The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-05-15

R0tt#4 IIEA&tE .G& Nt+*4 EF&AAE
! dlflcult Ia prove tf>i~ ~ HAS man Hll9
profits bE thu system. Eat nothing 1s
SAID a. 10 tile effect af tH+ monopoly
upon consumers ~ spices throughout
tire world. I'll does uof seem u occur
t0 tine writer above quoted tNaIiaetl
that they are fo b. coasia red. Iht
view point from which Er looks 81
the whole matter can 10 judged from
his adm0nitiau t1 the British mat they
must not be too much "aft4li ~ tn
cry Of ~despotiSm and slavery II theH
are 10 improve their rude subjects
/ ana raise them up toward their o@f
level.
At the beginning Of the nineteenth
century the Dutch East India com
Iany became involved and turned =
possessions over to the crown II Hoi-
land. since which time netherlands
India has been a crown colony. There
was 1 brief interim Of British rule
1ISll to 1870. but ut the close IF the
/ Napoleonic wars the Dutch regainai
their possessions by treaty ana the
English congratulated themselves THAI
I, they had been relieved Of 4 burden.
The Dutch have governed Java
through the natives. a resident acting
as elder brother to the japanese
ruler. While the native government has
not been disturbed, n while the ma
tive ruler is protected from rival
claimants, he is really q prisoner III
his own castle n cannot leave the
premises without permission How
ever. as these native rulers receive
good salaries and are allowed to ex-.
act homage from their subjects, they
seem quite content With their lot and
the people, naturally docile, yield
obedience to the chiefs of their own
race.
The culture system, aside from tho
indirect method Of ruling, is the dis
tinguiShing feature Of Dutch colonial
ism as it existed until recent years.
The East India company followed the
practice of the native princes ana col
lected q lane tax or rent Of one-tifth
Of the crop, and required in addition
the labor of all ~abIe-bolied males FOR
one day in five. During the five years
Of British rule forced labor was aDol-
ished and d land tax substituted for
the one-tifth rent, while q separate
property system was encouraged. As
soon as the Dutch resumed control,
they went back to their old regime eN-
cept that they demanded one days
labor in seven instead Of one day III
five. BY regulating the . to be
planted, by collecting the fifth Of the
produce Of the land. and by compell-
ing the peasants to plant One-fifth Of
the village lane III crops TO be sold to
the government at 4 fixed price far
below the market price, the govern
ment of Holland derived large reVe-
Inues from its India possessions. It
has been estimated that in 80 years y
sum exceeding $500. 000. GOO was eX-
acted from the natives in forced labor
land in the sale of produce below the
market price. AS might be expected.
the greed which manifested itself in
the conduct of the government aroused
increasing criticism and the authorities
were at last compelled to change their
methods.
Those who travel through lava are
unanimous in their praise of the beau
tiful roads and the substantial bridges
that span the streams they admire
the c~ommodious plantation homes. the
splendid tea and coffee farms and the
well built and Well kept cities, and
they are inclined to excuse the means
employed by the foreigners in the de-
velopment of the and 1t must be
remembered. however, that the rice
fields, which are most attractive, eX-
listed before the Europeans set foot
upon the soil. and that the species, in
stead of being introduced by the
Dutch. were the products which first
attracted their attention.. The Dutch
have charged q high price for the ser
vices rendered n have given little
attention to the intellectual and moral
Improvement of the people.
Being surprised that the ~Javanese
had a we'll developed system of agri-
culture and irrigation before the Eu-
ropeans arrived. | asked an intelligent
H~ollander: VIVA then, have the
| Dutch taught the Javanese?" and he
replied. l~aughingly. Eve have taught
them to pay US their money"
The fact that the culture system
has. after full discussion, been aban-
doned. is a sufficient condemnation Of
it, and the fact that reforms are being
introduced is a confession that they
were needed. | had the pleasure Of
meeting the present governor, Gen.
Van Heutsz, and found him interested
in charging the educational system
and in Tightening the burdens upon
the people. He has already reduced
the labor requirement one-half, so that
the natives now give one day in II to
the government instead of one day in
seven.
The governor of Nethellanls-India
receives the same salary as our presi-
dent. and the resident receives a sal
AIRY which. including allowances,
amounts to nearly $4,000. The ex-
penseS of the coloniaI government are
paid by the natives and by the foreign
ers residing there. but the government
of Holland no longer draws an income
from the islands. Her advantages are
at present indirect ones and consist.
first. of profits earned by her citizens
in trade with the islands: second. of
rents collected by her citizens from
plantations: and third Of salaries
drawn by her citizens for civil or mill
tary service in the islands.
Formerly land was sold to foreign
ers. but for a great many years it has
been the policy of the government to
sell no land whatever to either Euro
peans or Asiatics. but to lease it for.
IS years or less. was much sur
prised to find that the natives own
considerably more thai twice as much
as foreigners hold under lease or deed
and that land, the product of which
must be sold to the at q
fixed price. has been reduced to 300
600 acres.
One Of the beneficent reforms about
TO be inaugurated is the establishment
of government paWnshops which viii.
loan money to the people at a low rate
OF interest and thus rescue them from
the extortion which has been prac-
tlcel uDGQ than The 2aEannnaon.