The evening times., 1898-10-22
BICYCLE Riding IN JAVA
Confined Entirely to Foreign
ers i'm the Island.
GRADES OF WHEELS USED
Few Women Indulge i'm the Pleas
ure, as 1t lis ImmOdest for a Girl
Over Fifteen Years Old to Appear
on IL Bike-Chances for American
Manufacturers.

American Consul Sidney B. Everett, at
Batavia, sends a report to the State De-
partment concerning the use of bicycles
in the Island of Java. Wheeling in that
section of the globe, the consul says, is
confined entirely to Europeans, half
castles and Chinese, the Arabs and natives
not having taken it up. Elderly people
do not ride, as they do at home, and wo-
men very little, as it is considered immod-
est for a girl over fifteen TO ride bicy
Gle He does not recommend sending any
ladies' wheels TO Java.
The consul further writes:
About GO per cent of the wheels in use
here are cheap, and the majority of these
cheap ones are German. This is due not
only TO the enterprise of the Germans,
which has far surpassed that of any other
country, but also to the fact that people
here are very close and penurious, and
always buy the cheapest article obtaina-
BILE, regardless of quality.
'Of the better grade of bicycles, nearly
all are English. These We're the first in
the field. They are very heavy and clum-
sy, and ought TO be easily supplanted by
There are distinct signs that few people
are appreciating the fact that it pays to
buy a good wheel, and il that idea
spreads ideas are slow to spread here)
our manufacturers should have great
opportunity.
Strange 10 relate, the most fastidious
and the most willing 10 pay good prices
are the Chinese, who are becoming en-
7 IT.. IsE,.- f.ar
able TO stand the heat than Europeans.
although the use of bicycles is
spreading steadily all the time, the in
crease is not at the rate OF two years
ago. The reason for this is that when
every one who wanted d bicycle had
bought one, the demand at once ceased,
and has since been merely from newcom-
ers or boys growing up. The idea OF buy
ing a new machine every year, as we
do ar home, Is incomprehensipe TO peO-
pie here, and the wheels they bought two
or three years ago Will be made TO last
until they drop 10 pieces.
The wear on wheels is not very great.
Long-dstance riding is unknown, al
though the roads everywhere are almost
perfect. The sun, however is hot, and
the only time one can ride is for an hour
in the early morning, and about the same
| in the evening. Riding at night, even
with a lamp, is looked upon with disap.
| proval and suspicion though il is not
| prohibited. Consequently, with care.
| there is no reason why a wheel should
| not last ten years In spite of all this,
| the bicycle dealers maintain that the bus
| iness is increasing slowly. and they think
| that with proper effort a very large num-
| her of additional converts to bicycle rid
| ing could be made among the Chinese.
81 am frequently asked 10 give the
I L
| act as agents for American firms Aside
| from the hesitation / feel in recommend
| ing any particular firm in preference to
! others, / must emphasize the absolute
uselessness of trying to arrange business
! of this sort by correspondence or circu.
/ lars. II is waste of time and paper.
Recently a certain American bicycle
| firm, having at last become impressed
with the futility of circulars and corre-
! spondence, sent a man here TO arrange
agencies and terms. He has in a month.
| been all over Java, and has been con-
| spicuously successful in every city. not
only in the quantity of wheels sold. but
| In the terms on which he has sold them.
| Previously the firm had sold very few
and had no prospects. Now, | venture to
assert that three-fourths of the new
wheels of good quality sold within the
! next six months will be those of that
| nm bt'duSt Alltg ptitlS dLtINe4N push
| ed; and the terms this American repre-
sentative arranged with the agents here
are such that it is to their interest 10
| sell his wheels only
In Consul Everetts opinion the kind of
| wheel II would best pay an American con-
| Germ TO push would be a good medium
grade. 1t is hardly worth while just yet
| TO try to sell the very best, as few peo-
| pie are willing TO pay the prices. On the
| other hand, in the very cheap grades it is
useless, as we'll as bad policy, to attempt
to compete with the Germans. Let Amer
lean goods be we'll made and honest. and,
| If properly pushed, they will surely find a
market in an island where the roads are
| perfect and where there are 10000 Euro
peans dncluding half-castes, who are Off
cially called Europeans) and hundreds of
| thousands of Chinese.