Gradually,
also, activity was resumed at the mines, though the full restoration of
the old conditions was, in some cases, delayed for many years, and in
some cases the old conditions were never restored at all. The first
step taken at Kimberley was the resumption of 'washing' operations of
the diamondiferous soil—the 'blue ground'—that had already been mined
and was available on the depositing 'floors'. It was followed by
renewed underground operations at certain mines—at Dutoitspan in March
1936, at Bultfontein in June 1937. The Consolidated Diamond Mines of
South West Africa began production again in the southern portion of the
reserved area (the 'Sperrgebiet') on 1 January 193 5- Washing began
atjagersfontein in July 1936, and was finished by February 1937. Both
in the case of this mine and of the Premier Mine it was realized that
under the then conditions the mines were really unpayable and, in terms
of the diamond producers' agreement and with the assent of the Union
Government, the quotas assigned to them were transferred to De Beers,
though it involved some difficult negotiations before agreement was
finally reached. At Koffiefontein washing operations only began in
March 1937 and were maintained till March 1940, but by then an entirely
different state of affairs obtained, and the 'great depression' was a
memory, though a poignant one, of the past. The Diamond Corporation
declared its first dividend, at the rate of -]\ per cent, for
the year 1937: a matter not without significance to the old conference
producers, who were shareholders in the concern, in partnership with
the old Syndicate firms. Later, the ownership of the ordinary share
capital in the Diamond Corporation was to pass entirely
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