ISLAND OF TIMOR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 March 1942, Page 4

ISLAND OF TIMOR

A TROUBLED HISTORY STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE. FORMERLY IN BRITISH HANDS. The strategic importance of the island of Timor, only 400. miles north of Australia, received little attention until the Japanese began to send survey flying-boats to the island in January, 1941. Then, when a commercially unnecessary air service was established by the Japanese between Timor and Palao shortly before-Japan entered the war, interest changed, to alarm, comments the Sydney Morning Herald. Half the island is owned by the Dutch, and half by the Portuguese. The Dutch have been in possession for more than 300 years and the Portuguese for more than 400 years. In the eighteenth century there was much fighting on the island between the Portuguese and the Dutch, and there have been frequent boundary disputes, which were not finally resolved until 1904. Great Britain tried twice to capture Timor from the Dutch, once in 1797 and once in 1810. On each occasion attempted landings were beaten off. But after the capitulation of Java, during the Napoleonic wars, the Dutch flag was hauled down on Timor; and for four years the British were in possession. During this period the Portuguese seized the opportunity to capture the Dutch district of Atapupu, but they were rejected by the Dutch when Timor was handed back to Holland by the Convention of 1814, after the fall of Napoleon. The Dutch then offered to buy Portuguese Timor, but the offer was refused.

Timor has a population of about 800,000, of whom 450,000 are in Portuguese Timor. There are very few Europeans. The native population, a very mixed race, is probably Malayo-Papuan-Polynesian.

Dilli, capital of the Portuguese colony, is the only port of consequence in the Portuguese half of the island. Ships of 2000 tons may anchor near the shore, and smaller ships can moor alongside a jetty. The principal export is coffee of a high quality, and payment of export duties on this product is one of the Government’s main sources of revenue. Other products are copra, rubber, maize, rice, cotton, and sandalwood.

In recent years the Japanese have shown increasing interest in the economic possibilities of Portuguese Timor. Reports were current in 1932, and again in 1934, that they were trying to purchase the Portuguese part of the island. During the last four years Japanese ships have paid regular visits to the territory, and Japanese financial interests have acquired an interest in agricultural enterprises, and particularly in Sociedade Agricola Patria e Trabalho, which controls the greater part of the trade of the colony.