1913

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tagsyear, colonial, dutch, statistics, timeline, transport-olifant, achehnese, tramway, infrastructure, finance, bestuursreorganisatie, acheh, 20th-century, aceh, 1913, gayo-road, atjeh
aliases1913 in Acheh, 1913 in Aceh, Year 1913, 1913 in Atjeh, 1913 AD, 1913 CE, the year 1913, 1913 (year), Year 1913 Gajo-weg, 1913 Peureula petroleum

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Figures, places, and events in Acehnese history associated with the year 1913.

Account from Atjeh up to date (c. 1914) — 1913

1913 was a year of recalibration in colonial accounting and logistical management in Acheh, situated within the Dutch East Indies. Following the unprecedented expenditure spikes of the previous year, the Dutch administration in northern Sumatra adjusted its financial ledgers, continuing to track the immense overhead required to maintain control following the Aceh War.

The Atjeh up to date compilation preserves extensive tabular data for 1913, illustrating the material scale of the colonial enterprise:

  • Financial Expenditures: Aggregate colonial financial lines for 1913 record outlays reaching 9,887,680 guilders. Specific departmental ledgers show distinct allocations, such as 916,221 and 1,351,540 in separate accounting categories.
  • Trade and Logistics: Monthly and annual tracking of shipping and trade metrics shows figures such as 144,018 across various regional categories, alongside secondary ledgers showing 406,885; 169,530; 934,668; and 836,400.
  • Shipping Registries: Vessel arrivals and tonnage registries for the year record specific logistical movements indexed at 132, 184, and 77 in primary tracking columns.

Account from Oom Ambon van het K.N.I.L. (1954) — 1913

1913 was the year of the beruchtste ‘hongertocht’ van Atjeh — the most notorious hunger-patrol of Aceh — sent towards Pameuë, in which many perished. The year is also the year of the wounding of Overste Scheepens — wounded by an Acehnese during a rechtzitting (court session) in 1913 and who died of his wounds twenty years later in 1933, illustrating the lethal lingering effect of the reuntjong wound.

Account from Oost-Indisch Journael (1947) — 1913

1913 was the year in which the transport-elephants were transported to Lam-toeulo to serve the elephant-transport to Tangsé and the still more southerly post Geumpang — the marker of the elephant-transport’s base on the transverse road. In 1913 the transport-elephants were transported to Lam-toeulo to serve the transport to Tangsé and the still more southerly post Geumpang. The pitifully slow speed of the elephant-transport — “That last transport from Tangsé to Medan took 26 days!” — is the marker of the old-time speed of the elephant-transport that the lorry-transport of the transverse road would replace.

Account from De Buitenbezittingen (1917) — 1913

1913 was the year in which the Atjeh-tramway received its most ambitious extension approvals of the entire 1904–1914 period. By three Gouvernementsbesluiten (G. Bn.) — of 17 June 1913 No. 59, 16 October 1913 No. 25, and 8 November 1913 No. 40 — the doortrekking (extension) of the Atjeh-tram network was approved from Koeala Simpang through Tamiang to Besitang, and from Pangkalan Soesoe to Telok Taboeban on the Arube Bay (described in the Bureau’s account as “a good roadstead”). The connecting line between Besitang and Pangkalan Soesoe was also reported as already in preparation. With the completion of this last section, the Atjeh-tram network would “finally reach its natural terminus: the fine and accessible Arube Bay, by which the economic value of the entire tram network will rise.”

1913 is also the year for which the Encyclopaedisch Bureau provides the most complete statistical snapshot of the Atjeh and Dependencies residency in the volume. The Atjeh peper- en pinanghasil (pepper and betel-nut yield) yielded f 125,000 and f 55,000 respectively — the most important such yield of any Buitenbezittingen gewest. The Atjeh landschapskas recorded total income of f 748,802 in 1913 (up from f 264,910 in 1910 and f 355,752 in 1911). The Atjeh-tram’s net total route length reached 465 km (up from 432 km in 1909–1911), with an aanlegkapitaal (construction capital) of f 18,544,000.

The 1913 statistics likewise show the Atjeh-tram’s transformation: of 2,627,000 passengers carried in 1913, only 190,000 (7.2%) were on Gouvernements-rekening; of 209,000 tons of freight, only 19,000 (11%) were for the Gouvernement. The figures for 1904 had been 11% of passengers and 60% of freight on Gouvernements-rekening — a stark inversion that the Bureau cites as evidence of “the enormous increase in the production of and the import into this administrative ressort” and of “the rising importance of the tram.” The net brutto ontvangs (gross receipts) of particular traffic on the Atjeh-tram rose from f 290,000 in 1904 to f 678,000 in 1913 — an increase of about 184% in the ten-year period.

The Aroe-baai-plannen

The 1913 extension approvals also marked the high tide of the so-called Aroe-baai-plannen (Arube Bay plans) — the project to develop the Arube Bay as a deep-water harbour that would compete with Belawan and even with Singapore and Sabang. The defenders of the Aroe-baai-plannen hoped, by the laying of the new connecting link, to see the first step taken toward the future development of Atjehnese products (pepper, rubber, etc.) via Arube Bay — a development that would be vastly accelerated by the ongoing reclamation of the Tamiang swamps.

Colonial Economy in 1913 (from De Buitenbezittingen, 1915)

  • Opium Regie Implemented: The most significant administrative event for Atjeh in 1913 was the official introduction of the opiumregie. As the “last bastion” of the old, exploitative pacht system, this change symbolised the transition from military conquest to administrative and economic governance. Total regie revenue across the Indies reached 10.7 million guilders in 1913.
  • Rubber Industry Boom: The success of the government’s rubber plantation near Langsa, established around 1907, sparked a massive influx of private investment. In 1913, there were 148 land concessions in Atjeh and Dependencies, covering nearly 300,000 bouws. Most were in the Langsa area, developed for rubber, often alongside robusta coffee as a catch crop.
  • Shipping and KPM Integration: The Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM) fleet grew to 84 ships with gross tonnage of over 137,000 tonnes, carrying over 663,000 tons of cargo and 2.5 million passengers. The KPM’s pioneer services were vital for linking Aceh’s developing plantation economy with global markets.
  • Labor: In 1913, Atjeh had 3,931 Javanese contract laborers and 3,070 Javanese women under the labor inspectorate.

Significance

1913 is the year at which the Atjeh-tramway reaches its maximal planned extent, and at which the project to convert the line from a military to an economic instrument comes nearest to realisation. The Aroe-baai-plannen of 1913 also mark the moment at which the Atjeh residency was first seriously imagined as a coherent economic region centred on its own deep-water harbour — an imagination that would be overtaken by the 1914 outbreak of the European war and the subsequent disruption of the colonial project.

Account from the Notulen der bestuursvergaderingen (1914) — 1913

1913 was the year in which the first phase of the Bestuursreorganisatie Sumatra (1913-1914) took place, with meetings held at Palembang (12 August–13 August), Benkoelen (15 August–16 August), and Padang (19 August–20 August). These three meetings constituted the initial round of consultations that Regeeringscommissaris S. de Graaff conducted across the Buitenbezittingen of Sumatra as part of the broader effort to reform the bestuurswezen (system of governance) in the Netherlands East Indies. The year 1913 thus marked the beginning of a process that would culminate in the pivotal Koeta-Radja meetings of January 1914, where the specific arrangements for the Gouvernement Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden would be determined. The discussions in 1913 laid the groundwork for the more detailed deliberations that followed, establishing the general principles of Bestuursdecentralisatie and identifying the particular challenges that Atjeh posed for the reform program.

The year 1913 was also significant in the broader context of Dutch colonial policy in the Netherlands East Indies. The decentralisatiebeweging (decentralization movement) had been gathering momentum for several years, driven by the recognition that the highly centralized governance structure inherited from the nineteenth century was increasingly inadequate for the administration of a vast and diverse colonial territory. The appointment of De Graaff as Regeeringscommissaris charged with investigating and preparing the governance reform reflected the colonial government’s commitment to translating the principles of decentralization into concrete administrative changes. The meetings held in 1913 were the first systematic attempt to gather input from local officials across the Buitenbezittingen about the feasibility and implications of the proposed reforms, making them a crucial stage in the policy development process.

People

  • S. de Graaff — Regeeringscommissaris leading the reform, who presided over all three rounds of meetings in 1913 and would go on to conduct the Medan and Koeta-Radja meetings in 1914. De Graaff’s role was to consult with local officials, gather their input and concerns, and synthesize these into reform proposals that could be submitted to the central government for approval.
  • J. de Groot — Hoofdambtenaar assisting De Graaff, who participated in the meetings and contributed to the consultation process. De Groot’s report on the Atjeh-Oostkust merger question provided an important data point for the discussions.
  • J. Tideman — Controleur who raised concerns about the proposed merger of Atjeh with Sumatra’s Oostkust at the Palembang meeting. Tideman’s intervention highlighted the anxieties that some officials felt about the implications of the reorganization for Atjeh’s distinctive governance arrangements, particularly the potential disruption of administrative structures that had been developed over decades of conflict and consolidation.

Events

  • Bestuursreorganisatie Sumatra (1913-1914) — Governance reform consultations begin in Sumatra, with the first phase of meetings held in Palembang, Benkoelen, and Padang during August 1913. These meetings addressed the general principles of bestuursdecentralisatie and their application to the Buitenbezittingen, setting the stage for the more detailed discussions of 1914.
  • Atjeh-Sumatra’s Oostkust merger proposal — First raised as a concern at the Palembang meeting, where Controleur J. Tideman expressed reservations about the proposed merger while Hoofdambtenaar J. de Groot reported that an Assistent-Resident familiar with Atjeh saw no objections. The merger question would continue to be debated throughout the reform process, ultimately being approved at the 1914 meetings.

Written Submissions

A written nota from Oud-Resident Heyting (dd. Tjiandjoer, 18 October 1913) was also submitted as part of the consultation process. This submission reflected the broader practice of soliciting input from current and former officials with experience in the territories affected by the proposed reforms, including those who were no longer serving in active administrative positions. Heyting’s nota, submitted from Tjiandjoer in West Java where he had apparently retired, represented the perspective of an official with firsthand knowledge of Atjeh’s governance challenges, even if his views were necessarily shaped by past experience rather than current conditions. The inclusion of such written submissions alongside the oral discussions at the meetings ensured that a wide range of perspectives was considered in the formulation of reform proposals.

Account from Atjeh by H.C. Zentgraff (1938)

Zentgraff records two major events of 1913: the Scheepens murder of 10 October and the False T. Radja Sabi of 6 December.

On 10 October 1913 Scheepens — division-commander and civiel gezag at Sigli — was stabbed at the moesapat by the oeléëbalang of Titeuë, whose complaint against a kampongman Scheepens had rejected with the words “Itoe saja tida tarima”. The oeléëbalang responded by drawing his rentjong and stabbing Scheepens, who was then struck by two klewang-blows from the oppassers who killed the oeléëbalang. Scheepens died at 5:15 AM the following morning. Mrs. Mary Ware — de Amerikaansche dame die eene reis om de wereld maakte — visited him on the operating table. Het was altijd je verlangen op Peutjoet te liggen bij je ouwe kameraden, Webb, Campioni, his wife said at his bedside; and so he was buried at Peutjoet.

On 6 December 1913 a boy arrived at Lho Soekon claiming to be T. Radja Sabi — the adelaarsjong of Keureutoe. Behrens questioned him at bivak Leuhong — de knaap viel hierbij door den mand; hij bekende een onderschoven object te zijn — but Governor Swart, summoning all the hoofden at Lho Seumawé, declared: De jongen is Teukoe Radja Sabi — and niemand protesteerde. The boy was in fact Doellah, son of Tengkoe Radja Imeum alias Tgk. Moeda Bale Mbang; he was sent to school at Koetaradja on government expense and later became a boekbinder at the bestuurskantoor.

Atjeh, door H.C. Zentgraff. Gedrukt bij Drukkerij “De Unie”, 1938, Batavia.

Account from Verkenningen in Atjeh (1923)

1913 was the year in which Teukoe Tjhi Mohamad Thajeb succeeded his father Teukoe Tjhi Perlak as oeléebalang of Peureula (Perlak), at the moment when the oil-cijns was regularised into the landschapskas and the chief received a fixed income. Teungkoe habib Moehamat bin Sajet Oesoeih received the great star of trouw en verdienste. The decision was taken to extend the Atjeh-tram through to Besitang and Pangkalan Soesoe. The Gajo-weg was completed in 1913, a length of 103 kilometres from Bireuen to Takengon.

Account in du Croo’s Generaal Swart (1943)

1913 was “the fifth year of Swart’s administration* (“conduct of government”)” and a fruitful year for the search for needles in the haystack: Tgk. Ma’ Aréh di Lam Goet was taken in January and Central Pidië cleared; T. Dagang submitted and Tangsé was clean; Pang Bintang was killed by chance in July in the XXII Moekims; Pang Manap was killed in October in the Gajò Loeös; the last followers of T. Radja Sabi submitted. On 10 October overste W. B. J. A. Scheepens was fatally stabbed at Sigli, dying on 17 October; Behrens wounded Tgk. di Mata Ië in the leg. Several Atjeh murders occurred. The export of tobacco increased and “in this province little more was to be observed during the period under report of resistance against authority”. In 1913 Swart had nearly handed over to Frijling, but the world war caused the Government to postpone the change.

Account from Atjeh als land voor handel en bedrijf (1925)

1913 was year of completion Gajo-weg and petroleum arrangement in Peureula.

Events

See Also

Account from Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu

Gajoweg (103 km Bireuën-Takengon) completed. Cost ~2 million guilders (~f 20,000/km).

Source: J. Jongejans, Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu (Baarn: Hollandia Drukkerij N.V., c. 1938), pp. 47, 70.

Source

Atjeh up to date (Statistical and Administrative Compilation, c. 1914). Archival reference DLP-10. Oom Ambon van het K.N.I.L., by G. W. T. Dames, Maj. Inf. K.N.I.L. b.d. (‘s-Gravenhage: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, 1954), chapter “De patrouille.” Oost-Indisch Journael: Palaver om de tafel met het gat, by Merac, Toekan-Serie no. 2, ed. G. L. Tichelman (Haarlem: De Gulden Pers, 1947), chapter Atjeh’s Transport-Olifanten. De Buitenbezittingen 1904. In: Mededeelingen van het Encyclopaedisch Bureau. Batavia: G.C.T. van Dorp & Co., [ca. 1915]. De Buitenbezittingen 1904 tot 1914, Deel I, bewerkt door het Encyclopaedisch Bureau, Mededeelingen van het Bureau voor de Bestuurszaken der Buitenbezittingen, Aflevering X (Weltevreden: Landsdrukkerij, 1917), pp. 12, 17 (Landschapskassen), p. 69 (section “De Atjeh-tram”), pp. 69–72 (Aroe-baai-plannen), Bijlage X (Atjeh-tram exploitation figures) Notulen der bestuursvergaderingen ter bespreking van de verdere voorbereiding eener hervorming van het bestuurswezen in Nederlandsch-Indië (Batavia: Landsdrukkerij, 1914). Verkenningen in Atjeh, by Dr. R. Broersma (De Locomotief, October 1923); Atjeh Patchouli-Olie, by Ir. W. Spoon (1932), where applicable. Generaal Swart, Pacificator van Atjeh (“General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh”), by M. H. du Croo, Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with the collaboration of H. J. Schmidt, Titular Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with a foreword by His Excellency Lieutenant-General K.N.I.L. (retired) G. K. Dijkstra (Maastricht: N.V. Leiter-Nypels, 1943), passim. Atjeh als land voor handel en bedrijf, by Dr. R. Broersma, Gebrs. Cohen, Utrecht, 1925, pp. 34-37, 64-65, 86-87.

Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu, by J. Jongejans, Oud-Resident van het Gewest Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden, with a foreword by Dr. H. Colijn (Baarn: Hollandia Drukkerij N.V., c. 1938), pp. 47, 70.

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