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Show CORAL MADE ROADSl Java, Holland's Oldest Colony, Has Finest Highways in East. Old Governor General Forcrfd Wealthy Chinaman to Construct Ons of Main Roads Material Taken Ta-ken From Sea. The Hague, Holland. Holland is famed for its excellent roads, and when colonies were acquired one of the first tasks in those regions was the laying out of highways. Java, which is one of the oldest of Holland's Hol-land's colonies, is a model to other eastern countries in the facilities of its communications, and not a year passes but that more miles of roadway road-way are constructed. Every three or every five years, as conditions may require, the existing roads are heightened height-ened up anew, and they are constant-, ly kept in the best repair. By these periodical heightenings many of the roads that run through the valleys have come to resemble the dikes of the old fatherland. The tendency has been to plane away unevenness, to make the inclines easy and gradual; in fact, todo. away as much as possible possi-ble with the inconveniences of a mountainous country, to which the dwellers-in the Netherlands at home were not accustomed. As every Inch of Java is arable land, there were no stone quarries from which material for the roadways could be delved and so other means had to be resorted to. It was the ocean, or, ' rather, the very tiny denizens of the deep, that furnished the necessary material. Java is surrounded by coral reefs, which the minute creatures have patiently pa-tiently been building up for untold ages. It is of this coral, the remains of the dead and gone millions of ani-malculae, ani-malculae, that the roads are made". The Javanese go out in their boats to the reefs and there they stand the whole day, half submerged in the water, wa-ter, breaking up the coral. When the boat is filled with pieces of convenient conveni-ent size it is rowed or sailed ashore and the coral is spread cn the roads that require it. Mixed with the soil, it makes the best imaginable material, being strong and easy for traffic. In former years the natives were compelled com-pelled to do this work as a sort of un-remunerated un-remunerated service to the government. govern-ment. Later on, when the ideas of serfdom began to change, the natives were paid for their work and were only obliged to give a few days of every month of their time to the government. gov-ernment. Then, and not so very long ago, the compulsory service was abolished abol-ished altogether. Nowadays the roads are mostly kept in repair by the convicts con-victs "the chain gang" as they are called in India.' The very first road built at the command com-mand of the Dutch in India was that from Batavia to Samarang, stretching just half the length of Java. The famous fa-mous Jan Pieterson Coen was then Part of Coral Road. governor general. That he was quite a despot can be gathered from the way in which he contrived to get this great work done without its costing a penny to the high and mighty Dutch East India company, which then held sway. Even in those early days the Chinese had found their way to Java and had also found plenteous means of enriching themselves there. One Chinaman was known to be the wealthiest man in Batavia. Jan Pieterson Pie-terson Coen called him into his doughty presence. When he arrived, pale and trembling, the governor said: "Chinaman, I want a good road to be built from Batavia to Samarang, and you must build it! You must build it at your own cost, and it must be well done, too! If you do not do what I tell you I will have your head struck off." No protestation, no lamentation of the wealthy Chinese could move him. The work had to be done, or the death penalty would have to be paid. This the unfortunate possessor of untold wealth realized. He loved his money dearly, but he valued his life even more; so he stopped lamenting and set about his, task. A whole army of coolies were set to work and in an Incredibly In-credibly short time a splendid, highway high-way united Batavia and Samarang. The Chinaman's head remained on his shoulders, and it is brdieved he soon found divers ways of recouping for his loss of gold, and Java was the better off for a fine road that had not cost the government a penny. But that happened in the long ago. Modern governments are debarred from taking any such drastic measures meas-ures to enforce the institution of public pub-lic utilities. |