NETHERLANDS INDIES
C285
re is found in Celebes; platinum in Borneo; chrome ore in Celebes, Borneo, and Lesser Bunda isles; tungsten in the tin islands; titaniferous magnetite sands in Java and other slands; cinnabar in Sumatra; antimony ores in Borneo and in other parts of the Archipelago, arsenic ores in Borneo; traces of molybdenite in Borneo and Sumatra; mall quantities of bismuth in Borneo, Celebes and Sumatra. Iodine is produced from aline springs in Java; sulphur is produced from volcanic mud; phosphates are found in ava and in some other islands; magnesite in some islands of the eastern part of tlie archipelago. Salt of excellent quality is made in Madoera and also on some other slands by solar evaporation of sea water. The production of mineral oil in Java,
umatra, Borneo and Ceram is a very profitable one.
The possession of the soil by the natives is strongly protected by law. As a general ule the ground cannot be sold to foreigners, not even to Dutchmen, nor to their lescendants who are born in India. The Government is authorized to dispose of un- ultivated grounds and grant parts of them for a certain period to foreigners (erfpacth.)
REVENUE AND FINANCE
The revenue of the colony is derived from different taxes, viz., import and export uties, excise, ground taxes, personal tax, income tax, property tax, corporation profits ax, slaughter tax, licences, succession duties, stamp duties, duty on public sales, trans- fer and assignment duty, monopolies (opium, salt, pawn-shops), mines. (tin and
coal), forests, railways, mining-and agricultural concessions.
The salt required for the Government monopoly is made in Madoera, where the eople deliver it into the Government godowns at a fixed rate per hectolitre and to a maller extent on Government's salt farms in Madoera and Grisee (residency Bodjonagoro) where the salt is produced under Government management.
The use of opium and the profits the Government derives from the régie system are eclining.
The pawnshop-monopoly is gradually being extended all over the archipelago auch to the benefit of the lower classes for which it functions as a banking-system ranting the small credits of not less than 10 cents on the collateral of goods against moderate fixed rates of interest.
Chinese labour is
The tin mines of Bangka are exploited by the Government. xtensively used for working the tinplacers, also for transportation and melting the in concentrate, and for various other purposes. Some of the placer-diggings are irectly worked by the Government; others are operated by European or Chinese ontractors under Government control. Electric power is supplied to all the main istricts; the smaller districts are worked by steam,
The monetary system of Netherlands-India for which in accordance With that of the Netherlands the limping standard with free coinage f gold is adopted, consists of gold coins of the value of ten and ive guilders, silver coins of two guilders and a half, of one guilder, and of half a uilder (these coins are the same as those in the Netherlands); besides silver coins of 025, and f.010, bearing Malay and Javanese inscriptions; nickel coins of f.005, and opper coins of f.0·025 (2} cent), f.001 (one cent), and £.0'005 (cent). The issue of ank-notes is a monopoly of the Java Bank. The convertibility of the bank-notes into old which has been practically suspended since the beginning of the war was restored Ꭹ the declaration of the Government and the Java Bank in May 1925.
EDUCATION
The educational system distinguishes two kinds of instruction: (I.) Instruction ven in the Dutch language; (II.) Instruction given in a vernacular language. o the first category belong 772 (268 private) elementary schools, amongst which are 367 pecially for natives and 109 for Chinese. Furthermore, there are 69 (33 private) inter- nediate schools; 14 public and 6 private secondary schools, which find their continuation In the universities in Holland and in the institutions for higher education in the Dutch East Indies-the college of technical science at Bandoeng and the colleges of law and hedicine at Batavia, the certificates of which colleges are equal to those issued by the iniversities in Holland: 6 private secondary schools for girls, and 66 private Fröbel chools. In addition, the following professional schools fall within the same category: schools of medicine, 1 training school for civil-service officers, 3 schools for native
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