The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1900-01-19
FUTURE OF THE RAND
John Hays Hammond on the South
African Situation.
BOSTON FINANCIER'S OPINION
The Latter Says the Fall of Ladysnith
Should Mean the End OF the
War, and That England is
Already Whipped.
BOSTON FINANCIER'S OPINION

the present war liz South Africa. The
process made profitable working Of the
banket reefs; the profit went too largely
to the Beers to suit the Uitlanders,
hence the war of conquest. These are
the facts in short meter. They show
the influence of modern metallurgy on
modern history.
John Hays Hammond, California
miner, who has had foremost charge in
Johannesburg, has been interviewed,
and his interview has been made the
basis of an article on the South African
situation in the January number of the
Engineering Magazine ..
| The Witwatersrard produced in '9S
about 25 per cent. of the total gold pro-
duct of the world, and MI. Hammond
thinks that had there been no Interrupt
tion the gold output in 80 would have
exceeded 800, 100000, coming almost
from territory in radius of twenty
| five miles from Johannesburg So vast
a gold production exercises an enor-
nous influence in the business, indus
trial, mining and engineering world, and
the present war occasioning interrupt
tion of that gold yield, evokes attention
commensurate with the interests in
volved.
| Mr.. Hammond thinks that while de-
struction or impairment of mine equip
| ,;r.1,+ II
there may be considerable wrecking of
property, anc that during the continu-
ance of the war the Boer government
will work the mines with a view to ex-
traction of the maximum amount of
gold with the minimum amount of care
and development work; that the mines
will be gouged and the machinery
driven to death. He IS also of the opin-
ion that good will ultimately come of
the conflict; the mines themselves that
is, the gold deposits not be de-
stroyed, and with peace will come op-
portnnities for reform and economy in
Eine operation that could not hereto
fore have been put in practice-in-
creased tonnage of ore at decreased cost
of treatment, thus compensating for
present loss. Among the expected i'm
provements upon the return Of peace
are cited the cheapening of cost of dy-
Mantle, and mining supplies in general,
suppression of traffic in stolen amalgam
and gold improvement in means Of Sc
curing native labor, regulation of liquor
traffic, and in general the dominance of
advanced methods. Mr.. Hammond
deems it within the limits of practical
probability to work the Witwatersrand
mines to depth Of 5000 feet. This of
course, involves considerable develop
ment work, and an assurance Of contin-
ued security that could not be afforded
during Boer dominance.
The future of South Africas gold
fields affects Indirectly gold mining
everywhere. 1t looks as though Eng
land may smash things ultimately and
achieve final conquest, not solely for
commercial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, but as a
military necessity" England must
conquer the Beers OR be assailed in
every part of her empire. In such
event it can, therefore, be assumed with
considerable degree of certainty that
next year or the year after the gold de-
posits of the Witwatersrand will be ex-
plotted t. their fullest extent, and that
there will be a renewal in at least equal
volume of the golden stream that has
been pouring into the arteries of com
merce from there since 1887.
AS against the opinion of ultimate
English success many unprejudiced
men maintain that England has no like
lihood of winning. In the Boston News
Burear of the 9TH instant financier's
opinion on the subject is thus given:
.'The fall of Ladysmith should be 4
favorable financial fact, because il
should mean the near consummation OF
the war and the reopening of the South
African gold mines for the benefit of the
worlds industry and commerce There
is only one result to this war, and thai
is the defeat of the English sooner o.
later. There is only one way for tht
Beers to fight and they have pursued
that way perfectly, and that is on thu
defensive, behiLd entrenchments. They
have not attacked the British in th'
open, and so long as they refrain fren
doing this thsy cannot be crushed with
out sufficient number of men to sur
round them or flank them. England