New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-10

ure, hygiene and the like
Mr. Cabaton's book Is, however. first
Of all a description Of the geology. fauna
and fora Of the Dutch East Indies, of
their agricultural products and mineral
wealth, developed and undeveloped, OF
their native races, chiefly Javanese,
Malays and Indonesians. of the foreign
Oriental elements and admixtures OF
their populations, Hindu, Chinese and
Arab, Of their Babel of tongues and dia-
lects. and OF the able administration OF
this mass by the Dutch. who. since the
| abolition of the C0rr6c late In the last
century. have. according TO the author
apparently Frenchman. given the
| islanders a model colonial government
The Kingdom of Holland, as we used
to read in our school Biographies. has
an area Of 12,7OO square miles. and
population Of about five millions. Her
Asiatlc possessions, commonly known as
the Dutch East Indies, comprise an ap-
proximate area OF COS. 600 square miles,
which is fifty-eight times the area OF
Holland and nearly three and a halt
times that Of France. Their population
Is estimated at 1902, 500. or seven
times that of Holland. These figures
are, however, only approximately cor
| rect.
lava alone has a population OF 3d.
| 100000. the result, according TO MT.
Cabaton. of the tyrannous cOrree sys-
tenn. which forced the incident easy
| going natives to develop their agri-
cultural resources to the utmost, for the
benefit of their rulers at first, but, after
| the abolition of the system, for their
own as well. 1t is to Java that the
greater part of the book is devoted, be-
cause there the Dutch method Of colonial
government and its excellent results can
| best be studied. That administration
| has from the very first been based on
| the principle of the minimum of inter-
fer nee with native customs and beliefs,
! the functions of government being nom
inally exercised by native rulers. from
the two great Sutans OF the Interior
down to the head men of the village
communities, each having by his side
according to their rank-the real powers
behind the throne, whose word is COM
mand, however softly spoken. The en-
lightened. liberal policy of the Dutch
government in the East Indies is, of
course far from popular with the Dutch
planters, who have their pronounced
opinion Of the Dutch equivalent for
niger love" but the result is a peace
full, contented colony, growing in wealth
and population, capable TO support even
far greater numbers, once the natives
begin to see the necessity of working
| with thought not only for the morrow
| but for the next generation as well. The
| Javanese are Mahometans, but they are
not fanatics. The Arab preachers Of
pan-Islamism make no perceptible i'm
preston upon them.
It is in Sumatra that the troubles of
| the Dutch begin. Here are found the
ablest, the most energetic administra
| tors in the colonial service, and they a. g
| needed there, for the population Of this
island consists chiefly Of Malays, far diff
| ferent in their characteristics from the
docile, friendly little brown men" If
Java. The natural wealth Of Sumatra is
probably as great as that Of Java, but it
! is as yet only partly developed, the
| island itself having thus far been only
imperfectly explored. Borneo, which is
half as large again as France, but has
an estimated population Of only 100000
natives, Of whom 100000 are head
hunting Dyaks Is still the least known,
the least submissive and the least profit
able, because the least exploited, Of all
the Dutch colonial possessions. It's
climate IS residential, not on account of
the heat which is quite bearable, but
because Of its enormous rainfall its
many rivers and swamps and its impen-
etrable forests. The scant, savage ma
tive population refuses to work, what
ever the inducements offered. The de-
velopment of British Borneo, where
labor is plentiful, has demonstrated the
possibilities Of this huge island, whose
natural resources the author places
far above even those of Java and
! Sumatra:
Borneo has all the gifts needful 10 make
1t one of the fairest and richest countries
of the globe. Its soil rivals that of Java
and Sumatra in fertility. the subsoil is
even richer than the soil. Neither Java nor
| Sumatra can rival with Borneo In min
eral wealth; Gold. silver, lead copper
anthony. zinc, bismuth, platinum mer-
! curry. arsenic, coal and petroleum are
! found. Diamonds are found In the Niagara
! district. Although the diamonds have
| become less plentiful and the gold is APP
| parently giving out there are coal-meas-
| ures and oil-felds, which TO our unitarian
| eyes form a more solid form of wealth.
| Here are found all kinds OF build
! ing timber, and trees of all the varieties
| that produce gums and resins; so that II
| sufficient labor and a sufflciency OF good
| roads were available the exploitation of the
| forests would not merely tend TO improve
| the health Of the island, but would enrich
| IT incidentally
From Celebes Mr.. Cabaton proceeds TO
the Moluccas-the spice isands"-hav-
ing already visited the tin islands
Banka and Billion; then to Timor. Bali
and LomboK, and by way Of the Flores
group to Dutch New Guinea.
| The book is of interest to us who have
undertaken the government and devel-