The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-06-23
ISLANDERS
Longing For Ships For Trad.
ing Purposes
Residents Of MaldiVe Isles
Would Barter Much Modern
Goods


ers of the world are apparently over
| looking the Maldive islands, according
to Rev. p Middleton Brunwell of Co.
lombo, who recently completed an in
teresting trip to these little known
islands. Mr.. Brunwell went as guest
of the steamship which was specially
chartered to bring the young son of the
Sultan of Maldive from Male, the capi-
tai of the island group, to Ceylon. The
heir apparent to the Maldiviah throne
is an interesting youth, and he is now
attending the government training
school in Ceylon.
The Maldive islands are little known.
They have been called the Thousand
Islands" of the Pacific. They lie about
300 miles southwest of the peninsula
of India. They are of coral formation
and arranged in seventeen atolls and
surrounded by and protected from the
sea by coral reefs.
There should be remarkable scope
for development in the Maldives," Mr..
Brunwell writes. "The soil appears TO
be most uniformly excellent for the
growth of cocoanuts. / am informed
that on one of the islands the annual
crop was 100000 nuts. With a regular
monthly steamer service the trade in
| cocoanuts might be extensively devel
oped. The ministers and advisers to
the sultan are fully alive to the possi-
bilities of the islands, and appear 70
be most anxious to accomplish their
development. In fact the government
is distinctly liberal and very go
ahead, and there is strong desire to
open up trade with the outer world.
"At present the principal transac.
tlons are done by barter and exchange
The products of the island are ex-
changed with the Bombay merchants
for rice, curry, foodstuffs and bazar
produce generally. Money is used to
very small extent"
Mr.. Brunwell found the sultan very
courteous and much interested in af.
fairs of the outside world He also
found much TO interest him while
visitor in Maldive. He met the sultan
at his ''palace" in Male.
Mr.. Brunwell continues: "He showed
deep anxiety for the interests of his
people and the progress of the islands
was a little surprised to notice
telephone on Male island. 1t connects
the customhouse with the sultan's pal
ace, the postoffice and the government
buildings. 1t seemed remarkable that
there was an ample supply of fresh
water available on Male island. Ap-
parently well can be sunk anywhere
and fresh water obtained.
There is practically no crime on
the Islands, no murder and no theft.
No intoxicating liquors and no opium
are allowed on the islands. The only
punishment meted out to offenders ap-
pears to be deportation to another is.
land. In the sultan's palace some for
|midable looking canes were pointed out
to us as being formerly used for cor.
poral punishment, but these are now
merely historical curios.
There are no taxes, the revenues
being obtained from an import duty on
the different goods brought into Male
by the Bombay traders, and also from
small duty on produce brought into
Male from other atolls. The inhab-
lants OF Male appear to be more or
less government dependents. They
nave land given to them; they live
free of rent: they build their own
houses, but the house material is pro-
videG. The inhabitants have recently
bulit their ruler new palace, which,
however, looks like an ordinary Cey.
Ion bungalow.
u noticed when passing through
the streets of the pretty town that
everything looked extremely clean. On
making inquiries learned that every
householder has TO keep the part of
the road in front of his home clean,
and where there are no houses the
government employs scavengers to do
the work. White sand is strewn in the
streets and the result is remarkably
clean appearance.
Though the religion of the islands
is Mohammedan, yet women have full
liberty to go with their faces uncov-
cred. Moreover, the Mohammedan
priests during the daytime are en-.
gagged in ordinary work"
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