238 THE DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA
pletion
of the railway, that De Beers Company was the principal customer,
consuming about 5500 tons of the average monthly production of 12,000
tons. This coal supply was delivered to De Beers by agreement for 15s.
per ton at Sterkstroom, the point of junction of the Indwe and Eastern
system lines. In spite of the inferior quality of the coal, compared
with Welsh coal, the South African coal at this price was a good
bargain for De Beers, and the very profitable record of the Indwe
Company proves that the interests of its shareholders were not
sacrificed in making the bargain. The mines of the Stormberg district
are still continuous producers, and supply about 1000 tons monthly to
the mines at Kimberley not under control of De Beers Company.
Coal
mining in the Orange Free State has not been carried on very
energetically on account of the distance of the coal measures from the
existing railways. But the developments in this field are already
promising, and the Kroonstad Coal Company, in particular, has opened up
a bed of very good coal. A railway is in course of construction from
the main Free State line to the Kroonstad coal fields. When this line
is completed these mines will be in a position to compete with any
others, and if the long-promised line is constructed from Branford or
Bloem-fontein to Kimberley, Kroonstad coal can be delivered at the
diamond mines cheaper than any other coal yet discovered. Beyond these
undertakings is the opening of the promising coal mines in Natal to
which De Beers Company has liberally contributed. (See Appendix IV.)
Other
enterprises, too, of public service are worthy of mention. De Beers
Company is steadily furthering fruit and stock farming, and has
constructed storage buildings in various locations in order to prevent
a monopoly of the meat supply which was threatening South Africa. It is
constructing, also, one of the largest dynamite factories in the world,
near Cape Town, under the able superintendence of Mr. W. R. Quinan.
Of course Rhodes could not foresee the marching steps of this progress in varied lines, but it is none the less certain that
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