BY MOTOR THROUGH THE EAST COAST OF SUMATRA 



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DRYING-SHEDS FOR CURING THE FAMOUS SUMATRAN TOBACCO 



These atap-thatched buildings are no longer used for tobacco, however, for this plain has 

 been given over to rubber trees, which are being extensively planted nowadays. 



each other's hair, tending their babies, 

 and munching little packages of strange 

 food folded up in plantain leaves. 



They were contract coolies on their 

 way to labor on the tobacco and rubber 

 estates of Deli and were chiefly Javanese, 

 though a few Bandjarese from Borneo, 

 Klings of southern Indian origin, Malays, 

 and other nationalities appeared among 

 them. 



SUMATRA IS THIRTEEN TIMES THE SIZE 

 OF HOEEAND 



Sumatra is an immense island, nearly 

 four times the size of Java and thirteen 

 times larger than Holland itself, but its 

 war-decimated population amounts to less 

 than 3,200,000, most of which, for vari- 

 ous reasons, is not available for labor. 

 Because of this the island is barely be- 

 ginning to attract attention, although 

 more favorably situated than Java and 

 richer in natural resources. 



"Java is a country of magnificent reali- 

 zation, Sumatra one of great future." 

 In the development of that future practi- 

 cally all the labor has to be imported on 

 short-term contracts. Chiefly it is Chinese, 

 which is expensive ; Kling, which is 



viewed with disfavor by the British In- 

 dian Government, or Javanese, which is 

 unwilling to come and does not thrive in 

 the climate. 



The tribulations of a labor contractor 

 from the time of collecting his gang to 

 their final safe delivery in Sumatra are 

 legion and, to one disinterested, very 

 amusing. 



The Javanese is tractable and physi- 

 cally a fair laborer, but neither very am- 

 bitious nor reliable. He likes his feast 

 days, his rice harvesting, his little com- 

 forts and luxuries, and is not eager to 

 forego them for the uncertain induce- 

 ments of foreign lands. But his mind 

 is receptive, and the clever contractor, 

 fortifying it with well-chosen stories of 

 fortunes easily made, belittling the coolie's 

 fears and objections, is often able to se- 

 cure his contract by the timely offer of a 

 new sarong (the chief article of dress 

 worn in the Malay Archipelago) and 

 perhaps a month's wages in advance. 



But here the contractor's troubles be- 

 gin. Unless carefully guarded, the cool- 

 ie's enthusiasm is very apt to wane, and 

 the moment for departure arrives with 



