The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-02-03
BELT AND ROBINSON.
Two Pretty interesting skanhr" MIL
iionaires.

Alfred belt 10 beyond question the mort
rsmarksLls millionaire in the world, and
the greatest proof Of his skill 10 founded
In the faot that hardly man outside
South African circles has heard his name.
He 10 practically unknown. In Lon
don not one person out Of hundred thous-
and would recognize his photograph.
Yet, though today only forty-six years
old, he has aecuu ulsted fortune beside
which the dreams Of the ARABIAN
Nights" seem trivial. He 10 probably
the only living Millionaire; and. though
unk nown and unseen, his power is felt all
over South Afrioa and the far East Of
Asia In thousand wsya He noids o
thousand strings In his hands, aod pals
them none the less surely because he re-
mains behind the scenes. More than any
Other man except Rhodes Is responsible
for the present war.
The ordinary picture Of South Afriosn
millionaire 10 that Of q vulgar, loud
spoken, snowy, ostentstious man, kind
Of q johannesburg Tammany "boss."
Alfrsd Bsit presents . complete contrast
to this. In simple, almost shabby clothes,
with meek air, mild eyes and q low
spoken voice. he gives one at nrst the Idea
Of the oniideDtial clerk OF an old lawyer.
II Is amusing to see how people are at
first disappointed with him. Not long
ago q military authority who came aoross
him In South Africa wrote home: "Thst
he IL millionaire and . great hnancier l
am informed on good authority and take
1t for granted. Had been in Ignorance
for q nonentity, and certainly not hive
given him the credit foi being either Q
millionaire or fnanoier.
"Eor he 10 . most unnssuming and
unosteatatious man Of wealth. and az
kindly. quiet and courteous ~ it is pos
sible to be. Very ordinary and meager
In his ideas and commonplace In his con-
versation, he IL one Of the last men l
should have picked out Of . crowd as able
and capable. Belt must be either 90 deep
or SO shallow that in the one case, It Is
impossible to get at the bottom Of him,
and In the other, although It 10 possible
to look throug'', 1t 10 quite impossible to
see any hing"
However, MIR. Belt msekness 10 decep-
tive. As . young man he was sent from
Johannesburg to the diavond ntnes at
Kimberley. He was only twenty-five,
but he had skill enough to see that with
proper management the mines were only
at the beginning of their life. He had
IA rich father in his German home, who
backed him with abundant funds, and
young Belt began buying with marvellous
results.
He was soon Joined by another man
whose name 10 now in the mouths Of all
Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes was backed by
tops ther the two sucoeedsd In forming
the great diamond trust which. under
the maine De Beers now controls psc-
tioAlly the whole output Of the most prec-
ious stones In the world.
At the DE Beers n ines In Kimberley
Msssrs. Belt and Rhodes do thinas on
n big scale. Nine years ago they admit
ted that up to that me they had taken
something like nine tons of diamonds
from their mines. The mines yield a
profit OF CLOSE on $4,000 a year and
pay a dividend Of 40 per cent.
Last year, as a sort of pourb oirs, Mr..
Belt and Mr.. Rhodes made the share
holders present Of their interest as life
governors 10 this mine. As lifs GOV ern-
ors they were each entitled to Sl5), 900
year salary, so that this present really
meant a sift Of about 5000. 0o0 to the
shareholders.
Mr.. Belt has once or twce given proof
that he 10 not to be attacked with i'm
punity. At the time Of the South
African raid inquiry by the houseof oom-
mons MIR. Lahouchers had been attack
Ing Belt bitterly. alleging that he had
created the raid for prsonal purposes and
had been making u lot OF profit out of
tt.
Mr.. Belt q uietiy took his SCAT in the
witness chair and turned on "Labby."
In the gentlest voice he repudiated what
he termed the "vile attacks" and pressed
MIR. Labouchere hard. declaring he was
hound in justice and In honor either To
establish the charges or to withdraw them
absolutely. Labouohere suddenly found
that be had urgent business elsewhere,
and the attack was never resumed.
MIR. Bsit's house In Park lane is not 30
unostentatious as Its owner. Only three
stories high, IL spreads out over what
Is for the Fifth avenue Of London = very
great space of land, and has attached to
it a great winter garden.
When It was first opened q little over a
year ago London society was greatly per-
pie xed AS to what style IL was. Some
declared that 1t was early Renaissance,
some this, some that; but weli-known
literary woman hit it of: sit is," she
said, "early South African"
Decorated In the most quietly expensive
fashion, with a liberal use of oak panel.
ing, 1t is the ideal of q comfortable house.
In it's din ing room, during Mr.. l3eit' q
already noted little dinusrs, are plsnned
many OF the great developments that
startle the world concerned In South
African politics.
Among the Kaffir kings in London
there is. perhaps, no more striking figure
than the ggeat Arfik ander multi million.
| aire, Mr.. j. b. Robinson.
He lives IN Du iley house, formerly the
home'of Lord Dudley, and for long he
has not been a persona grata to his broth
or South frican miilionaires. He was
born In Sonth A'rioa and spent his early
years as wool buyer. Thrown into
constant contact wi tn the Boers, he prac-
tiealIy became one Of them. He spoke
the Dutch tongue as huensly A. English.
H. passed bis days in the saddle, and
could ride or shoot as we'll as the most
cunning Bosr. He and his old friend
Paul Kruger spent many happy days
together In the open country.
Then came some OF the great wars
against the blacks, and Robinson took
his part with the other Afrikaaders In
the Basuto campaign. Then came the
discovery of diamonds at Kimberley.
u .hl nR ska H.. f-I.s