Vijftig jaren economische staatkunde in Atjeh, geschreven naar aanleiding van de herinneringsdata 26 Maart 1873–26 Maart 1923 (“Fifty Years of Economic Statecraft in Atjeh, written on the occasion of the commemorative dates 26 March 1873 – 26 March 1923”) was the commemorative volume compiled by the journalist Joh. Langhout and published at The Hague in 1923 by the firm h W. P. van Stockum & Zoon — containing a “Voorrede” by Lieutenant-General H. N. A. Swart (old Vice-President of the Council of the Indies and old Civil and Military Governor of Atjeh) and an “Inleidend woord” by the then Governor A. G. H. van Sluys, with numerous photographs.
Purpose and plan
The author set out, he declares in his introduction (“E ere, wien eere toekomt…”), to show that in the existing Atjeh literature scarcely any works occurred in which set attention was given to what had been accomplished in Atjeh under Dutch rule in the economic field: through that literature Netherlands and foreigners had until then seen the province all too one-sidedly, so that many knew of Atjeh only that it had long been the scene of bloody feats of arms. Study had convinced him that the Netherlands in Atjeh had done something else — that in the economic statecraft field it had indeed “iets groots verricht” (“accomplished something great”); this assertion he wished to make true and to prove by facts. The book proceeds from “Het Atjeh van vroeger” (“The Atjeh of former days,” i.e. under “zelfbestuur”) through “De pacificatie van Regeeringswege” (“The pacification from the Government side”) — period by period: Atjeh after 1873, under civil government 1881–1884, 1884–1898, 1898–1904, 1904–1905, 1905–1908, 1908–1918, 1918–1922, “Het Atjeh van thans” (1923) and the Atjeh Tram — to “De pacificatie en het particulier initiatief” (“The pacification and private initiative”): Sabang, the shipping companies, the petroleum exploitation, the timber cutting on Simaloer, rubber-planting on the East Coast, “De steunpilaren der Pacificatie” (“The pillars of the pacification”), foreign capital, and a closing Slotwoord.
The forewords
The Voorwoord of The Hague, 31 March 1923, signed “H. N. A. Swart”, holds that the author does not wish to be counted among those who hear of Atjeh nothing but war; he recommends the work to the benevolent attention of all, hoping it will contribute to a less one-sided judgement upon Dutch action in Atjeh — while expressly not identifying himself with all descriptions and assertions of the author. Governor Van Sluys’s “Inleidend woord” (Koeta Radja, February 1923) wishes the book to propagate knowledge of Atjeh and its people among the Dutch people: after the bloody sacrifices of the subjugation, the “state of satisfaction” could be reached only at the cost of many money sacrifices, and it remained “our dear duty to give this people — which fought for its independence with a love of freedom which we Hollanders can surely value — back under our government as soon as possible the prosperity which it enjoyed in such ample measure in years of old”.
Sources and illustrations
The work rests on the series of Koloniale Verslagen (Colonial Reports), on data furnished by the Ministry of Colonies (Minister S. de Graaff and the heads of his departments), on the personal insights of retired senior officials and on the information of the private companies (among them an unpublished travel report of Director N. van Zalinge of the K.P.M., and a report of the Economische Vereeniging ). For the Atjeh Tram chapter the author used beside the Colonial Reports an article by Ir. J. H. Müller in the Indisch Tijdschrift voor Spoor- en Tramwegen, and particulars and photographs from Ir. J. H. Caspers, old chief of construction. The photographs — “helaas te veel” (“too many, alas”, to print them all without raising the price) — show the Sabang bay with the rubber- and tea-chest factory “Ret-Ret-Sabang”, the barque Fop Smit (1867) and the Overijssel (1878) of the Rotterdamsche Lloyd, the Meuseugit te Koeta-Radja, the Koeta Goenoengan, the Pintō Khab gate, the iron bridge at Teupen Blang Manè, the Atjeh-tram works, Sabang harbour in successive states, the floating dry-dock launched at Burgerhout’s Rotterdam yard, the K.P.M.’s Bontekoe, the BPM pipe-line and pump-station in Perlak, the rassak tree and logging on Simaloer, the pondok-complex and full emplacement of Boeloe Belang Ara, the NHM and AhM offices, the Javasche Bank, the Deli-Atjeh and HVA estates, Koeta Radja’s hotel and the Atjeh Museum.
Significance
Beside Dr. J. Kreemer’s recent work on Atjeh — which Langhout calls the first great attempt to supply economic literature on the province — the Vijftig jaren remains the principal popular-economic account of Dutch rule in Atjeh for the period 1873–1923, written self-confessedly as a plea (“reclame”) “for a land and a people in our Archipelago that so fully deserve our interest”.
See Also
Source
Vijftig jaren economische staatkunde in Atjeh, by Joh. Langhout, journalist (The Hague: N.V. Boekhandel v/h W. P. van Stockum & Zoon, 1923), title page, Voorwoord, “Gouverneur Van Sluijs over Atjeh”, “Inleiding” pp. 1–5, “Inhoud”, “Slotwoord” pp. 191–194, and Errata.