of his land. They wished to make profits out of the productiveness of the soil and commanded the native to devote part of his labour and time to the growth of other products which would yield a greater margin of gain in the European markets. To make the lower man do this, a very simple policy sufficed. He obeys his chiefs, and so it was only necessary to win over those chiefs by promising them part of the profit, and . . . the scheme succeeded completely.
When one has regard to the immense quantity of Javanese products put up for sale in the Netherlands, one must at once be convinced of the effectiveness of this policy, though one may not judge it a noble one. For if anyone should ask whether the cultivator of the soil himself receives a reward proportionate to the results, the answer would have to be a negative one. The Government compels him to grow on his land what pleases it, it punishes him when he sells the crop so produced to anyone but it, and it fixes the price which it pays him. The cost of transport to Europe, by a privileged trading company, is high. The payments allowed to the Chiefs by way of encouragement are a further charge on the purchasing price, and . . . as in any case the whole business must yield profit, this profit can be made in no other way than by paying the Javanese exactly enough to keep him from starving, to the end that the productive power of the nation shall not decrease.
To the European officials also a reward is paid in proportion to the production.
It is true, then, that the poor Javanese is lashed onward with the whip of a double authority, it is true that he is often withdrawn from his paddy-fields, it is true that famine often results from these measures, but . . . merrily flutter the flags at Batavia, Samarang, Soerabaya, Passarooan, Bezooki, Probolingo, Patjitan, Tjilatiap, the flags on board the vessels that are being loaded with the harvests that enrich the Netherlands.
Famine? In rich, fertile, blessed Java, famine? Yes, reader. Only a few years ago whole districts were starved out. Mothers
