Abstract
Both the changed position of Surinam in the world economy and Emancipation had important repercussions for the country’s economic and social life, as we saw in the preceding chapter. Surinam gradually lost the character of a plantation colony in which large-scale farming constituted the chief industry, and developed into an area with a wider differentiation in economic resources. The country retained its agrarian character, however, notwithstanding the fact that since 1935 it has derived the greater part of its foreign exchange from mining. Nonetheless the country’s development has forced large-scale farming to cede the first place to small-scale agriculture.
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References
a On immigration see: D. W. D.Convins, Note on Emigration from the East Indies to Surinam or Dutch Guiana,Calcutta, 1892; Uittreksel van het Verslag des Heeren J. McNeill en Chinaman Lal,Paramaribo, 1915; H. van Vleuten, Omtrent den Toestand der Javanen in Suriname (Landsarchief, Paramaribo, 1908); J. van Vollenhoven, Rapport over de werving, emigratie en immigratie van arbeiders in de Kolonisatie in Oost-Indië en Suriname,The Hague, 1913; De economische en financiële toestand der Kolonie Suriname,The Hague, 1911; Suriname Studie-Syndicaat, Rapport der Studiecommissie naar aanleiding van haar bezoek aan Suriname,Rotterdam, 1920; Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië,article entitled Immigratie,The Hague, 1917; Verslagen van Bestuur en Staat van Suriname from 1873 on, chapter entitled Immigratie.
On the history of small-scale farming in Surinam see W. L. Loth, Appendices of the Colonial Reports for 1905 and 1906; and especially S. Beck, Lezingen over Surinaamsche Problemen, Paramaribo, 1924, E. Snellen, De Aanvoer van Arbeiders voor de Landbouw in Suriname, Wageningen, 1933.
A. Heemskerk, Reisindrukken uit West-Indië, Amsterdam, 1878, p. 9.
J. Boonacker, De cultuur van rijst in Suriname en haar toekomst, Vergadering Indisch Genootschap 2nd December, 1932, The Hague, 1933, p. 44.
a E. F. Verkade-Cartier van Dissel, De Mogelijkheden van Landbouw-Kolonisatie voor Blanken in Suriname Amsterdam, 1937, pp. 92 ff.
S. Gonggrijp, Lezing voor de Vereeniging voor den Grooten Landbouw, Paramaribo, 1917, p. 4.
See Enc. W.I.,the article entitled Plaatselijk Bestuur (Local Administration), p. 566. In 1932 a new ordinance concerning the drainage districts was issued: G.B. 1932, No. 2.
Enc. W.I., the articles on the balata and gold industries, J. Sack, De Balataindustrie in Suriname,Paramaribo, 1908; C. A. J. Struyken de Roysancour and J. W. Gonggrijp, Het Balata-vraagstuk in Suriname,Paramaribo, 1912, and J. Polak, Historisch overzicht van de Goudindustrie in Suriname,The Hague, 1908.
J. J. W. Eekhout, Heeft Suriname een toekomst? Vergadering Indisch Genootschap,10th December, 1926, pp. 9, 107.
J. A. Liems, Over den Klein-landbouw in Suriname. W.I. Gids, 1923, p. 627.
See Report of a lecture by S. Gonggrijp for the Landbouw en Tuinbouwvereeniging Suriname 1899 (De Suriname 1899, No. 99).
De Economische en Financieele Toestand der Kolonie Suriname,Report by the Committee appointed by a Resolution of 11th March, 1911, The Hague, 1911, pp. 55 ff.
Cf. Governor’s Report on the disturbances of 1931. Reports Proceedings Lower House, 1931–1932, Appendices, I, No. 16.
In 1947 the Verslag van de Commissie tot Bestudeering van Staatkundige Hervormingen in Suriname (Report of the Committee appointed for studying Political Reforms in Surinam, Paramaribo, 1947, vol. I, p. 31) stated: “In spite of post-war shifts in the labour market there are so far very few signs of serious unemployment; the number of persons seeking employment who reported to the Social Welfare Department after the demobilization did not even come to one thousand”.
De Economische Toestand van Suriname op 31 Dec. 1914, I,Paramaribo, 1916, p. 25.
Verslag van Bestuur en Staat over 1938,p. 27.
See appendix, Reports Proceedings Lower House, 1931–1932, I, no. 16.
Lampe instituted an investigation in 1926 into the growth coefficient of the different ethnic groups. According to his findings the Creole population was steadily increasing, as was the British Indian population, while the Javanese were doomed to die out if left to their own devices. P. J. Lampe, Suriname. Sociaal-Hygiënische Beschouwingen, Amsterdam 1927, p. 545. The corrections of Lampe’s results by E. Verkade-Cartier van Dissel showed that the Hindustanis were a slightly regressive group. Cf. Verkade, op. cit., p. 172. In 1929 Lampe published some results which made him more optimistic in his expectations in respect of the growth of the Javanese group. Cf. Annual Report of the Public Health Department of Surinam for the year 1929, p. 111.
On the Hindustanis cf. R. Karsten, De Britsch-Indiérs in Suriname,The Hague, 1930, and C. de Klerk, De Britsch-Indiërs in Suriname, W.I. Gids,1942, p. 97, who also describes the Hindustanis’ reactions to the Creoles. De Klerk does not give due consideration to the fact that besides feelings of superiority on the part of the Hindustanis the latter also harbour feelings of inferiority in respect of the Creole group.
Rapport van de Commissie tot onderzoek en bestudeering van de in het staatsdeel Curaçao levende politieke opvattingen en wenschen (Report of the Committee appointed to investigate and study political views and ambitions in the territory of Curacao, The Hague, 1946), p. 34, List no. I.
W. C. N. Elout van Soeterwoude, Onze West. The Hague, 1884, p. 28. Cf. also A. C. Wesenhagen, Een en ander over de West, Rotterdam, 1896, p. 33.
For an official Dutch opinion on the Jews of Surinam cf. Rapport Staatscommissie (Report Government Commission of 1911), p. 73. Apart from praising their intellect the Report also speaks of the Jews’ self-conceit and and their feeling victimized.
Cf. Reman Irus (Surinamer) in Het Koloniaal Weekblad,14th June, 1906, No. 24.
G. Verschuur, Een Maand in Suriname, Elseviers Maandblad 1892, no. 1.
A. E. Boers, Over de beweging in deze dagen Paramaribo, 1911 (brochure).
Ibid.,p. 18. Cf. also H. van Ommeren, Overdrukken uit de Suriname 1911 (brochure) in reply to Boers’ brochure.
An extraordinary reaction to the existence of such racial views in the Creole group and a description of these are given in an article which appeared in De Surinamer (22nd May, 1919) and an offprint of which was published in the W.I. Gids,1919, I, p. 332. The writer only gives a number of extreme examples, however.
For the impression this phenomenon created on a senior official from Holland see A. E. Thierens, Drie Jaar in Suriname, Nieuwe Gids, 1924, pp. 28 ff. For an insight into the mentality of the Dutch senior official another important document is Het Suriname Vraagstuk, a Report made at the request of the Government by Dr. P. H. W. G. van den Helm, ex-Government Secretary of Surinam, 1926 ( Archives Department of Colonies).
Ibid.,p. 177,and J. Hartog, Journalistiek Leven in Curaçao,Willemstad, 1944, pp. 334 and 337.
Cf. G. J. Staal, Stroomingen in Suriname, W.I. Gids,1927, p. 349, fn.
Standardization became complete in 1929 as a result of a new superannuation scheme. Cf. J. A. E. Buiskool, Suriname Nu en Straks,Amsterdam, 1946, p. 103. Ex-Governor Baron A. J. A. A. van Heemstra in particular shed some light on the negative aspects of standardization in Ons Koninkrijk in Amerika, West Indié,p. 351.
For a classification of the different kinds of relationship between men and women among the negroes of the New World cf. T. Simey, Social Welfare and Planning in the West Indies,London, 1946, p. 82. A form of contact between men and women which is found frequently is the relationship in which a man visits a woman at regular intervals and contributes towards her housekeeping expenses.
Cf. Paper by A. J. Baron Schimmelpenninck van der Oye in Het Ambacht in Suriname,Paramaribo, 1912, p. 99, and M. J. Herskovits, Surinam Folklore,p. 32.
De Woningtoestand in Suriname. (Housing Conditions in Surinam.) Report of the Committee appointed by Resolution of the Governor on 28th July, 1910. Paramaribo, 1912.
Memorandum with appendices by the Bureau voor Sociale, Economische en Crisiszaken (Department of Social, Economic and Crisis Affairs), 25th April, 1940, no. 34. Archives Bureau voor Sociale Zaken (Social Welfare Department), Paramaribo.
Cf. A. T. Olivieira, De Natuurlijke Aanwas der Bevolking van Suriname, W.I. Gids,vol. VI, 1924, p. 561. P. H. Lampe, op. cit.
P. H. Lampe, Enkele opmerkingen over den sociaal-hygiënischen toestand en de geneeskundige verzorging van Suriname, W.I. Gids,1926, u. 249.
Cf. Colonial Reports and Administration and State Reports 1921–1938.
Lampe, Enkele opmerkingen, W.I. Gids, 1923, p. 276.
Cf. A. E. Wolff in Rapport van de Commissie voor Na-oorlogsche Problemen, Paramaribo, 1945, pp. 147, 150.
Lampe, Enkele opmerkingen, W.I. Gids, 1923, p. 273.
Information by Dr. A. E. Wolff on an investigation instituted in Paramaribo in 1947.
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van Lier, R.A.J. (1971). The Economic and Social Changes after Emancipation. In: Frontier Society. Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-0647-2_10
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