and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



RUBBER IN SUMATRA. 



PROGRESS ON THE EAST COAST. 



The opening of the east coast of Sumatra 

 (Sumatra Oostkust) goes back to tho 'sixties 

 when tobacco was first grown by Europeans. 

 Why was this par6 of Sumatra opened in pre- 

 ference to any other on that side of the Straits 

 of Malacca ? Was the soil unique in its com- 

 position as tobacco requires it to be ? Was it 

 because Deli and the neighbouring districts lay 

 nearer to the busy island of Penang, an old 

 landmark on the trade route between Europe 

 and the Malay Archipelago ? As with all sub- 

 sequent wonderful developments, the origin of 

 tobacco cultivation on the east coast is sur- 

 rounded by legends. The fact, however, re- 

 mains that the attention of Europeans was one 

 day attracted to Sumatra tobacco grown by 

 natives on the east coast, and from that date to- 

 bacco has been and remained the agent of the 

 whole progress of tho oast coast, progress un- 

 paralleled elsewhere in the East except in the 

 F.M.S. 



The measure and peculiar significance of that 

 progress is to be judged from the official statis- 

 tics (1906)— the only reliable source of informa- 

 tion. Whereas, for the same extent of territory, 

 tho west coast has an excess of officials over non- 

 officials (409 officials, 88 traders, 34 contractors, 

 and 42 planters), the east coast stands in the 

 opposite relation (134 officials, 14(5 traders, 

 307 contractors and 507 planters). The prepon- 

 derance of officials in the west is to be explained 

 by the greater density of tho native population, 

 its bettor climate, and in Padang, up to quite 

 recently, the coft'eo cultivation under Govern- 

 ment control. 



The preponderance of civilians in the east is 

 duo to the development of tobacco cultivation 

 as a private enterprise. Striking features ap- 

 pear in the statistics for tho east coast, the low 

 density of the native population, the high per- 

 centage of imported races, Chinese and Javanese 

 especially, Klings, Bengalis, etc. Let us ex- 

 amine those features before we pass on to what 

 concerns us here -the work of Europeans, with 

 special reference to rubber and their life gene- 

 rally. 



The Native Population. 



Tobacco is not responsible for the low density 

 of the native population, as, for instance, rubber 

 has been in vast districts of the Congo, although 

 it has accommodated itself rather well to the 

 situation. For greediness ol laud tobacco is un- 

 equalled. It devours larger and larger sfaees 

 until after eight years it can come back— with- 

 out prejudice— to its growth in the soil it first 

 occupied. Reservations for natives would neces- 

 sarily stand in its way, and it was not a misfor- 

 tune that the country was more or less empty. 

 Java would have been an awkward place for it 

 to move about in. Going frotr. Tandjong Balei to 

 Tandjong Poera, that is, from south to north- 

 for miles and miles one sees endless strips of land 

 covered with lalang and blukar where tobacco 

 has passed and left devastation behind. One 

 longs to arrive at kampongs, which are like so 



many oases in that desert. It must bo con- 

 fessed, en passant, that the sight is less unseemly 

 than that of tho scars and holes that disfigure 

 beautiful spots in mining districts in the F M.S. 

 The Chinese Immigrant. 

 Just as in the F.M.S. — always one's standard 

 of comparison when one wants to measure the 

 progress of other colonies -the country has 

 been opened and developed by the Chinese 

 before the advent of the god Rubber ; in tho 

 same way Sumatra's east coast has looked for its 

 labour to China. I say "has looked for its 

 labour," for there has been no initial Chinese 

 enterprise except in the petty trade of the 

 towns'. Tho Chinese cannot obtain conce ssions. 

 The Dutch tobacco companies have protected 

 themselves against their possible competition. 

 Rich towkays would have commanded Chinese 

 labour to the exclusion of any other and might 

 have proved a state within the State. As it is, 

 tho Chinese represent 20 per cent, of the popu - 

 lation. But their community has no perma- 

 nency, owing to its special character, being 

 composed almost entirely of men (88,856 unmar- 

 ried as against 9,877 married.) The few rich 

 Chinamen are the captains of an army (the ex- 

 pression "Capitan China" is not inappropriate) 

 rather than the heads of a community. 

 Their influence over the coolies is great, hut 

 the coolies will remain a huge army which can 

 be disbanded when its services are no more 

 wanted. That event we shall not witness. 

 Tobacco would have to cease to exist, and, as 

 wo shall see, Dutch people do not believe in its 

 disappearance. Tho high percentage of the Chi- 

 nese population can only be counterbalanced 

 by an influx of another imported race, and that 

 the rubber industry can bo expected to bring 

 about— as it is doing in the F.M.S. with Tamils. 

 Labour. 



Javanese are the imported race on rubber 

 plantations in Sumatra. The cost per coolie is 

 80 guilders (I guilder = 70 dollar cents), 30 of 

 which are recoverable. Though the contract 

 lasts three years only, the coolies, on an ave- 

 rage, remain seven or eight years, which brings 

 the cost of recruiting to about the same as in the 

 F.M.S. The source of supply is inexhaustible, 

 which is more than can be said of the Tamil 

 districts in Southern India. If we add that 

 climate and soil are as good as in the F.M.S. 

 one can look forward to an increase in the 

 acreage under rubber. That increase will 

 receive a great impetus once Dutchmen en- 

 gage in it. Up to the present no Dutch com- 

 pany has been formed for the purpose of 

 planting rubber. The Dutch tobacco com- 

 panies have more than 350,000 acres 

 wholly unsuitable for tobacco, though in most 

 parts very good for rubber. Tiny pay a quit 

 rent of 1 guilder a bouw (If acre) for land 

 that cannot be used, and yet they will not part 

 with a plot of it, even when it would oblige a 

 rubber company, their neighbour. It would 

 take away something from their standing and 

 dignity. The only tobacco companies that have 

 taken up rubber are English, the Shanghai Su- 

 matra Tobacco Co., the United Langkat aud 

 Paya Jambu. A few small tobacco properties 

 belonging to private individuals or defunct com- 

 panies have also been turned into rubber estates. 



