression that 

 large operators are bearing the market, the only cause 

 for such a belief being apparently the favorable 

 opinion of the future that such operators are believed 

 to entertain, because of such remarks as they may 

 have let drop ill confidential moments. 



Probably both of those have been factors iu bringing 

 about the depression, but possibly the present situatioa 



