The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-24
MINING OPERATIONS
IN THE TRANSVAAL
Gold Dividends 25 Per Cent Per An.
mum on Total Capital Invested
in 1893.

The report of the Transvaal State
Mining Engineer for the year ending
December 81, 1898, furnishes some inter-
esting information regarding the min
ing industry in a country to which the
eyes of the civilized world are now
turned
The report states that 154 gold and
coal mining companies carried on min
ing operations in the South African
republic last year as compared with
2lS in 1897. The number of gold min
ing companies is 1877 as compared with
1893 in 1897. The remaining II compan-
les were coaf mining undertakings, of
which there We're % at work in 1897.
The total nominal capital of the COM
panles at work at the close of 1898, was
s273, 7OO945. as compared with sS15. 941.-
125 in 1897. OF the gold mining COM
panies 103 We're at work in the Wit
Watersrand, while % of the 1877 com
panies We're engaged in mining on
quartz reefs. The number of dividend
paying gold mining companies in the
Iransvaal Last year were IS as com
pared with 20 in 1897 The 45 companies
paid dividends amounting in all to $25,-
a4S,925 upon an issued capital of $101,-
1880, giving an average return of 25
per cent. per annum. an increase for
the year of $10,729,770. Three Trans
Eaal coal mining companies paid div-
bends last year to an aggregate amount
OF $3SO000, or about So per cent upon
an issued capital of $445O,OO0. The cor
responding amount of dividends paid in
1897 by Transvaal coal mining COM
panies was $2S1 500. The number of
non-dividend paying gold mining COM
pames in the Transvaal declined last
year to 81. as compared with Ga in 1897.
The nominal capital of these non-divi-
Der, aend 90, paying ayl lso bold mining COMPANIES
was $37 ,2SS, 1870 at the close of 1885, as
compared with s105,093.67O at the close
of 1897. The number of non-dividend
paying coal mining companies also de-
clined from IS in 1897 to IA in 1898.
The number of Transvaal gold min
ing companies which have not effected
any gold production at all was
reduced from JOG in 1897 to 40 in
1888, so that "a large number of these
unremunerative undertakings have
ceased working operations. The amount
expended on Transvaal gold mines last
year was $54.S09, 060 and by Transvaal
coal mining companies 1888, 700 OF the
whole gold output of the Transvaal the
Witwatersrand produced last wear SO. 20
per cent.
The number of white men employed
in the Transvaal gold and coal mines
at the close of 1898. was 12,243 as COM
pared to IL, 642 in December, 1897 The
average number of men employed in
Iransvaal gold and coal mines through
out 1898 was 11,092 whites and S9,OO6
natives The corresponding totals for
1897 We're 10,0O2 whites and 1878 ma
tives. The average wages paid to the
whites last year averaged $1,6O7 ga, as
compared with S1,555 per head in 1897.
Inc wages paid to natives last year
amounted to $15.0S0,205 giving an aver
age Of SlI.2O. The corresponding
amount paid in 1897 was $14 1875, 795, Civ
ing an average of $1S62O per head.
Deep level workings were carried still
further in the Transvaal last year. The
total quantity of Transvaal coal sold
last year was 1901, $50 tons, showing an
increase of 3Ol $50 tons over the corre-
spending sales of 1897 The production
OF diamonds was again confined to two
dlstricts-Bloemhof and Pretoria. The
total weight of diamonds registered
last year was 22s43 carats, valued at
S2ls65O. as compared with 5,792 carats,
valued at $57, 800 in 1897.