Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-28
GOLDEN AMSTERDAM
It is One of the Richest Cities
of Europe.
AMERICAN SECURITIES
THE DUTCH ARE MAKING FOR
TUNES OUT OF DIAMONDS.
How These Precious Stones Are Cut
and PoHshed-Uncle Sam
in Holland.
AMERICAN SECURITIES
Copyright, 1903. by Frank G. Carpenter)
q - I.-.--.u.on.Ia.n, % no

Copyright. 1908. by Frank C. Carpenter)
Specla Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
AMSTERDAM.
Amsterdam is one of the richest cities
Of Europe. 1t has several multf-million-
aires scores OF millionaires and thousands
who have luxurious incomes. 1t has some
of the chief banking firms of the world
and its stock investments are almost as
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. l am told that
the Amsterdam brokers have made some
thing like SJO,OOO0OO in the past few years
In American stocks and that they consider
our securities as good any of the world.
Not long ago there was something like
SJ,O00,0O0 worth of United States steel
stock held in Amsterdam, including 1850
shares of the preferred and 12S,OO0 shares
of the common. There is much Southern
Pacific and Grand Trunk, some c., B. and
O., quite lot Of Denver and Rio Grande.
some Atchison, Topeka and Kansas City
and in all more or less of about one hun
bred different American stocks.
Among the leading securities sold on the
stock exchange are those of Dutch compa-
mics doing busiress 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
Celebes, and many of them are paying big
dividends They give some idea as to what
our capitalists may do In the Philippines
later on. Take the matter of tobacco, there
are fourteen different companies which
have estates in Java or Sumatra, and the
stock of many of them is far above par.
The Dell Maatschappy ranges from $500
to $500 for 500 shares and 1t pays divi-
bends of from ten to twenty-eight per cent.
The Senembah Tobacco Company pays
ftrC oh no Amsterdam Deli
from forty-seven to thirty-five per cent,
and the Rotterdam Deli about twelve per
cent The Padang Tobacco Company ranges
from 40 to 179, and the Serdang is over 200.
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 Sumatra and Borneo but so far
the oil Is much below that of the United
States in character and the output is not
large.
Big Amsterdam Banks.
There are many big banks here. some
backed by Jews and some by Christians.
The Jewish population Is large, comprising
altogether some $4,000. 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
combina ton. 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 today one
4 the chief spice markets of the world
She has had to have plenty of money to
back her enterprises and this has led to
the growth of 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 500 and the German
Government Bank shares sell at 165 Then
there is the Java Bank, which does a large
trade IN the East Indies paying between
seven and eight per cent; Netherlands
Bank and Credit Association for South
Africa the Amsterdam Bank, the Rotter-
dam Bank and number of others.
East Indian Mining Stocks.
Within the past few years quite deal of
speculation has been done in mining shares
OF the Dutch colonial companies, which are
exploiting mines of gold, coal and tin. The
companies operate in Borneo, Sumatra,
Banka, the Celebes and in Dutch Guiana on
the north coast of South America So far
the gold mines of the East Indies have
not amounted to very much, but the shares
or Guiana companies are quoted at 200 and
more and appear to be doing well. The tin
mines OF the Island of Banka are very
profitable. One tin company has recently
doubled its dividends, and the Billion mines
are turning out even more than in the past.
The Dutch steamship companies are MAX
irg money. The Holland-American line
pays good dividends. The great company
that has the monopoly Of the trade of the
there are a number Of other Companies
which pay from to II per cent right
along.
Money in Diamonds.
The Dutch are making fortunes out of
diamonds. They buy them In the rough
and cut and polish them for the markets.
They have been doing this for generations
and have made Amsterdam the chief dia-
mond cutting and polishing place of the
world. The work Is mostly done by Portu-
guese Jews. who have been engaged In It
from father to son for hundreds of Years
There are 1900 such men here who do
nothing else. and they are the most skilled
OF their kind IN the world They work for
IN! ,he capitalists at regular wages, some in
little shops and others in factories There
are In all about sixty factories In the city
with 700 or 500 polishing stones In which
the men work day In and day out upon dia-
monds for export.
are bought every year and when polished
are sent to all parts of the world Within
Ine last rev years OF good times in the
United States some OF the best stones have
come to US and we are now taking about
s5.OD.OOO worth every year We have ROW
the green Hope diamond. for which pier
pont Morgan is said to have offered a
quarter OF a million dollars and several
other large stones are now being cut which
may so into the hands OF American mil
Nonaires. $50
In Big Diamond Factory.
In company with Mr.. Frank d. Hill. our
American consul. was shown over one of
the largest and richest of the Dutch dta
mond works this afternoon. 1t was that OF
Mr. Roster. on Zwanenburger STRAIT. the
factory that cut the Kohinoor for Queen
Victoria. the one In which the Grand Mogul
was shaped and the one where the Orion
diamond was polished up for the Gar OF
Russia 1t is. venture, the most important
oiamond-cutting mill of the world
And sun II Is anything but imposing II
is dirty three-story brick building In
the Jewish quarter Of Amsterdam. Situated
on narrow street and looking more like a
tenement house than a mill which grinds
ornaments for millionaires and their heir-
esses. The hall which we entered was mar
row and the wooden stairs we climbed were
no better than those of many a barn in
pennsylvania. The walls as high nm as
your shoulder were painted dead black and
whitewashed above. The steps were hla OH