LOGGING RASAK AND LAGAN 



1051 



which are good harl)ors. Al the iKirthcni end is Sibigo, island are Rasak and i.agan. Kasak is a very hard and 

 in the central part is Telok Ualani. and on the southern \cry heavy timber, and is considered next to Teak in 

 end is Sinabang. The Paketvaarl steamers call at all firmness and lasting qualities. The trees grow large and 

 tliree j)laces, and bring su])|)lics and take out timber. The tall; it is common to see them lOO feet up without a 

 island is part of the State of Acheen. The \chinese limb. Next to the shore all around the island younger 

 conquered the island and established themselves there, Kasak trees are comparatively sound, but in the interior 



most of the old. and a large percentage of the younger 

 trees are defective ii; the heart. The large trees invariably 

 are hollow. The reason assigned for this is, that on the 

 shores the trees have light and air, but in the interior 

 the air is excluded by the dense growth of the tropical 

 vegetation, which also prevents the penetration of sun- 

 light, and c(jnsequently the moisture caused by the heavy 

 rainfalK causes the trees to become defective. 



The Lagan timber is a softer timber, which also grows 

 to large size, but is not as lasting as Rasak. when exposed 

 to weather. It also checks very badly when it seasons, 

 and the checks start from the heart to the outside. A 

 stick of timber with the heart in, is virtually quartered 

 at times after it has seasoned; but sawed into boards or 

 dimensions that do not contain any heart, it makes fine 

 lumlier for interior work, and some species greatly re- 

 semble Alahogany. Unlike the Rasak, which starts to 

 decay from the inside, but outside of the inner defects is 

 absoluteh- sound and firm, the Lagan starts to rot and 

 decay from the outside when its time comes, and the rot 

 penetrates the whole tree. The topography of the island 

 is very rough and uneven ; the surface is largely irregular 

 hills and knobs of every conceivable shape, and between 

 these knobs and hills is swamp. The island is shaken by 

 earthquakes at the interval of approximately twelve days; 



Ul--:v Kc).\ .SICX .A.ND HIS WIFE 



Mr. Sen is tlie Cliinese manager of the timber company's store at Sina- 

 bang. and is a capable and progressive man. His wile is bait Chinese 

 and half Malay. Her costume is that of the native Javanese ot the 

 better class. 



but large numbers of the original inhabitants are still 

 found on the island. In a convention between Great Bri- 

 tain and Holland, concluded in ls:v\ (keat Britain 

 :icknowledged Holland's sovereignty over .\cheen. and 

 Holland immediately asserted its .sovereignty; but 

 tlte Achinese offered strong resistance. After a bloody 

 and uncompromising war, which lasted from l.-5;--2 until 

 1909, the Achinese were subdued, or rather exterminated, 

 and the country is now being repopulated with Malays 

 and Javanese. The Nederlandsch-lndische Government 

 is spending large sums of money to build up the country 

 again, and to develop the natural resources and encourage 

 trade and commerce. 



The Nederlandsch-lndische Government owns and con- 

 trols the mineral and timber resources of all its territory . 

 and with the conquest of Acheen the timber of the Island 

 of Si Maloe came under Government control. The Gov- 

 ernment gave concessions to two diti'erent companies, one 

 ?t the northern end and one at the southern end. to ex- 

 ploit the timber of the island, under Government regula- 

 tions. The two principal commercial timbers of the 



K.M-ilXAII 



;.\TTIE 



Two Javanese women residents of Sinabang in their native costume. 

 Note the cut and the pattern of their skirts. The buttons, which are 

 as close together as they can be sewed on Karinah's waist, twelve 

 in all. while Battie has but five, are British pounds. 



