pointed
out to his Anglo American Corporation shareholders in 1929, the
Namaqualand and Lichtenburg discoveries were in a sense unique:
Yet
I hold that the big producers who, after all, arc the custodians of the
diamond trade, should, in the interests of their shareholders, not even
run this small risk. A new era of scientific diamond prospecting has
been inaugurated by men like Dr. Merensky, Dr. Kaiser, Dr. Beetz, Dr.
du Toit, Dr. Wagner and Dr. Harger, and if the big producers are
vigilant the chances of surprise discoveries will be very materially
reduced.
♦ IV ♦
Early
in 1927 the Secretary for Mines and Industries gave utterance to one of
those vague and well-meaning statements dear to the heart of
politicians and of officials not certain of what they really wanted to
do: '. . . the whole question is receiving the very careful
consideration of the Government at the present time and it is hoped
that the new bill to be introduced this session will result in securing
stabihty of the diamond market so far as the alluvial output is
concerned.' R. F. P. Philipson-Stow, presiding at the meeting of the
Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Company on 25 February 1927, in
quoting this statement, rightly pointed out that 'we must secure
stability of the diamond industry as a whole' and not only 'so far as
the alluvial output is concerned'. But the very day on which he spoke
to his shareholders, the Government had taken its first step—not by way
of new legislation, but by proclamation. Government had at that time no
power to interfere with the Lichtenburg situation, but it could, under
the then existing Cape legislation, act in Namaqualand. They were
prodded into action by Dr. Merensky, the co-discoverer of the
'Aladdin's Cave', and on 25 February, by Proclamations 50 and 51, in
virtue of powers conferred by section 5 of the (Cape of Good Hope)
Precious Stones Amendment Act, 1907, prospecting for precious stones
was stopped on all Crown land and 'on all private land in the title to
which there exists a reservation to the Crown of precious stones and
minerals', situated in the Namaqualand division. In fact, with the one
exception of the farm Kleinzee, there were no farms without a
reservation of precious stones to the Crown and this exception was to
be of considerable importance subsequently. The mere prohibition of
prospecting did not, of course, necessarily imply that the acquisition
of farms and of options over farm lands hi Namaqualand was henceforth
purposeless—but the fact that
