C284
NETHERLANDS INDIES
Netherlands Indies are now governed in the name of the Queen of the Netherlands by a Governor General, who is obliged to ask in some cases the advice of the Cound of the Netherlands Indies, consisting of a Vice-President and four members, assisted by secretary. Since the beginning of 1918 a representative college, called Volksraad, has bee instituted, consisting of a Member President and 60 members, assisted by a secretar The President is appointed by the Crown, half of the members are elected by th members of the local boards and the other half are appointed by the Governor-Generapan who in cases of legislation acts in accordance with the Volksraad; according to a new r gulation 38 members will be elected and 22 members appointed. The Governor-Gener is Commander in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and is seconded by a Lieutenan General, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Chief of the War Department, and a Vic Admiral or Rear-Admiral, Commandant of the Navy and Chief of the Marine Depar ment, and further by six Directors of the Departments of Justice, Finance, Intern Administration, Education and Public Worship, Economic Affairs, and Communicatio and Waterways.
Netherlands-India is divided into provinces, governments and residences, und the administration of Governors or Residents and their Assistant Residents, ar "Controleurs." The direct government of the population is entrusted to natives wit the titles of Regent, Wedono, and Assistant-Wedono in Java, and other titles in the oth islands. In appointing the native officials it is considered a rule that the people the different islands, residencies or districts must be governed, if possible, by their ow chieftains. In Soerakarta and Djogjakarta (in Java) and in a great many residenci of other islands the native princes have still, to a certain degree, the rule of the count in their hands, but they are dependent on the Government of Netherlands-India.
The Supreme Court is located at Batavia, and Courts of Justice are established Batavia, Samarang, Soerabaja, Padang, Medan, and Macasser; there are also Residenti Courts in all the Residencies. The Courts of Justice for the natives are in capitals of residencies, divisions, regencies and districts; they have different names, landraad, rapat, regentschapsgerecht, districtsgerecht. Since 1914 a large number lower courts called "landgerecht" have been established for the trial of petik!! offences committed by Europeans as well as by natives and other Asiatics.
CLIMATE
The climate in general is fairly damp; the average relative humidity varies f different places between 80 and 90 per cent. The maximum temperature reaches abo 36° Centigrade, but in some mountainous regions the minimum temperature occasionall falls below freezing point, in the dry season. At Batavia the mean daily temperatur is 26° Centigrade. Tlie mean temperature of other places may be deduced from the Bat via temperature by subtracting 0.6° for every 100 metres of height above sea level. TL monsoons have a great influence on the climate. South of the equator from April October the south-east monsoon, and from October to April the north-west monsoon, blowing, while north of the equator the south-west monsoon blows from April October and the north-east monsoon from October to April. The changes of th monsoons are marked by periods of three to four weeks, during which the wind blow from different directions and thunderstorms and calms are frequent. The day heat} fairly uniform during the whole year; the nights during the south-east monsoon as fairly cool. The west monsoon is the rainy season. The annual rainfall is above 3,000 millimetres in a great part of the high mountain regions. The mean annual rainfall Paloe 549 mm., at Tombo 6711.
PRODUCTS
The islands of the Indian Archipelago have generally a very fertile soil and a rich in useful products. The most important products of Java are: Rice, sugar, coff tea, tobacco, cinchona bark, rubber, copra, fibres, maize, ground nuts, kapok, tapio produce, teak timber; of Sumatra: tobacco, coffee, pepper, tea, fibres, rubber, gums, te palm oil: of Borneo and Celebes: copra, rubber, gums, rattans, maize, coffee, hides.
Diamonds are found in Borneo; gold and silver in Sumatra, Celebes, Borneo and Jaj copper ores in Sumatra and Timor; iron ores in Celebes, Sumatra and Borneo. placers of great importance in Bangka, Billiton and Singkep, and small alluvi tin deposits in Sumatra and on some other islands; lead ores in Sumatra, Celebee Borneo and Lombok; zinc ores in Java and Sumatra; lignites and coal of better qualit in Borneo, Sumatra and Java, manganese ore of very pure quality in Java. Nicke