THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 241 



the timber is burnt can be done by contract ; but con- 

 stant delays occur in Sumatra owing to the unpunc- 

 tuality of the native contractors in regard to work, and 

 it is more satisfactory to employ daily labour for these 

 preliminary operations, although the expense is slightly 

 higher. No allowance is made for the removal of the 

 stumps of big trees or the destruction of the large logs ; 

 the majority of practical planters do not consider such 

 expenditure justified by results, and they prefer to keep 

 a keen watch for any appearance of fomes, white ants, 

 or other pests, and to deal with each case as it occurs. 

 The subjoined estimate of the distribution of costs 

 explains itself; it is slightly lower in sterling value 

 than similar work in the Malay Peninsula, but this is 

 due to the lesser value of the Dutch guilder as com- 

 pared to the Straits dollar : 



Guilders. 



1. Expenses of land grant of 1,000 bouws, 



survey fees, etc 7,000 



2. Rent, 1,000 bouws (1,750 acres), i guilder 



per bouw per annum for four years ... 4,000 



3. Felling, clearing, and burning 1,000 acres 23,000 



4. Cleaning up 1,000 acres 7,000 



5. Weeding : first nine months, 18,000 



guilders ; second year, 12,000 guilders ; 

 third year, 9,000 guilders ; fourth year, 



5,000 guilders 44,000 



6. Draining ... ... ... ... ... 4,000 



7. Roads and bridges 8,000 



8. Lining, holing, and filling 2,000 



9. Planting and supplying 2,000 



10. Nurseries or plants 2,000 



11. Manager's bungalow, 6,500 guilders; 



assistant's bungalow, 4,500 guilders ... 11,000 



12. Factory and machinery 30,000 



13. Lines for coolies : 100 rooms, 10 feet by 



12 feet, at 150 guilders per room ... 15,000 



Carried forward 159,000 



16 



