FROM JAVA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 591, 20 August 1909, Page 6

FROM JAVA.

WHERE THE BROWN MAN FLOURISHES. DUTCH EAST INDIES. Visiting Wellington just now" is Memhcei J. L. do Wejor, notary public at Pekalongan, in Java, his «ifo, and son It is a far ory to tropical Ja\a from Now Zealand, and in mid-winter it seems a deal farther than it is. We know ot Batavia, of Surabajo, of Samarang, but Pokalongan did not enter into our geography until ptaisantlj introduced by M, do Wejer, whose gentle urbanity was all the after he had said in tho prettiest ot broken English how delightful his visit had been to Now Zealand Jle had been sent this wa\ bj bib medical adviser —a wise man —lor tho good ot his nerves, and iwu. mightily improved bj the tup Tfley had come irom Melbourne to tho Blutt, through v the South. Island, visiting Invercaigill and Lake WaLatipu, and m the north had enjojed themselves vastly at Lake Taupo, Wairakoi, and Kotoma.

"We have volcanoes and craters —many of them—active, too, but we have no gej-be-rs and hot springs \ou havo a moro wondorrul countiy than ours, and I am glad I came I know of no one in Java who has been here, so I will have to tell them all about it when I get back

"You see—it-is all so different. Wo get no cold weather. 'Our. seasons are hot. season and the wet season; There is no cold. Temperature-seldom drops _ below !iS degrees,-and in ; the hot season it is about 90 degrees, which is .not so'bad: aa you have it in "Australia. ; -'.. ■■.-://.•■'■, . ' .

,'."My .- town—Pekalbngan—is/'"about. one. day's' trip .along■ Ithe■ coast.from Batavia.. Froni there "is "exported .large quantities 'of sugar/and'rice",' 'products'common to the .country, and , also .tea," coffee,., kapec,:, and now rubber. Minerals—no, but in Sumatra gold.and petroleum .are produced. That.is a •VCTy" rich '■:■■ Sumatra is thirteen times as as "Holland, and ■ Java four times /as big. l Then our/possessions in-, elude the Celebes "group, of I'don't know NVhat area-—all very- . . M. de.Weyer was ;born in the Indies,,but received .his education in Holland.: To , occupy any position of eminence, in the Dutch Indies one must grapplei witH at least four or five .languages.' Javanese, Malay, and Dutch are essential; German and French are useful.} English, .well; English'did not matter so much, : ;/ but" a : smattering cahie , in handy... That is rather : humiliating value of. languages in Java.and Sumatra. . M. de W.dyer , is. fluent" in tho essentials, .can. get ,'albiig ..nicely in .the useful, and/,has more .than a.smattering'of English.; So it is with his '. wife' and son.. / Indeed, Vrouw, de Weyer's Malayese , is purer than that of. her husband. She",, too, was born in the Indies. —in' a part of: Sumatra..where : the Malay tongue is less contaminated than elsewhere in the group.'- ; ;InN: a .namb '-, for . the musical comedy ; merchaht!—there is.'a'/whito ' .-mostly'.DutchT-population '-.of about .2000, and a ; swarm -'of- native^Javanese"; who keep ;tb,' their -.own' v quarter •of the - city..; /Th e. ;Javanese / are'. a. ivirilo;; .clean, '.industrious people; the.Tery. admirable precepts of -their own religion. ;The missionary : ;h'as, no '''chance', there.' .Th'e.-race increases aiid : multiplies wpridrdusly; 'though' the .hand/of, the white man has.exerted a,sovereignty over ■the Indies , for. so. '10ng...- The Dutch /East Indies are'.governed-;from. Holland, which means that: there -is , no -franchise ■'■ or. Parliaments Tlie. Dutck' Gbyernment is- representeiin/each city-:ahd'port;by a-Ilbsident/and . Under-Besident, who are: answerable to tho ..Gove'r.nor^General' sitting: at', Batavia.',, wise, tho riative'population is'supervised in sections>by Eegents,',chosen from the.chief men. who have 1 blood 'authority: over• their .people.' The Courts' are ; presided over /by.Dutchmen, the • counsel are Dutchmen, ''■. arid the official ■ language is Dutch. A Javanese ''cannot enter 'any ;of the';; professions—ho .isjriot helped 'to., risejn the. social world— and;theniline botiveenli-the , ,.white;and brown man/island must be"—clearly defined.. It Jis^diffefbiit Mv'f'die \Weyer.' found, in New Zealand. He l .hadjust had an interesting ihteryiow:with. A.. T.Ngata. •"'"'.. ... ....Thero. were./mariy'.Chinese in Java, .but a : 'check...wa3..being placed on their ingress 'into thei, country-- npwjv-by : ..which, any' . Chinamen ! without means'is'deiiied- a' passport entitling hiiri t<j. 'residencol/'.^Japanese— very -few I The ■"Jap" /.is. as , "unpopular 'in Java - as' : else- ::■:■-■■'•" : .,"".' ■'■■ •■'''-. V

•:r-Javarwas' a; : riph • and beautiful country, but the Dutchmari'doesiiot 1 stay there long. ■M J,M. (l do. Weyer put.; it in his. quaint 'Eng-hsh-r- Goo'dfor money; not for ; stay there!". I'^Wmlst- the-ehat , proceeding, Vrouw de Vy.eyer/disappears -for 'a ' few - minutes,' and returns.,with a sample /of >: the 'skirt the Javanese girls wearrrrtheir sole garment. ■Shaped lilio' a sack'"dpon ■at both ends, it is -worn hanging to the ankles, \\hat ia overdn waist measurement is doubled into a pleat.' . These skirts •of cotton material. ara';imported from Holland invtlio white,", and are cleverly patterned m .fast dyes- by;: Japanese women" in Peka-longan;.<vThe:haud-printing.of these skirts is quite: an ..industry of the .port.'.skirts to the value pf-£20,000 havinsr.been Weyer family leave ~for Sydney.;to-day.,; en route- , to their home ■m-tlie-sunn|"islesi; ; ' r /: ...// ~:.:..