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1/11/1953 - Pekadjangan Village by Boyd R. Compton

BRC NO OR PUBLICATION Fekadjngan rille INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS Asram ahsiswa Pegangsan Timur Djaa In Ir W S Rogers Institute Current World Affairs 5Fifth Avenue New York City Dear Rogers The night before Christmas quiet Pekadjangn distant could heard proachin amross flooded fields It reached cocenut palms drkened vilke higher pitched swept flooded roofs nearby textile sheds sheets The first drops splattered outside house suddenly curtained poundi tropical eleven clock devbutly oslem village thought Christmas Five before I Djakart spend Christmas vacation friend Ibrhim ntive Pekdjangan It seemed pportunity practice Indonesi investigate famous native texti industry As train Djakart Ibrhim eliminated first objective short briefing Whatever Pekadjangn Indonesian The people accent think Dutch Speak nothing Erglish If there incident streets clear mother We squeezed third class found seats waied while train filled students Chinese trders farmers lugging baskets etables mothers carrying their yelling babies Two young Chinese couples western dress speking Dutch A bottomed Arab white Di moslem already fallen asleep sread forcing wrinkled women bench mumbled somethin through betel stained bsket vegetables Passengers minute deals hawkers Krupp locomotive puffing The bmboo trees brown mansions DjEgrta rolled heded Java north coast On right could range volcanoes which forms Java backbone gives bndits fairly inaccessible hiding place On either story culture could beginning The rainy season reaches western Dava fields around Djak being flooded alreo grown eastern island From Djakarta destination stages flooding cultivat planting first veedings finally ready hhrvesto From train window striking aspect farming Java system gotong royong mutual coopera which persists among Javanese rners where longer owned communally Groups eight farmers could hoeing water cultiv Farther groups plnntin Yo shoots which growing ttered communal Here there individual farmers using buffalo prpre their fields principal terraced scrape obviously human The cslebrated Dutch economist J Boke intensity crops cultiv permnet fields become treby productivity spent dropped pemzanent labor afforded remunerative The overabundance countryside which amounts tremmndous disguised ioyment C arries combatant elfare countryside But potential means force already development small scale decentralized indus The utilization potentit labor Water edomin agricultural Java pttern culivtion anhaLittion laorgely determined presence rivers irrigation systems Between Djakarta Cheribon cultiv rried broad irrigated strips along rivers The higher between river systems dvoted lantation rubber villages their vegetable patches fruit trees Approaching ancient Cheribon beyond toward Semarag flttens typical central Javanese appearance The broad alluvial devoted partly oaddy farming partly which Java chief export Far right where plain rises volcanic uplands larder rubber coffee plantations could Th intensity cultivation population lowland intPicate irriation system built Dutch When Coon estalished Dutch East Indies Company Bstavia early seventeent century population Jva probably million concentrated mainly coast trading ports intensive culture areas iland river valley kingdoms With pulation growth construction scale water control projects areas opened culture In fertile Java evelop available large enough surplus support labor force necessary production export crops Java became agricultursl factory labor force highly organized somewhat specialized The Javanese surBlus eventually expression prosperity Holland Dutch colony Indies Ovrpmpulation which avpalling oroblem considered evidence system itself stoishingproductive So present vital irrigation system colonial legacy You inheritance sides The water arteries controlled ermanet stone cement locks dykes canals Water these sources contrelled distributed government villages according their needs available In villages lurah village chief controls frther tributien water through Boeke Th Interests Voiceless Par East syatem smaller canals which maintaine village villge contribute labor rotation system Because precious village higher altitude dvantage heighbor allotted governm serious attern water rights amazni degree complexity A small stream enter paddy completely disappear ditches It unusual field flowing trough bridge right ngles another canal disputes The local irrigation network anthe The landscape almost unreal beauty beauty which fellow passengers times ignoring conversation slept Seen close range seems unending series metic ulously cared gardens From distan fanta sticlly romantic picture fields rising green brown staiay plantations valcanoes beyond silhouetted oconnt villages green islands water young shoots Painted would nothing P We Pekalengan station Ibrhims family lymouth heded south trading textile center Ten kilometers south entered Pekadjangan I trying emember English incidents pulled family house modern stone stucco bulling which would tobuildinaLongIsndresidentldistrict uldtleekat ofplaceiftransfeedthe ypreaO ncaptienso Javanese village rapiy disintegrati entered house family I shook hands around circle relatives Ibrim turned glish because foreigner ccept because friend Now relax yoself thisremark I decidedtoignoremyfrid scementsdsted several reltives Indenesi They extzemely frieny intensely interested television elections everything American During these talks andtou holiday I generl ekadjangan history information would hardly stand aaholarly validity I asking eeple mselves about their their lives For people I indeed Pekadjangan should called population It Indo nesian village until supports Chinese community Pekadjangmns epulatien ntirely Indnesiano The startlin thing eadjanan shows characteristics generally assecite Javanese village This lrely becms economy wavin making batik sarong religien Islam represented adiyah Business religien insxtricably entwined lives PekadjngAns resperous middle Pekadj rlatively illag Ibrahim cousin claim ounded their grandfathr after Firs World War quickly became bat____ producing center In questioning grandfathers lura___h twenty years I found small armin community already existed arrived It might specu families moved ekalongn their batik business There about batik enterp risers deriv milies These principal families closely related aproved marriages place within Ibrahim marriage cousin arranged trying courage rebel From cOents I sense rebellin against undesir cousin rather edogomous And controlled system itself Another cousins intends choose enough money leave again Physically Pekadjangan astraddle through paved which continues other batik villages plantations On houses batik risers modern ensive electrified The batik sheds behind these houses usually enterprise three homes The houses Werkers streets alleys The orkers houses I typical Javanese bamboo roofs As guest employe chances seeing workers livin donditions almost There small shops store Chinese Pekalonan every night The other small Idonesian The imposing buildin street large white mosque adjoin middle school There 9ther mosques village women numerous small prayer houses Across street mosque large storey building Pekadjangan Ba Cooperative The icture completed elementary schools large graveyard which perhaps become school soccer field where orkers employers compete almost every Friy Batik makins weaving dominate village economy farming second place The village secretary young Veteran revolution admits farming relatively backward village The emphasis industr village hectares devoted settlement hectares Siven The usual ratio settle hi6her villages Java letter describe uhammadiyh Batik roduction Pekadjanan lmost during pnese occupation revival independene With rubber followed outbreak Korean War Bekadjangan presperedo Indenesia genera proserit rises price rubber economy Pekadjngan directly rubber productien ccordin Ibrahim Sumatrn workers their rbber trees batik srongs Pekadjngan cloth favori Whsn workers wearing sarengslings thousand miles little village resperso Whether completely village economy suffere since collapse rubber The batik enterprise Ibrahim family quite tical Pekadjangan In front three family houses Ibrahim mother fther Tot uncle grandrentsj Behind houses several covered sheds where about fifty wrkers sixty b_tik sarongs about number sarengs Th4 orkers ccerding Ater white cloth workers design various metal chela which about inches squre The mathad takes trained desig straight These workers E ccerding system The cloth Goes circle women sitting around With small wooden alicator entire cloth except section which receive receive around RUpiah The dipped first whiah mixed foremanj After washed edforanewcolor Thefinalclothmyhaveasma colors The expensive sarongs entirely r0cess which excepil ieces The Pekadjangan batik makers their vluem Significantly employers families srongs Solo nei6hborin villaes industry advnce conscious vale2 I hrahim uncle manages business endof erise refers workers family He proud staged strike pints labor turnover almost This 9iicture family iiwinK aonditioS workers wages tremendGus between living standards employer emplye The struck Ibrahim auntsaid childr Rupih andor while SOme workers reaeivLug little Rupiah huurs I asked about labor anizatin found union represented Pekadjangan SBII Islamia Labor ation P erhaps worth noting SBII component asjumi political party which Fekadjanan employars Of course nothing really rrJngement duplicated parts South where worker Democrat The workers Pekadjngan eventually jolted their passiveness impressive tional rogrm carnid uhammadiyah their children going school along chilIren employars In_ batik enterprises Pekadj formed cooprtive purchase their expensive materials white cloth J Europe Germany Switzerland The importe materials still represent about percent final price sarong The operative markets members prodction hopes expand effort liminate profit Pekalongan middlemen Shares urrently Rupiah about member number shares The Pekadjangn cooperative takes natiaual organizations which formed thirties under Dtch S Trading Company which purchases cloth abroad Alliance Batik CooperativBs which represent members attacking thorny problem mechanization The present batik disproportionate amount average incom Indonesia mechanization socil Problem which gained attention governme The Pekadjan enterprisers realize their present method production lnhrative somedy The present particlpate mchnization dangers disadvantages machines These dangers course quite thousands bati_ producers Central Java No matter government planning boards bti_k industry tremendous dislocation mchin comes Whatever Pekadjangan economy uncertain future prosperouS In operative members healthy seveuteen Fecent dividend their shares A visitor impression batik enterisers scene comparable upper middle class large furnished houses rdios protein college education pBrhaps automobile T9 picture their children Indonesian status houseboys washwomen The loyers relatively luxurious scale lzing brings problem often mentioned Dr Sumitro brilliant inister Finnce This among Indonesian businessmen spend their earnings houses consumers rather saving investing expanding production This trait works sgainst accumulation capital which necessary industrialization development strong middle class An example usually cited ofmany Indonesian importers favored 9rotected Benteng nkrupt their profits their capital homes With videntally artly Vreblemof keepin prtly question culture The tendency typiied Chinese merchants frugally dspite their wealth devote their ntire resources their business One Pkdj reducers axplained We Indnesins different Chinese Dutcho Whenw enough money happy The influence cultural fctor Indonesian industrialization worth considerable attention impression Pekdjanga investment personal fmily preperty considsrably higher family enterprise This perhas nature industry rudimentary equipment cheap laber stead_demnd poduct employer without Dutch Chinese attitde The qmestion change econ0mih situation mchine comptition exmple chane Idoneian titude It worth pointing biggest recent change economic situation toward cooperative assocition mounting competition The government actively encouraging formation cooperatives associations cooperatives snswer roblem caRital formtiono This through interest loans technical assistance government contracts preferential taxation No doubt formtion Pkadjngan cooperative Rupiah capital places members stronger position The creation enter prises Batik Trading Company makes possible ccumu ltion reaSy significant mounts capital erhaps oints devalopment neither capitalist socialist Tb principal problems however rsmain future Technical organizational experience cannot provided In analysis Pekadjangan thriving industrial village bati_____k producers their problems tendencies consititute vigorous middle class They ttitudes interests assoc middle America Europe This outloek which closely Pekalongan religion subject letter I would close sketch short success story Pekadjngan former residents It illustrates possiblities enterprising villge supposedly little portunity A K Pekdjangan twenty years East Java serve teacher uhammadiyah grammar school Through connections start trading batik first limited scale He mrried local Eirl family batik enterprisers The mrriage moved Peka longan large batik center nearby His busines expnded married Now import export continues triode batik through branches several cities He houses Pekalongan block middl class residsntial district Semarang His asjumi Party tricot Pekalenam esitien considerable olitical considering almost certain victory asjumi scheduled elictiens He still forties I found helieve A E Indenesins energetic busines ekadjang means typical avaneSe villaga It offers tremeudeus cntrast villa ariaiturl hinterland But erhap thatH Beeke famous essimistic prescri avanese masses plain living thinking univmrmally illages Pekadjangan should stued thoronghly scilgists economists reresent Zeelers revolution which reaching avaneae uatryide Byd Cmpton Received New York