Evening star., 1901-12-14

merchants, making a very pleasant foreign
colony. Dill is laid out in modern style, its
streets being lighted by electricity. 1t has
two banks, two good hotels, two clubs. a
racing association and many Chinese, Japa-
nese, Indians, Malay and King business
houses. 1t is the center of the tobacco ex-
porting trade, and it imports great deal
of rice from the Strait Settlements.
In eastern Sumatra is the largest city of
the island. 1t is known as Palembang and
is the capital of the residency of that
name; 1t has a population of about 10000,
and has considerable export and import
trade with Singapore, Siam, Batavia and
China. 1t has a European quarter with
the usual assortment of clubs, business
houses, etc. The people are largely Mo
hammedans, and it has mosque foored
with marble, which has a minaret 100 feet
high. -o0'
How the Dutch Govern Sumatra
Inc Dutch have applied the same govern
ment TO Sumatra as to Java, but their sue
cess in controlling the people has been far
greater In the latter island. The Malays of
Sumatra are more wild and savage than the
Jayanese. Many of them, like the Achinese.
refuse to be controlled, and there are fre-
quent rebelliOns. Eastern Sumatra is still
divided INTO a number of semi-independent
states, each ruled by its own prince or
chlef, who may be called sultan raiah or
datto Ihese rulers are assisted by the
Dutch officials and as far as possible the
government is carried on through Thorn
The Dutch have d court at Dill and also
native courts elsewhere. The most imp0r-
lant cases are taken to Batavia to be tried
and matters of note are referred to the gov
ernor general of the Dutch East indies at
that point "
Lands may be leased of the princes for q
certain number of years and labor NAV be
hired under certain conditions The laws
require that the wages must be paid bv the
month and that the employer must furnish
ms ms iaporers with medical attendance and
1000 when they are sick. All land con-
tracts to Europeans are subject to the con-
sent of the resident Dutch governor. and
mining contracts have to be approved NV
the Dutch governor general. In nearly ali
Ine provinces the Dutch collect the Gus
Luis duties ana ordinary revenues.
Gold and Coal Oil.
I have not been able to discover rnucb az
10 the mineral wealth Of Sumatra Gold
and silver are known to exist. and the coun-
try has Mount Ophir, but whether its
name has anything to do with the gold of
Ophlr do not know. There are gold fields
about Padang which have been noted for
centuries and placer mines in other narts
OF OF the island which are still in operation.
Inere Is some tin along the coast of the
strait and there are copper mines near the
Merapi volcano Iron has been smelted for
centuries by certain of the tribes, and there
much speculation in the stock markers Of
the various ports of the far east. There is
one oil region known as the I.angkat winch
mas MADE fortunes on paper for the foreign
ers in Shanghai. but so far as | can learn
no great quantity of petroleum has yet
come from them.
The Tin Mines of BanIsa.
Among the richest mineral regions of this
part of the world are those on some of the
smaller islands about Sumatra. I passed
the Island of Banka in coming to Sineanore
lhs Island IS separated from Sumatra by
the Banka straits. Almost adjoining n is
the Island of Billion. Banka is about half
again as large as Porto Rico and Billion
about one and one-half times the size of
Rhode Island. Both these islands have
enormous deposits of tin, their output
amounting to several million dollars ANN
ally. The mines are a monopoly of the
Dutch government, which works them with
Chinese cheap labor. Much of the tin is
alluvial; it Is washed out and smelted by
the Chinese. The chief town of Banka is
Muntok, which is the seat Of the Dutch GOV
ernment. 1t is a little city of 1000. and ia
port of call for Dutch steamers between
Batavia and Singapore.
FRANK G. CARPENTER