The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-07
SUMATRaN ron trCO STUDENT.
Hanaea Mere 20 zee HOw We Ds Things
ln the aoueh.

From away out in Sumatra. where tho
Dutch have been growing cigar wrappers
aud fighting the natives for many years.
Gomez Peter Hansen, who was At the
Holla nd House Yesterday. Mr. Hansen 10
Dane. but h. has been making his home
~ Sumatra for twenty-five years, during
the last five 81 which he has been the
manager 81 the only English tobacco
planting company On the island.
MIR. Hansen has come over at the In
stance Or some American tobacco firms
representatives Of which he met in
Amsterdam. which 10 the worlds market
for Sumatra tobacco. to make an inquiry
into tobacco growing condition in the
South
In Sumatra there Ia seldom an over
production Of tobacco. the crop being
being kept within limits as far as pOs-
sible.- said Mr.. Hansen. There are
apt tn he just about so many cigars
smoked In the world in the course Of a
year. and the demand for SumatTa to-
bacco can bs est ma ted ahead with some
degree OF accuracy.
The labor in tho island ~ supplied
entirely nv Javanese and Chinese. whom
consider about the hest Of any labor
that can be had Va import the work
men by shiploads, and they are indentured
for a time. the Chinese for one year and
the Javanese for three. This system
has good results. Az for the Sumatrans
they won't work. II 10 beneath them
Surnatra is bigger than Prussia and !,
only has 5000 .o00 inhabitants. and II 10
not hard for them To get fed without
having Ia work. Java. on the contrary
has population of 3g.OoO 100 and nature
does not supply enough food 20 begin to
20 around
The Dutch have always been sue
ceesful IN their government Of Java and
Suma1ra. because they made no attempt
20 upset local condi tons. IL 10 true that
IN the northern part Of Sumatra they have
been fighting the Achiness for thirty-fve
years. but the warfare has been 81 the
sort that the American Government has
had to wage in the savage parts Of the
Philippines. and everything now IL peace
and that seems To he as good a religion |
for most purposes a. any. There are a. |
many a. ten Sultans on the east coast |
each Of whose dominions used Co b.. |
independent. but they are all under the |
% Holland some 81 these I
sulsans have changed their mode ~ life |
very considerably within my recollection !
! know Of one who used 90 he satisfied to
live In nut. Now he lives IN a palace
and owns a motor car.
Not many AmeT1Cans ever got to
Sumatra, though ! have noticed that -
late years great many Who have been
on tours have stopped at Java aud taken
n the island. There 40 not much pleasure
Tor the foreigner IN Sumatra. for he ~
usually striving for the dollar as hard az
anybody over here. Iife 10 a sort ~ hard
grind STILL IN IN. afternoons az S every
body gathers for tennis and there ara
piCnIcs and horseback riding The
planter IN the island does not hunt. He
hasn't time You may walk for q
week IN some directions without meeting
4 single human being. though Won will
a~e numbers Of elephants. tigers. bears
i-sr and Wild pig.
There are frequent earthquakes in
hat part 81 the Fast buu in SunlatrA they
are not violent. and you get used 20 them
sfter n time Ia fact they never have a
good shskeup more than once q year