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THE DIAMOND
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diamondiferous
deposit, and another company, the Weiss de Meillon Company, have one on
a tract of three or four square miles. It is reported that the district
is producing 12,000 to 15,000 carats monthly. The quality and color of
the stones are good, but the crystals are small and cut to a fine grade
about }i of a carat.
The
diamonds occur in a deposit of sand and gravel said to range from six
to twelve feet in depth and traceable in one place, a quarter of a mile
wide, for 17 miles. The gravel is sieved as in other wet diggings, and
the water for washing is obtained either by pumping from the sea or by
digging shallow pits, into which sufficient water for the purpose
collects.
In
January, 1909, the Emperor William issued a rescript establishing a
government monopoly of the trade in all diamonds found in the Colony.
All the stones found must be turned over to the representative of the
government, who will sell them and after deducting expenses and a tax
which, together amount to about one-third of their value, will turn
over the remainder of the proceeds to the owner. The present owners of
the diamond properties have agreed to form a joint stock company to
act as the government's representative.
The
output of these fields has already materially affected the price of
small diamonds and as they are now under the direct supervision of the
German government, they should be beyond the control or influence of
the English Diamond Syndicate. An apparent inability for any but a
favored few to obtain the rough in 1909, followed by a rise of price to
the Syndicate level, aroused suspicion of German freedom from
syndicate influence. It is rumored, however, that German
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