WORLD CRISIS AND WORLD LEADERSHIP 289
The conclusion to which all this reasoning inevitably led was that it had become
essential
for the general stability of the industry and trade that the closest
co-operation should be established between the South African Government
sales office and the corporation as regards method of selling, parity
in prices, assortment, etc.
Certain
suggestions were made in the early part of this year regarding the
creation of a non-statutory board consisting of representatives of the
Government and of the Diamond Corporation. . . .
At
the time it was the view that there were certain insuperable objections
to the institution of such a board. On further consideration it is now
felt that with, perhaps, some minor modifications of the original
scheme, the appointment of a consultative body in connexion with
diamond sales would be an important and helpful factor in creating
closer co-operation with the Government, and perhaps result in
consolidation of the two sales offices in South Africa.
It
is our intention to discuss this matter with the Honourable the
Minister of Mines, Mr. A. P. J. Fourie, in London on his return from
the Ottawa conference.
♦ XV ♦
The
'certain suggestions' to which the document cited referred had indeed
arisen out of the verbal and written discussions conducted between the
consulting engineer to De Beers, Mr. H. T. Dickinson, and Dr. Pirow,
the Government Mining Engineer, and had been debated between Mr. Fourie
and Ernest Oppenheimer in the critical days before the final break-down
of negotiations relative to the closing down of the Kimberley mines and
of the Premier Mine. The long account which Ernest Oppenheimer gave to
the board of De Beers on 16 February 1932 (which appears to be, it may
be added, the sole source of reference for certain aspects of the then
situation) makes it clear what the point of difference was, which, at
that time, made a settlement impossible. Dickinson reported to the
board that 'they had commenced by discussing the question of the
formulation of a committee for the purpose of discussing questions
which might arise in connexion with standard assortments and the
maintenance of parity of prices, and generally to supervise the
arrangements in force as far as the supply of diamonds to cutters was
concerned . . .'. Mr. Dickinson later reported that 'he had a further
discussion with Dr. Pirow a couple
