1396
THE EAST COAST OF SUMATRA
other tobacco-growing districts, are celebrated throughout the world for their fine silky tobacco leaf, which is specially suited for the outside wrappers of cigars, being at once light in weight and elastic and strong in texture. The leading tobacco company is the Deli Maatschappij, which, for many years, has paid a dividend averaging 75 per cent. per annum. Next to tobacco, with a planted area of 172,000 acres, the cultiva- tion of rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis) has developed to such an extent in recent years that now there is a planted area of some 300,000 acres. The capital invested in rubber estates amounts to more than £12,000,000. The territory in which rubber grows stretches from Langkat in the north to Asahan and Siak in the south.
The cultiva- tion of tea has also developed in the last few years until it has now a planted area of more than 12,284 acres, more than 6,000 acres of which are in production.
Other important agricultural products are given below :—
Coffee
Cocoanuts
Oil Palms
Gambier...
Hectares Planted.
9,307
10,072
9,078
1,800
Coffee Copra Gambier
...
Export 1920 K.G. (1 lb. = 0.4536 K.G.)
5,621,122 K.G. 6,098,664 4,883,950
"
27
Very important, also, is the export of fish from Bagan Si Api Api--the second fish export harbour of the world-to Singapore and Java. Considerable also, is the export of timber from the islands near Bengkalis to Singapore. About 3,000 coolies are employed in this trade. The production of paddy, though considerable, falls short of the demand by many thousand bags, which are mostly imported from the Straits Settlements. Kerosene oil is exported from Langkat to the Straits Settlements, British India, Hongkong, Siam and China. Almost all necessaries of life have to be imported, and a brisk trade between Java, the Straits Settlements, Europe and the East Coast is the consequence.
Medan (Deli), the residence of the principal civil and military officials, is a pleasant little town, laid out in modern style, and the streets are lit with electric light. A splendid residence with architectural pretensions has been built for the Governor in the new quarter of Polonia. In the town six European banking corporations-the Javabank, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, the Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij, the Nederlandsch-Indische Handelsbank, the Nederlandsch-Indische Escompto Maatschappij, and Uniebank voor Nederland E. Kolonien-have their branchies, and there are also two Chinese banks. There are two very good hotels (Hotel de Boer and Medan Hotel), a Club (Witte Societeit), a Race Club, numerous houses of business, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Malay, Bombay and Kling shops, etc.
The port of Belawan (Deli), on the Belawan River, is in communication with Medan by road and railway, the lines of which extend a long distance up country and the north, giving also communication via Tandjoeng Puera and Pankalan Brandan with Koeta Radja (Atchin) and to the south, via Tebing Tinggi, with Tandjoeng Balei (Asahan) and Pematang Siantar. Other important ports are those of Pangkalan Brandan, Tandjoeng Poera, Tandjoeng- Balei, Bengkalis, Bagan Api Api and Labocan Bilik.
The population under this Government numbered in November, 1920, 7,882 Europeans, 1,042,930 natives, and 146,742 other Orientals-a total of 1,197,554, as compared with 830,202 in 1915 and 568,417 in 1905.
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, MEDAN
DIRECTORY
Governor of the East Coast of Sumatra—
L. C. Westenenk
Assistant Residents-A. Th. van Akin and
J. J. F. Pino
Chief Clerks D. F. van der Heijde, E. J. Enkoroma Coffie, J. Groenendijk, F. F. A. Sülter, A. Neijhoff, Mohd. Hadjeratgelar Soetan Maleka
ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT, EAST COAST OF SUMATRA
Assist. Resident--W. P. F. L. Winckel Administratief Ambtenaar H. van der
Wal
Chief Clerk--J. M. Ferdinandus Clerk-Tengkse Rachmat