BRITISH NORTH BORNEO

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 68, 16 April 1909, Page 4

BRITISH NORTH BORNEO

A LAND OF PERPETUAL SUMMER. (By Orlando If. Baker, American Consul.) This is a country under the protection of England where, as in Australia, the people speak of England as "home." Borneo is the second island in size in the world, the southern part of which (more than three-fourths of the whole) is under the control of Holland, and is rich in gold mines, precious stones, and petroleum; the trade of which, as of Sumatra and Java is controlled by the Netherlands Government. As yet, British North Borneo can boast of none, of these sources ol wealth. North' and west of the Dutch possessions, bordering on the sea, lie* Sarawak, the kingdom of Rajah Brooke:, ruling under English protection. Sir James Brooke, Rajah (Malay linking), acquired the territory from tht Sultans, then ruling the wild natives, in 1841, and broke up piracy on that coast.

As my letter is to be concerning British North Borneo, I cannot stop to descrilie Sarawak.

Bordering on Sarawak, Dutch Borneo, and the Sulu Sea, lie the possessions of the British North Borneo Company, reaching from the fourth degree of north latitude to the, seventh, covering 31,000 square miles of territory; mountainous, containing the highest mountain of Borneo (13.09S feet); grand forests, with numerous rivers, navigable for small boats, and inhabited bv from 130,000 to 200,1)00 semi-civilised 'yellow people, of supposed Malav origin. Bv the way, the first Rajah of North Borneo was an American named Torrv, who by purchase, had obtained a claim to the territory from a Consul of the United States at Brunei, who has acquired it from the Sultan. The Consul's name was Moses. Mr Tony sold his claim to the English syndicate. The English began de novo negotiations with the. Sultans, and by paying thorn a tribute of about £2332 annually, became absolute owners of the land.' with (the royal right to govern the inhabitants.

A royal charter was granted the company in 1881, since which time the company has governed the country through the officials appointed by the Court of Directors—seven members—a close corporation —o nice in 37 Threadneedle street. London.

Sandakan is the capital, situated on a fine bay of the same name, 8000 to 10,000 Asiatics, and from 50 to 60 Europeans. The white inhabitants consist of the employees of the Government and the heads of the two mercantile companies. Asiatics fill all subordinate clerkships in the Government offices and the European firms. There is a force vif 000 men in the constabulary, all Asiatics except the chief officers, with no hope or even a wish to make Borneo a "white man's country."

The retail merchants, the artisans. Iho fishermen, the gardeners, and th • proprietors of tlie pawnshops and til. gambling-houses, are all Asiatics speaking the Chinese or Malay languages. Government, wliite employees are most-, ly young, unmarried men from London, of good families, well educated, and typical Englishmen ; as also are the employ, cos of the English importing linn, They have a elnb-nouse, tennis and cricket grounds (where they 5,100't for recreation) : there are also "a few Germans here, who join heartily in the social life of the place. The Governor and' his lady are people of high charade- and exemplary habils. They come o K contract to remaiu five years.

. Nlml » -i" ';" •■> city set on more than 1 "seven lulls, ami is picturesque i„ tliel extreme. Almost every house commands! a beantirnl view of the bay ~„,( tho small islands vising like emeralds out of he wale,-. 1 here is a deep gorge cutting the site ml,) about eqrtal parts with bills 0.1 either side-almost moun-'j •■"is. this go,- S e, under the hills, at a gentle elevation is the line, road lending from the wharf anil business part of the town to the Governors residence. The road, covered with a great iron roller, drawn constantly bv tour bullalos. Branch roads "o oil this ai'ouud the hills, nil kept in good order, llns can lie said only of the roads in the town. A short distance out they become muddy footpaths. Borneo is'uoUvJ for its lack of roads. Rivers take tix.- [ place of roads.

Hie conveyances are mostly twowheeled dog-carts, drawn each by a small pony, owned privately ; there arc no livery stables or any place where a conveyance can be hired, if you do not possess a curl you must walk. A fewpeople keep Sedan chairs or jinrikshas. Occasionally a lady and gentleman arc seen early in the morning or late in the afternoon riding on horseback. Motorcars nave not yet invaded .North Borneo. 'J'o meet conditions, the motor would need to be a climber. 'Trall'ie, lor cue most part, is done by coolies, who carry their loads swung on bamboo poles. There are a few two-wheeled carts of primitive construction ; most are lor a single buffalo. Some of the carts are roofed for protection from sun and rain.

The vegetable gardens are hidden back among the hills, being cultivated by a tribe ol Chinese called " llakkus.' The women carry the vegetables in baskets attached to a bamboo pole, to market from one to three miles. Besides the baskets, the women will sometimes have a babe on her back, sometimes she has the babe in one of the baskets to balance the vegetables in the other. These women are small, straight, and walk rapidly with their hauls. There are hundreds of them on the inarch down the main road every morning and daylight. Sometimes a man is seen walking with them carrying a load but more often without. From the broken character of the ground on which the town is built drainage is about perfect and rapid. Consequently the place has very little sickness. Bordering the shores of the bay, there is a narrow Hat space on which tiic Chinese quarters are located, and on the greater part of the population is crowded together. The houses are two stories, lower story for shops, and the upper for dwellings. The Chinese seem to defy all sanitary laws and it is a wonder that some pestilence does not sweep them off, but the plague and cholera ar unknown. The fevers that are treated in the Sandakan hospital have generally been contracted on the tobacco and rubber estates in the " jungle." All reports as to deadly fevers, and other dreadful diseases, dangerous reptiles, terrific storms, and outrages by natives are exaggerated and false, and are spread by ignorant persons, who wish to astonish their auditors, and appear wise, l'eoplo sometimes die from hardships and exposure here, as they do in all parts of the world.

A very small part of the 31,000 miles has been alienated. There are ten tobacco companies, six rubber plantations, j each having several estates. There are also two coffee companies. Tho cultivation of coffee has not been a success. Tin total number of bauds employed in these and other industries in 1!K)7 was 10,467, mostly indentured Chinese coolies. Coal is mined on the island of Labatm, oil' the west coast of North Borneo, and on the east coast, near the Dutch possessions, at Cowe Harbour. The coal from Cowie Harbour is brought to Sa"idakah in lighters, and stored at the wharves to supply steamers calling licre. 'Total amount mined in 1007 was 0250 tons, employing seven white men and 503 coolies. As is seen, coolies do all the manual labor. Steamers make fortnightly trips from Sandakan to Hongkong, loaded wittli Borneo timber, and planks sawn at the two Sandakan mills. Heavy forests border the rivers entering the Sandakan Bay whence come the logs. In these forests roam elephants, rhinoceros, wild dogs, deer, and other animals. Monkeys and ourang-utans play in the tree-lops. Those animals sometimes invade the tobacco fields and rubber estates, damaging the plants. Crocodiles and sharks also abound. I cannot dwell cm the wonders ol those forests, nor describe how the natives subsist, I heir habits and customs. Wars among tho tribes and "head-hunting" no longer exists. There is a line field among them for the missionary, only partly occupied. The Government operates telegraph and telephone linos—Boo miles—which connect the ocean cable to all parts of the world.

The post-office system consists of tern post-offices, most of which are also reached by telegraph. About 120 miles of railway is in operation on the we.t coast, none from Sandakan.

It is one eternal summer, with nearly always a pleasant breeze. Vegetation never ceases growing, and fruits are always ri|K'ning on the trees. This is the rainy season ; now the rains comedown in thick midst as if the clouds themselves had settled ; now in Hoods that make roaring waterfalls on all the hill sides.

We often wish some of it could be passed over to the interior of Australia. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the sky is clear, the heat in the open is not so hot as it appears, but produces a peculiar effect on those not acclimatised, a dizziness, sometimes severe head pains. Even in Hie house, one has a feeling of weariness. The mornings and nights are simply glorious ; no dust, no flies, and but few mosquitoes. That you may see how we are situated. I give distances to principal places from Sandakan:—Manila, 000 miles: Singapore. 1000 miles; Hongkong. 1200 miles: the nearest Philippine Islands are but a few hours' sailing, and wo ore often visited by the island revenue cutlers looking after smugglers.