Stories from Deli

Java Bode 17-03-1897

Medan, March 1897.

The poewasa is over, and all the locals have returned to work, at least as far as they engage in it. The locals of Medan and its surroundings could this time express their “glory to God” in a brand-new mosque, which was recently completed at the place where the old temple once stood. Along with the Chinese Theipekong, these are the only two temples in Medan, and it is rather strange that no more have been built up to now.

The mosque is a very neat building and stands out with a small dome tower high above the surrounding kedeis and market houses. As is the case almost everywhere, this place of worship is located in an area with a “dubious reputation,” as it is teeming with eateries, drinking establishments, and gambling houses—some of the latter being of less innocent nature. However, this does not diminish the attendance at the new temple, which has been quite busy over the past few days.

Now, that is behind us, just like the reception at the palace of His Highness the Sultan of Deli. His palace once again hosted the annual reception, which is held at the end of poewasa. Indeed, it is a beautiful building, and many a potentate in Java would surely wish to have something similar. With his usual calm simplicity, His Highness moved among his guests, responded to the Resident’s speech, and bid farewell just as he had welcomed them at the beginning. The Sultans of Serdang and Langkat also held receptions the day before, both of which were well attended.

As mentioned, the Sultan’s palace is a princely residence; in the evening, it will appear even more magnificent when the plans for electric lighting in Medan are realized, for which the firm G.O. Langereis and Co., agent of the firm Figée and Co. in Haarlem, has applied for and obtained a concession. This enterprise has every chance of success since there is indeed a need for general lighting here to replace petroleum and gasoline. The concessionaire can also count on public support. The necessary capital has initially been set at ƒ170,000. If it doesn’t become too expensive, most private individuals will undoubtedly make use of the new lighting, and street lighting will also be done by electricity. Furthermore, the large buildings like the two societies located here, the government buildings, and the hotels will be included.

The Medan Hotel is continually expanding; both side wings are already complete, and now work has begun on the generously designed main building. When the whole complex is finished, the hotel will be able to offer about 60 rooms.

The Oranje Hotel has also finally changed hands, and the new owners are tackling the business with determination. What is no longer usable is being demolished, and soon Medan will have two substantial first-class hotels. The two hotels need not fear competition too much, as there is enough demand here for two such establishments.

Thus, Medan is gradually taking on the appearance that befits the capital of a residency like the East Coast of Sumatra. There are certainly many things that could be improved, but considering that around 25 years ago there was nothing to see here but forest and lalang (a type of grass), the progress for our Dutch East Indies possessions is more than remarkable. After all, we are in the land of progress, as evidenced by Lower Langkat with Pangkalan Berandan, the place where the establishment of the “Royal” is located. A few years ago, there was nothing to see there, and the area was even considered unsafe, but now it is bustling with life and activity. The company already has about 60 European employees and thousands of local and Chinese workers, whose presence has turned that area, which borders directly on Tamiang, into a lively region. This development is undoubtedly largely due to our vigorous actions in Tamiang and now in Aceh. May the current tactics there be sustained, and soon Tamiang can also be brought into exploitation. That promises a lot for the future, and it’s no fools who have managed to secure a concession there.

However, it will likely take some time before it gets to that point, and also before the steam tram runs in Lower Langkat between Pangkalan Berandan and Stabat, via Tanjong Pura. In the meantime, the concession has already been granted to a Medan-based firm, which will undoubtedly raise the necessary funds. Until the tram is operational, transportation is currently carried out as much as possible by water and further by ox cart.

Speaking of ox carts, this means of transportation is also widely used on our plantations in Deli, Langkat, and Serdang, and it is now (just as the tobacco is being shipped) threatened with disruption by the cattle plague, which we owe to our neighbors in Penang. Or rather, that statement is actually incorrect, as the outbreak of this dreaded disease among the livestock here must be attributed to our inadequate quarantine system. The cattle imported here from Penang are not quarantined here, where there is ample opportunity to do so, but in Penang, where the facilities, as the facts show, are inadequate. Well, experience is and remains the best teacher, and perhaps what is happening now will lead to changes in previously misguided measures. Meanwhile, many plantations have already closed their ox-cart traffic, and people are feeling the impact of the disruption of this transportation method, which, however slow and cumbersome it may be, proves to be very practical, indeed indispensable, in these regions.

The closure of the slaughterhouses is the final consequence, which here, unlike in Amsterdam where many restaurants make up for a shortage of beef with cats or tomcats, cannot be supplemented in the same way. Thus, chickens are in for a tough time on the East Coast of Sumatra, and chicken farmers can make good business, just like the fish sellers, whose products will soon become more valuable.

I recently read with satisfaction in the Java newspapers that quarantine stations (for contagious diseases among humans) will be established in Medan and Belawan. This will meet an urgent need since, up to now, the country has been too exposed to infectious diseases. If the plan to isolate the leprosy patients wandering around Medan and its surroundings is also undertaken, the situation regarding hygiene will likely improve significantly. Perhaps then the unsightly beggars who roam around here will also get their turn.

By the way, while I was just in Tamiang, I forgot to mention a tragic accident that occurred there recently. Part of the crew of the paddle steamer Tamiang was testing a steam launch on the Tamiang River on the return trip when they unfortunately collided with a tree trunk, causing the steam launch to sink and the crew to fall into the water. The captain and an engineer of our paddle steamer lost their lives in the incident. Again, this is proof that one can never be too careful on our rivers, all of which have a significant drop.

A strange twist of fate; one would expect that the launch, which met with disaster, would be in good hands with the European crew on board. How many steam barges navigate our rivers, such as on the Wampoe, with crews consisting entirely of locals, and never does one hear of accidents. Nevertheless, the supervision of these vessels could use some tightening because anyone who knows the care a steam engine requires would lose heart upon seeing one of these steam barges—or rather the machine installed in them—and the more than sloppy and careless treatment of it. It seems that up to now, there has been no supervision in place.

That’s how it always is in the world: either too much or nothing at all.

For example, the administration of justice here is excessive, and I pity many a young tobacco planter who is in charge of 120 or more often unwilling coolies and stands between those coolies and his bosses as between two fires. Besides the warmth from those fires, he constantly has the klapperkara (a type of legal document) hanging over his head like a second sword of Damocles.

That scum from China, among whom there are those who would have long been handed over to Uncle Hein (the executioner) for manslaughter or worse if they had stayed in their country, that horde of people who often remain far below the level of most animal species, are treated by our authorities as if they were a flock of lambs. It’s true that arbitrariness should not be tolerated or encouraged, and there may be cases where a coolie is the victim of unjust mistreatment, but the remedy currently applied is worse than the disease. Whoever points at a coolie is already guilty, whoever touches him ends up on the police roll, and whoever dares to strike (mind you, a scoundrel who fled his country because caning is quite common there) is sent to Batavia. I don’t want to regale you with examples to prove what a bunch of scoundrels some of the coolies supplying our Sumatra tobacco market are, and there are also good ones among them, but when one considers how meticulously every small case of hitting is investigated by medical and judicial authorities and how many misdeeds committed by that scum against Europeans and locals go unpunished, one can’t help but sigh, “It’s the world turned upside down,” or hope with Breêro: “Things may change!”

X.