Oct. i, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
THE NATIVES 
are naturally indolent and unthrifty, but the 
Dutch planters are second to none in in- 
telligence and in their capacity as agricul- 
turists, and in thoroughness — in faot the latter 
quality might perhaps be deemed to more than 
compensate Anglo-Saxon exertion and aotivity. The 
Government are careful to correct the native apathy 
by many methods which we might deem extra- 
neous ; suob es requiring them to cultivate, and 
dictating the succession of crops, preventing the 
sale or mortgage of their family and oomrnunal 
lands to aliens; but " let them laugh who 
win," 'J here is 
SCAKCELY A PAUPER 
among thirty million inhabitants, and the only diffi- 
culty our Ceylon friends have enoountered in rapidly 
opening their extensive coffee lands arises from the 
prosperity of the indigenous population. The 
difficulty however is thought to be but temporary. 
The lands are in the middle of a vast expanse 
of primeval forest, and the villagers in the 
distriot have their occupations and msan3 of 
livelihood. 
LABOUR 
oan be attracted from more thickly popu- 
lated centres (just as for Ceylon estates) 
and such people will not have ocoasion 
to return to their homes to harvest the tobacco 
or paddy crops. There is a difference of as much 
as four hundred per cent betweea oooly wages in 
West and East Java, the tea planters and others 
in West Java paying sometimes as little as 15 cents 
of a guilder a day, as against 60 cents paid in 
East Java; and here it may be remarked that 
the low wages on the estates enables planters to 
work profitably notwithstanding the oompiratively 
low prices of 
JAVA TEAS 
and the absence of any discount in Exchange— 20 
cents of a guilder at Is 8d is about the same 
as 257 oants of a rupee at la 2d. However, it 
does not seem probable that many new tea 
land3 will be opened. At present Java exports 
nearly 8 million pounds and imports about 3 
million, the people saeming to think that China 
tea is the oorreot artiole, though to our taste 
the Java is better, This may be accounted for 
by the presenoe of so many Chinese (nearly 
J million in all Java) principally traders and 
of the better class, none of them being 
labourers or domestic servants, though a few 
may be seen carrying goods near the wharves 
in Sourabaya. 
THE WEALTHIEST MAN IN JAVA 
is a Chinaman, and a large proportion of 
the Chinese were born in Java and have no 
intention of visiting China, There are some speoial 
laws and regulations regarding their domioile 
for they are so muoh more intelligent than the 
natiye raoea that they could easily get the better 
of them if not restrained. They own sugar factories 
and trade whole oargoes to China &c. : and as rail- 
way olerks, Bank shroffs, writers, shopkeepers &o. : 
appear very useful andrespeotable members of sooiety. 
Notes of the visit would be incomplete without 
some reference to the 
MODES OF TRAVEL. 
There are many most admirable main roads which, 
speaking generally are muoh broader than those 
in Ceylon, and all are well shaled with fine trees, 
principally tamarind trees in the low country, 
But often Waa trees, oalled in Java, Djohar. The 
roads were made and are for the moat part 
maintained by unpaid labour, eaoh village 
or Kampong beiny assigned a share, Easy 
travelling is much assisted by turning all the 
heavy cart-traffic on to one side of the road— • 
r;ally off the road, excepting at the oulverls and 
br elg^s. 
THE NATIVE- PONIES, 
whioh are everywhere met with, are a souree 
of considerable wealth to the country. They 
are very hardy and long-winded and travel 
as well as any horses. Those bred in Sandal- 
wood Island are reckoned the best, but 
the Birma and Timor ponies are soaro3ly 
less useful. The value cf the native ponies 
i3 from £20 to £50 guilders and they will trot with 
the'r load 15 miles, with a short halt half way 
for a light repast of rioe and molassss. The 
only reason apparent for these poaies being bred 
in Java and not in Ceylon is the better pasturage 
of green herbage io Java, The villagers own 
ponies as our villagers own bullocks, but the 
ponie3 are more serviceable. Men and women are 
seen riding them to market with their pro- 
duce in paniers, and every form of vehicle on 
wheels iB to be m9t with, having from one to four 
ponies as may be requisite. One can travel in the 
Java tosns as far for 25 cents in a dos-a-dos' 
for 2 as one can travel in a '»icksha in Colombo, 
The roads in ana near towns are lighted at night 
by kerosine oil lamp3 suspended over the middle 
of the road from wires stretched across tree to 
tree, whioh is muoh more effective than standard 
lamps on the road sicle. 
Of the numerous Voloanoes, the agriculture, the 
trade and coasting steamer traffic, railways, tram- 
ways, posts, telegraphs and telephone 3 , the standing 
army of 30, COO (about half of which is engaged 
in the Aoheen war), the wonderful antiquities, 
the Government, and communal village system, 
land tenure &c, &c, more might be said, but 
it would be beyond the sooge of these notes. 
One faot is however of iaterest. 
THE NATIVES ARE GOVERNED THROUGH THE 
NATIVES, 
and a "mirable crdar and respeot are main- 
tained. The native officials are all paid, 
and well paid, on salaries (oesides a'low- 
ances) ranging from £40 up to £1,000 starling 
a yea? in each Province or Residency, of which 
there are some 22. The Senior Officers are dupli- 
cated, so that there is one European and one Native 
at each of the more important posts throughout 
the county; and heavy though the cost may 
appear to be, the thorough system of responsible 
control is surely worth it all when coroparad 
with a system that does not attain, with 
equal eucoess, to the primary objects of 
civiiiza'ion — the safety of life and property — 
THE TAXES 
may be deemed high but they are mainly 
levied upon profits or profitable property — not 
tithes or "rent" upon gross returns whether pro- 
fitable or not — and while the English are wont 
to express horror at the suggestion of export duty, 
the Dutch are content to take it, in a degree that 
is tolerable and when the agriculturist oannot be 
brought under contribution in any other way. 
THE MONETARY SYSTEM 
of Java and the Dutoh East Indies represents the 
ideal which the Indian Government his aimed at 
in closing its Mints and offering to exchange 15 
Rupees for a pound sterling. Silver and t he dollars 
of the East fall, but 12 guilders (each worth Is. Sd. 
when the rupee was worth 2s. ) continue to ex- 
change for a pound, and though there is ilms a 
golel standard, gold is rarely seen in the internal 
commerce of flic country and most of the natives 
would prefer to bo paid in silver or by a note of 
the Java Bank, I he Agriculturist who iaveste 
