Directory_and_Chronicle_1941 — Page 1378

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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 Council of the Netherlands Indies, consisting of a Vice-President and four members, assisted by a secretary. Since the beginning of 1918 a re- presentative college, called Volksraad, has been instituted, consisting of a Mem- ber-President and 60 members, assisted by a secretary. The President is ap- pointed by the Crown, half of the members are elected by the members of the local boards and the other half are appointed by the Governor-General, who in cases of legislation acts in accordance with the Volksraad; according to a new regulation 38 members will be elected and 22 members appointed. The Governor- General is Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and is seconded by a Lieutenant-General, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Chief of the War Department, and a Vice-Admiral or Rear-Admiral, Commandant of the Navy and Chief of the Marine Department, and further by six Directors of the Departments of Justice, Finance, Internal Administration, Education and Public Worship, Economic Affairs, and Communication and Waterways.

Netherlands-India is divided into provinces, governments and residences, under the administration of Governors or Residents and their Assistant Resi- dents, and "Controleurz." The direct government of the population is entrusted to natives with the titles of Regent, Wedono, and Assistant-Wedono in Java, and other titles in the other islands. In appointing the native officials it is con- sidered a rule that the people in the different islands, residencies or districts must be governed, if possible, by their own chieftains.

their own chieftains. In Soerakarta and Djogjakarta (in Java) and in a great many residencies of other islands the native princes have still, to a certain degree, the rule of the country 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 esta- blished at Batavia, Samarang, Soerabaja, Padang, Medan, and Macasser; there are also Residential Courts in all the Residencies. The Courts of Justice for the natives are in the capitals of residencies, divisions, regencies and districts; they have different names, as landraad, rapat, regentschapsgerecht, districts- gerecht. Since 1914 a large number of lower courts called "landgerecht" have been established for the trial of petty offences committed by Europeans as well as by natives and other Asiatics.

CLIMATE

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The climate in general is fairly damp; the average relative humidity varies for different places between 80 and 90 per cent. The maximum temperature reaches about 36° Centigrade, but in some mountainous regions the minimum temperature occasionally falls below freezing point, in the dry season. Batavia the mean daily temperature is 26° Centigrade. The mean temperature of other places may be deduced from the Batavia temperature by subtracting 0.6° for every 100 metres of height above sea level. The monsoons have a great influence on the climate. South of the equator from April to October the south- east monsoon, and from October to April the north-west monsoon, is blowing, while north of the equator the south-west monsoon blows from April to October and the north-east monsoon from October to April. The changes of the mon- soons are marked by periods of three to four weeks, during which the wind blows from different directions and thunderstorms and calms are frequent. The day heat is fairly uniform during the whole year; the nights during the south-east monsoon are 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 is minimum at Paloe (Menado) 544 mm., maximum at Tendjo (Banjoemas) 6831 mm.

PRODUCTS

The islands of the Indian Archipelago have generally a very fertile soil and are rich in useful products. The most important products of Java are: Rice, sugar, coffee, tea, tobacco, cinchona bark, rubber, copra, fibres, maize, ground nuts, kapok, tapioca produce, teak timber; of Sumatra: tobacco, coffee, pepper, tea, fibres, rubber, gums, tea, palm oil; of Borneo and Celebes: copra, rubber, gums, rattans, maize, coffee, hides.