The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-01

Epecfal Correspondence OF The Sunday Republic
Amsterdam Feb. s.-Amsterdam Is one OF
fhe richest cities of Europe. 1t has several
multim.llionaires, scores OF millionaires and
thousands who have luxurious incomes. 1t
has some Of tbs chief banking firms Of the
world and .ts stock Investments are almost
rs varied as those of London An enormous
amount Of American securities are held
. here, and our stocks are bought and sold
every day on the exchange
am told that the Amsterdam brokers
have made something like $4,000, 600 in the
past few years in American stocks and that
they consider our securities as good as any
Of the world. Not long ago there was
something like 100000 worth Of United
States Steel stock held In Amsterdam, IN
Guiding 1,55e shares of the preferred ana
72S.0oO shares of the common. There Is much
Southern Pacific and Grand Trunk. some C.,
d. &c O.. quite a lot Of Denver and Rio
Grende, some Atchison. Topeka and San
ga Fe. and In all more or less OF about
pne hundred different American stocks.
Among the leading securities sold on the
Stock Exchange are those of Dutch COM
panies doing business In Hollands East In
dian colonies. There are no end OF COM
panies here which have been organized to
develop Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the
Eelebes, and many Of them are paying big
dividends. They give some idea ss to what
our capitalists may do In the Philippines
later on. Take the matter Of tobacco. There
nre fourteen different companies which have
estates in Java or Sumatra, and the stock
Of many Of them Is far above par.
The Deli Maatschappy ranges from $400
70 $500 for 800 shares and II pays dividends
Of from 10 to Is per cent. The Senembah
. hrobacco Company pays Is per cent. the Am
sterdam Dell from Il to Is per cens aad the
Rotterdam Dell about II per cent The
10 I79, and the Serdang Is over 100. Some of
the companies doing business in Borneo are
paying good dividends.
The Dutch petroleum enterprises are less
prosperous. The companies here have oil
fields in SumRtra and Borneo. but SO far
the oil Is much below that Of the United
States in character and the output IL not
large.
JEWISH POPULATION OF THIRTY
-FOUR THOUSAND PERSONS.
There are mary big banks here. some
backed by Jews and some by Christians.
The Jewish population Is large. comprising
altogether some 34,coo Many Of the Jews
are descendants of those who came here
from Lisbon during the Middle Ages and
engaged in lending money and in shipping
projects.
Others came from Germany and Eastern
Europe. The Dutch themselves are among
the safest and best business men Of the
world, and with the Jews make strong
combination. They have never been afraid
TO invest in ventures that promised well
and they have always pushed out for new
things.
Amsterdam laid the foundation OF her
wealth through her spice trade with the
Dutch East Indies. She had the monopoly
of this trade when the Dutch East INDIA
Company was formed and she Is to-day one
of the chief spice markets OF the world
She has had to have plenty of money TO
back her enterprises, and this has leo 10
the growth of a large banking business.
One of the Oldest banks is that OF the
Netherlands, which is quoted at 200 per
cent and upwards. The French Bank shares
are worth as high as 800 and the German
Government Bank shares sell at 16s. Tnen
there are the Java Bank. which does a large
trade in the East Indies, paying between
2 and s per cent; Netherlands Bank ana
Credit Association for South Africa. the
Amsterdam Bank, the Rotterdam Bank ana
q number OF others.
4 Within the past few years quite deal OF
speculation has been done in mining snafes
Of the Dutch colonial companies which are
exploiting mines Of gold, coal and TIN. Inc
companies operate IN Borneo, Sumatra,
Banka, the Cele5es and In Dutch Guiana on
the north coast of South America.
50 far the gold mines OF the East Indies
hsve not amounted to very much. but the
shares of Guiana companies are quoted at
800 and more and appear 10 be doing vel.
The tin mines Of the Island Of Banka are