Chapter 8

 1930 [The Gundagai Times and Tumut, Adelong and Murrumbidgee District Advertiser, Fri 21 Nov 1930] 

An Interesting Letter from Shanghai.

Mr. J. Frost, the well-known Singer representative, has had another Interesting letter from his daughter from Shanghai, who is now 'traveling the Continent with her husband, from which we have been allowed to take the following extracts.-—

"We are sailing from Shanghai on the I4th Oct. on the "Hakone" Maru, due at Hongkong 17th October, Singapore 22nd October, Penang 24th October, Colombo 29th October, Aden 5th November, Suez 9th November, Port Said 10th November, Naples 13th November, and then Marseilles 15th November. From there we take train through to Switzerland, and will stay there for five or six months. Then I think we go on to England, Italy, Germany, and through Russia back to Shanghai, but we have not finally decided on the latter part of our journey. We might return via the States."

[Earlier story says " his daughter, who lives at Harbour Master's Station, Woosung, China", 

From; Fri 2 Jan 1931 Issue:

Travels Abroad.

Interesting Letter from Sea.

Mr. Jas. Frost, the well-known Singer representative, has handed us the following interesting letter from his daughter, who is taking an extensive holiday trip 'around' the Continent. As will be seen the letter is written on the voyage, and is a most interesting description of  events seen and happenings whilst on the s s. "Hakone" Maru:--

"We are enjoying just the most perfect weather imaginable, calm, beautiful seas with hardly a ripple. I wrote to you on a menu card fromHongkong. There was nothing new for me to tell you about that place, you know already all there is to know. We arrived at Singapore at 7 a.m. on Oct. 22nd, and we are perfectly charmed with the place. I have never seen anything so colorful and beautiful, and of all the

tropical places we have been to Singapore is the most beautiful. We walked all through tbe native bazaars, markets and village in the morning, had lunch at 'Keffle's' hotel and at 10 o'clock took a car and motored all tbe afternoon until 6 o'clock through the country. We were a party of five, and its difficult to describe the beauty of this Island and the handsome natives all dressed in their gay bright colours. They speak English perfectly and have such charming manners. We motored to Johore, up in the bills, which is under British protection, freedom of self-administration against any other nation. There are immense stretches of Malay rice fields, cocoanuts are grown by everyone, whilst the English and Chinese grow rubber. To buy a

stick of sugar cane for a cent, and

eat it on the spot is an experience.

Tbe cane is a couple inches thick

and grows jointed every few inches;

the joints are cut half through,

snapped off and chewed one by one,

after stripping off with a knife the

outer bark ; our teeth are not as

strong and sound as tbe native, so

you divide the joint with a knife

down the grain into several pieces

and cbew them. Tbe cool, sweet

juice bas little tasle of the sophisti

cated sugar wbicn we know, but bas

a slightly subpacid flavour of its

own. You don't swallow tbe

chewed fibre of the cane, and you

will certainly not feel the least

inclination to do so ; its excellent for

the teeth and cleans them beautifully. The social centre of the English quarter of a town in Malaya is always the recreation ground and the club overlooking it. It is difficult

to think of any town or village

which does not possess its club, and to each one tbe Government allows a fixed sum a year towards the purchase of newspapers. The race course is one of the best in the Federated Malay States. As you

pass through the country you are

grateful to tbe Chinese coolie, who

I will tell you about later. Your

eye lights upon the little cameo

ricefields sst about with cocoanut

palms, a few crescent-horned buffal

oes grazing in tbe centre of tbe

pictu e, some naked little brown

children who ate perfectly lovely

to look at, and the marvels' of the

ntlural scenery are just lovely.

How tie Jkhr lire.

The Malay has given the country  the only beauties in it provided by the hand of man, they have adorned it and whether you live In it or merely Sash through it, yet the picture which the Malaya have provided is carried in your brain. You will know little of them, but will read much, for the people and their way of life lend themselves to description. To be born, to live, and to die a Malay amongst the Kampongs 'no other business offers a man his daily bread upon such joyful terms.' Consider how they live. Twenty four cocoanut trees in full bearing and a patch ot rice land provide a sufficient living for one Malay family. Tbe labour spent on tbe cocoannts is scarcely to be regarded, it consists in feeing that

the cocoanut beetle does not attack

the trees and in many districts Ibe

beetle does not exist at all. The

pidi (rice) fields demand somewhat

severe exertion in preparation and

perhaps tbe crops will fall In a dry

year or suffer from pests such as the

pad! borer insect or the rat. Tbese

two — the cocoanut and the rice—

sre tlis main staples, the daily bread

of the Malay, and he is offered them

upon sufficiently joyful terms. His

climate is kind to him. His

people live to good ages and their

worst enemy is malaria fever. If

they come through its p rpetual

attacks in early youth they acquire,

If not immunity, some sort of toler

ance of the disease.

. Exit tte Iu-Gitkcnr.

Taxes bear lightly upon them,

the typical Malay peasant never

need meet the direct tax-gatherer

but once in a year, when he pays

bis land.rent to the collector, and

the indirect taxes all based upon

tbe consumption of luxuries, do not

touch bim at all. Except for cloth,

ing, whfeb bis women are ceasing

to weave, and implements of Iron,

his life's round Is quite selfcon

tained and he need never be be

holden to auy man for anything

except perhaps salt and tobacco,

for tbese two are not produced in

bis country. Everything else he

can procure, If not from bis own

patch of land, usually about five

acres in extent, then from jungle4 which in most districts is still close In the cultivated lands. His house

Is built of wood. A few rich Malays built their walls of planks,

with tile roofs, but tbe vast majority

of bouses consist of uprights, cut In

the jungle and dragged by buffalo,

with walls of Interband rattan

wattle, Tbe roof is made of nipab

or attp leaf, taken from a large

palm which grows in the salt

swamps amongst tbe mangrove,

windows are merely horizontal silts

in the walls protected by n shntter,

and sometimes only ol rattan. A

verandah runs along one side of ibe

bouse raised usually 5 or 6 feet

above the gronad, as is tbe floor of

Hie bouie. Tbe Interior of tbe

house Is usually dark, often there is

a sort of garret or shelf in the roof

whither unmarried girls retire on

the approach of a strange man, and

here they sleep at night, tbere is

also a small window in tbe wall for

tbe girls to see all that is going nn

outside the house. The only lurni

tnre is sleeping mats and mosquito

nets— if any — for the familv anil

perhaps a raised bedplace for tbe

father and mother. There will he

no chairs and tables In tbe Malay

cottage, In the country at_ least,

though in tbe towns they are begin

ning to take to them. A Malay

nouse is usually untidy to the

English eye.

Fnrit All tie Yeu Roul.

Tbe people live much out of

doors, Tbe prime dish at every

meal is boiled rice, curry, gravy

dried fish and fowl, and only on

high days and holidays do tbe

Malays eat buffalo meat, or beef, or

goat flesh. Almost every bouse bas

a small herd of goats .? most people

have several cows, and many possess

buffaloes, whose chief use is to

plough the r«di fields in tlieir season

and drag timber from the jungle.

Tbe herbs and spices wbicb provide

tbe curry sauce of the dishes are

grown near tbe bouse, the vege

tables, sweet potatoes, pumpkins

cucumbers, fern tops, ground-nuts

will be found in a patch of rough

ground not far off, aud the drink

water is from tbe well, wbile sugar

cane is grown hard by. All around

tbe house will be fruit orchard and

will be in season all tbe year round.

Everything is quite self-contained,

and a Malay family can live verv

healthily, happily and long without

ever being indebted to any other

race except for salt and clothing,

tobacco nnd implements of iron.

The natural Increase of goats, fowls,

cattle, and the surplus of the rice

and fruit harvest when sold in the

nearest Chinese village or large

town at once provide money to pay

for tbese. They are not so light

hearted as the Burmese or Japanese,

to both of whom they are by race

allied, possibly because tbe Malays

Muhammadans, nor so stolid as the

Chinese, to whom also they are

allied, nor do they greatly resemble

their Siamese neighbours, but seem

to hold the balance between all

tbese. They avoid all unnecessary

exertion with a care which is. obvi.

ously the hereditary result of cen

turies residence In a tropical climate.

If tbere be nn ingenious way of

doing a thing without physical ex

ertion then you may be quite cer

tain that this is tbe way the Malay

does It, Ibe first art of sparing one

self, which other races in Malay

never iearu till (bey are dead : 'So

short the life, so long the art - to

learn I' bas been brought to a won

derful perfection by tbe Malays

Tbis is not laziness, it is not in.

dolence, it Is not slackness, with all

of wbicb tbe race is unintelligently

reproached. It is race.inielligence,

and it means salvation, mutual and

and physical, for the Malay in tbis

climate.

Reject* tie Wajn cl Olitr People.

As you pass through tbe country

and see man after man doing noth

ing, sitting on a door step, and his

family apparently doing nothing,

tbelr racial characteristic not being

this they never could last, never

could be tbe rapidly increasing race

which they actually are. The white

man comes, the Chinese come, t -e

Indian comes to tbe Malay's coun

try, and they live their alien strenu

ous I(7ts, They make material

progress and show material deatb

and sickness rates. That is their

way of being happy, it is not the

Malay's way. He rejects, and in

some sense despises, other peoples

way. He Is born, and lives, and

gets children and dies in his country

as bis ancestors did. He has no

cold climate, its tbe same season all

the year round. He cannot lose

millions, of his population and never

feel the loss, as the climate can.

Tbe Malay race inhabit tbe Malay

Peninscla, tbe Islands of Java, of

Sumatra, of Celebes, of Borneo, and

of the Malay Archipelago, and

wherever found the men and women

are wearing the Sarong (a loin clotb)

Its simply a skirt of gaily coloured

material not gathered in by sewing

at the waist, but found in one lung

straight shape, A man wears a

shorter Sarong than a woman and

tightens it around his waist with a

twist and fold which are only learnt

by long use and practice. A we.

man if wearing no otber garment

is considered decently, if Informally,

dressed In the domestic circle, but

bitcbes it up above her breasts, with

a twist and a fold tbat Is different

from the man. It is characteristic

of the. race that it should wear a

garment which is so rapidly put on,

so quickly washed, so easily made,

so simply decent, so adaptable for every purpose. Malays wear bright

coloured handkerchiefs twUted around their heads. Strictly no

Muhammadan should wear bead

gear which can prevent bis bowing

bis forehead In the dust, tbe woman

wear no bats or bonnets. Shawls

of bright silk, veils of gossamer, are thrown over the head nnd partly coverln the face. In the tropics are no biting winds, frozen rains or damp cold puddles to chill the feet so very few people wear boots or shoes. The country Malay goes without footwear entirely.

(To be continued).

From: Fri 9 Jan 1931 issue:

Travels Abroad,

Interesting Letter from Sea. 

Mr. Jas. Frost, the well-known Singer representative, has banded us the following Interesting letter from his daughter, who is taking an extensive holiday trip around the Continent. As will be seen the letter is written on the voyage, and is a most Interesting description of events seen and happenings whilst on the s s. 'Hakone' Maru .* —

(Continued from last Issue.)

British Malaya possesses an excellent road system of about three thousands miles. The best time for motoring is during the dry season, from April to September. The hours of daylight are interchanging throughout tbe year, it is quite light at ft a m. and lights have to be lit at 6 p ro. The Federated Malay States do not offer opportunities like Australia or Canada. All manual labour Kdo.ie hv Ashiics, and the part the

hUiOi.tran t*kes is that ot ordering

l..ituur and supeiintending opera*

tions, and unle-s you have the

knowledge to super! tend aod tbe

capacity fot controlling labour, the

Federated Malay States, and I think

auywhtre in the Hast. Is a closed

dnor id him.

. ' THE CHINESE COOLIE.

Now a tew words about tbe

Cnine^e Coolie ! I anyone had bis

right* the Federated Malaj States

| would set up a monument iu the

| m-'Si imper.shible brass to a yellow

riiceri, snuh. nosed, close -knitted

celestial, true type of that person ]

who is not quite like anyoue else In

ail the world, tbe Chinese Coolie

v\bo has made this country possible.

Yntt see him In the mines, pulling

ricksha's in the towns, and working

in the jungle. He wears nothing

hut a pair of short breeches, wet

most surely with sweat, but ire

quently also drippiug with water,

either from tbe sheets of rain when

tbe heavens open or from the rivers

,when these flood. Yet be Is cheer,

?ful and alwavs readv with a erln.

The beat is heavy on him and tbey

know no punkab or electric fan.

The rain is torrential, Tbe sun

bldzes without any quality of mercy.

Of what we know as rational pleas

ures tbey have none. Sport is un

known to them, games tbey play

not at all. Tbelr vices are of the

coasest, their selt-indulgence is In

opium, sometimes in morphia.

Gambling Is the recreation they

prefer. They live In a barrack with

a hundred others, or in a hut quite

alone. Here tbey may make 15 or

20 dollars a month— In China tbey

are lucky to make five dollars. The

whole country — railways, tbe build

ings, tbe irrigation, tbe mines, tbe

fisheries, are all built on the efforts

of tbe Chinese Coolie in bis thou

sands and ten thousands. To the

I Chinese Coolie and to him almost

! alone are due tbe power, tbe majesty

and tbe glory derived from a huge

revenue splendidly yet carefully ex

pended by Englishmen.

TBE BEAOTT SPOTS OF COLOMBO.

Penang is similar to Singapore,

but very benutlful— tbe roads aud

gardens are marvellous. You can

travel by train from Singapore to

Penang. By steamer it takes about

seventeen hours Colombo was our

, next port of call, tbe magic isle of

Ceyloo. Its charm and beauty is

wonderful and holds everyone under

its spell. Whet couid enhance tbe

magnetic charm of a strange harbor

'more than to discover it at sunrise

with the b: illinnt equatjrial sun

gleaming on thccalto waters? Susb

was our entry into Colombo Haibor,

^oiie ot tbe most beautiful- picture

memories of tbe far Hast, with its

.{wo polyp.tike breakwaters holding

'nff the lon«* nweil tit the Indi-n

Ocean. Bero e u- r»»se the Ptlrn

'ttlnged coast ; big brokers thun.

dered against ihe two huge break*

waiers behind which ihe hunting of

?in'nv natinns flutteied tn the brerze.

Th ough innumerable roasts, fun.

opIr and v-iils, stand the while houses

of Colombo Fort, There is no

: longer any doubt in my mind that

' Cevlon w-ll deserves the f^ncCu

i name 'The Golden Tip of Ind'a,'

Colombo may be divided into thrse

parts— tbe Fort, including tbe bar.'

hour and the buiiness quarters the

Pettah, where ynu can enjoy the

real native life, and tbe fine cinna

mon gardens, a well lairi'out park

with extensive shady grounds and

many lovely, villas and bungalows.

Around the i*ort Is delightful The

Custom House buzzes with activity

j and you pass rows of *bu!lock -carts

with imports and exports. The

Tamil-drivers with their large tur

bans, squat ou. the' shafts of tbelr

carts between the pair of trudging

oxen. Every now and again the 1

man grips the tail of one beast and

gives it a sharp twist and tbe sud*

den pain startles the animal into a

sort of jog-ti ot. The public gardens

In tbe Fort are verdant with tropical

trees, plants and flowers. -Rare

partus, tamarisks, papaya bananas,

cinnamon and spreading saber trees

are everywhere. Beneath them,

hibiscus, jasmine fill the air with

fragrance. Tbe flower beds are a

glorious canvas of color. The Pel.'

lah, or native quarterns well worth

a visit, to :-ee the peoples at tbelr

dally tasks and pleasures. The

Pettah teems with excitement and

novelty from dawn till far into the

night;1- ; There the bazaars attract

you with thelr-tiny stalls filled with

goods from all parts of the globe,

Tb&ffult 'sfelleis, the tea bouses, tbe

native resturaunts, the precious

stones and ear jewellery. People

squat on tbe ground eating, gossips

Ing and smoking the 'hokkab,'

their peculiar native water pipe. All

races or Asia and many of Africa I

mingle here in these winding Unes

? -Arabs, Persians, Malays, Tamils,

Slngalesr, Chinese, Japanese, Slam

ese, and the Negroid tribes are all

represented in this motley crowd of

crying, haggling buyers and sellers

Naked children, Incrongruous look

ing with their swollen rice-stomachs,

play in the middle of tbe streets,

| without fear of the high laden bul

I lock cart, whose driver shouts and

swears at tbem as they scurry' to

to cover. In tbe mldbt of this native

babel, a smart policeman In khaki

patrols the streets keeping order,

such as it is. Between the row of

yellow, blue, white, red and green

paluted native huts we pass many

Buddhist sb:!nes, pious Singalese

are kneeling chanting their prayers.

At first glance one cannot tell

whether tbe worsblppeis are men or

women because of tbelr halr-dress.

I soon found out they were men,

but tbe bizarre manner In which

tbey do tbelr bair Is misleading.

AU Singalese men let their hair

grow long. Tbe jet black strands

are well-oiled and formed in a kind

of Grecian knot on tbe back of tbe

neck. Then a high, half-round

tortoise shell comb is pushed into

fusion, but Is supposed to be tbe

mark of a gentleman. The lower

classes, Including the coolie*, do not

wear tbe comb, because tbey would

then he unable to carry ioads on

tbelr heads. On our way back to

Cinnamon Gardens we saw many

Hindu temples, adorned with elab

orate statues of ugly Idol* who gaze

stonily down upon tbe passers-by.

There were numerous Moslem mos

ques of mucb simpler architectural

type. Well-kept roads, lined with

the huge old trees planted by tbe

Dutch over two hundred years ago,

led to tbe grounds where tbe upper

teu thousand enjoy life after their

daily work in the Fort. Tbe best

time to drive out here is in the even

ing, at sunset tbe roads swarm wltb

motor cars, carriages 'and strolling

people enjoying this exquisite

tropical Isle.

CEYLON'S FAVORITE HEALTH RESORT.

Colombo, however, with all its

beauties Is only tbe gateway to tbe

paradisical interior. Five hours by

motor car takes one to Kandy, gar

den-spot of Ceylon, Long stretches

of padi (rice) endless rows of hills

and valleys covered with tbe most

vivid carpet of green. The scenery

is dotted with large breadfruit trees,

tbe jack, tbe frangipul, palms,

cocoanut areca, and above all the

talipot, a gigantic white flower that

Is often seen along the roadside.

! The well cultivated coffee, gum and

tea plantations add to the loveliness

of tbe landscape. Tea Is exported

, in quantities which now exceed the

output of India, Several bundled

i thousand working men are brought

from Southern India yearly to harvest those tiny fragrant leaves that make the famed international beverage. Kandy to-day is Ceylon's favourite beahh resort, picturesquely situated lu a fertile valley, tbe dry and invigorating air has that wonderful tonic effect. Kandy is also one of the great centres of Buddhism. In tbe magnificent temple of Dali* Maligawa Is preserved the tooth of Buddha, one of tbe rarest of holy relics In the far East. This precious relic Is concealed In a goldeu Lotus flower under seven concentric bell shaped shrines studded wltb rare jewels. The bronze doors leading to the holiest of holies in the Dali Maligawa temple are remarkable works of art. It was no small task to elbow through tbe mob of worshippers to tbe front of the shrine. We happened to arrive just in time to see the wonderful procession of the eight gala religious days. Torchbearers head the procession wearing huge turbans and loin cloths, sparks flying from their fiery scepters. *sthey wave them. Tom-toms and flutes weave weird chautlng measures as tbe musicians lend the native melodies to tbe festivities. The flag bearers come into sight with an

array of colored pen, ions and han

ners, in which shades of red are the

predominating hue. Here comes

tbe elephants 1 Magnificent in their

rich decorations, the huge pachy.

derms lumber along, almost hidden

under tbe multicol -red silks and

orocades of their trappings. Gleam

ing silver plates crown their fore,

heads and long silver chains hang

from their bodies, so that tbe only

visible parts are their beads and

trunks. Following the rearpnarH

of elephants are tbe famous 'Devil

Dancers' of Ceyloo. Tbey are a

special religious sect whose costumes

are as fantastic and weird as their

dancing. Around tbelr bare arms

and legs are fastened broad brass

baogles and tiny -bells. A loose

scarf flutters around their waists and

tbelr faces and beads are hidden un.

der hideous-appearing devil masks.

These 'Devil Dancers' only appear

in public during the Perabera festi

val, tbelr actual motive being to

dance around sick people, driving

the devil from their bodies, which

proves a lucrative profession amid

the natives. The rich planters, rice farmers and princes in Kandy and the vicinity provide the elephants, costumes and money. ?here js go

charge for anything and tbe pilgrims

bave a carnival of worship during

these eight days. * There are many

more things to be seen in Ceylon,

but time does not permit, but the colorful memories of this rare and picturesque tropical clime will last me a lifetime,'

1932:  The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933)  Wed 8 Feb 1933 

After nine weeks' holiday in Japan, China, and Hongkong, Mr. James Geddes (the well-known Brisbane chemist), Mrs. Geddes, Miss Joan Geddes, and Master Colin Geddes, returned to Brisbane yesterday on the Japanese steamer, Kamo Mai u. One of the most attractive souvenirs they brought from their joy trip was a miniature model of the Victor Emmanuel II. Memorial, Rome. This artistic piece of cake building was made by a confectioner on the Hakone Maru, the captain of which boat dedicated it to Mr. and Mrs. Geddes when they left the boat at Yokohama.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/166637884?searchTerm=hakone%20maru

LIGHTS OUT ABOARD

ON CHINA COAST

VOYAGE IN WAR

CONDITIONS

The excitement of travelling In a ship under war conditions was one of the experiences of Mrs. J. H. Decent. of Singleton, .during her recent holiday. Mrs. uecent and ner nuspana returned to Sydney by the Nleuw Holland yesterday morning from a three months' tour of China and Japan. The day they left Shanghai, there were 21 Japanese warships In the harbor and on their first day out they passed 27 transport ships crowded with, Japanese soldiers. 'In Japan there were numerous processions and demonstrations.' said Mrs. Decent, 'and on our return from there we were not allowed to go to Shanghai, so we went from Japan to Hongkong. In the Hakone Maru. 'No lights were allowed on board after dark, and we all had printed Instructions as to what we were to do In the event of our being attacked. Boat-drill was frequent.

'At Hongkong we saw the shocking results of the typhoon and many of the battered ships lying In ' the harbor. One large ship had its bow in the water and Its stern on the footpath.' Mrs. Decent will stay In Sydney until Christmas.

OFF TO CHINA. 

I see that Miss Ursula McCoy has taken a long trek to China, where it is her intention to stay with her brother, Lieut.-Commander J. W. McCoy, who is at present stationed In Hong Kong in charge of a submarine. Miss McCoy was accompanied by her sister-in-law, Mrs. J. W McCoy, and her two sons, James and Patrick, and sailed from the Royal Albert Docks on the 11th inst. on the SS. Hakone Maru. 

Miss McCoy, I am told, will have a rather prolonged stay, as she later intends to visit her aunt, Miss A. Peet, in Shanghai, returning to Ireland via Canada, where she will visit some relatives before coming home. 

See Detailed obituary and the McCoy father in 1931. [Death of a cousin in car crash 1937.] 

https://newspaperarchive.com/passenger-lists-clipping-mar-13-1930-2833280/