The evening times., 1900-01-06
Views OF Mr.. HAMMOND
The Famous Engineer on South Al
rica's Mining Situation.
Close Relation of the Gold Industry
Led to War-F1agrant Abuses by
the BOers-PrObabie Outcome of
the Present Struggle With England

4
| In the January issue of the Engineering
| Magazine" there appears a timely ar
| ticle giving the views of John Hays Ham
mond, the famous American engineer, on
| the mining situation in. South Africa. Mr..
Hammond's information is particularly in
| teresting at this juncture when the eoun-
! try OF which he talks is in feverish state
! OF war, because it has the value of accu-
| racy and embraces many hints on the gen
| eral condition Of affairs which naturally
revolve about the mining industry like the
| spokes Of wheel 1t will be remembered
| that Mr. Hammond was one Of the politi-
cal prisoners who were sentenced to death
| at the time Of the Jameson raid, and his
| pardon was conditioned upon his absolute
| promise not TO discuss Transvaal politics.
The views of Mr.. Hammond are present.
ed through the agency of Charles b. Co
ing whose well-written article will prob
ably attract wide attention. In part he
says: The year has ended in the sternest
war OF the last quarter century-a war
springing solely from the struggle of the
new spirit of Industrial progress against
the old forces Of political repression. And
sooner or later, by force of arms or by
sheer moral power, the conflict is certain
to end in the emancipation of enterprise
and the freedom of engineering effort TO
develop to the utmost the economic re-
sources of one of the richest mineral re-
gions Of the world"
Mr. Going assumes ali responsibility for
statements OF a political character.
To make clearer than ever the engin-
eering relations of the new order in he
Transvaal." he says, Mr. Hammond
whose time did not permit him TO write
an article, has extended 10 me the courtesy
of an interview explanatory of his annual
report to the Consolidated Gold Fields OF
South Africa. Limited-a report which
summarizes the situation at the outbreak
OF the present war The additional infor
nation obtained from Mr.. Hammond
makes clear the ways in which the indus
try on the Rand will be bettered by the
establishment Of good government in the
Transyaal.
Productivity of the Rand.
The Witwatersrand produced in 1898
gold to the value Of 915,141,376, being
about 20 l-2 per cent Of the total product
Of the world. If there had been no inter
'NpNiN44 ~ A44ASAAb Opt8 dlIOuS uuliNE tue
year 1899. the output would have exceeded
100000, 600. And it is interesting to note
mere that this entire output comes almost
entirely from territory lying with Ta-
dius Of twenty-five miles from Johannes
burg-indeed, % per cent of il is derived
from the central section stretching from
Langlaagte Estate TO knights, distance
OF about twelve miles.
The relation Of the Witwatersrand gold
nv ggEf.N
the following summary OF the figures for
1898: Witwatersrand. G15I41. .376. % I-2
per cent; America. G1}.4l9,o0, 221-z per
cent; Australia, G12 S44 200 Il IL per
cent: Russia. G5.099. $50 1-2 per cent;
miscellaneous. &13,113,j44, % per cent
The world. G59 61s. 900.
The vast yield has been attained b.
continuous rapid increase since 1887. in
which year gold 10 The value Of 1891
was produced. The entire yield since the
inception Of mining has been SIC. .72O. COO. /
DR.. Hatch, formerly one of Mr.. Ham
mond's assistants. estimates that within /
five years the output from the Witwaters-
rand fields Will reach the enormous figure /,
of 936,000, 600 per annum.
The present situation of impending I
change is. therefore. one whose importance
is not confined even TO the enormous engi /
neering and financial interests directly in |
EOlFed. Anything aHeCtDg the prOdUc-. /
tiOn Of so large a proportion of the worlds 1
stock Of gold must exert an influence ex- /
tending throughout the whole range Of .
economies. But it is the purpose OF tlis /
supplementary and explanatory CONNIE nj |
upon portions Of Mr.. Hammond's Terort /
obtained in substance from Mr.. Hammond (
himself, 10 treat only OF the direct bearings |
Of the present war upon the mines and |
mining conditions, regarded from a purely /
professional standpoint.
Fate of the Mines
First and foremost: The question pre-
sents Itself as to the immediate fate of
the mines and the vast mechanical install
lations thus clustered about one of the foci !
Of the Boer activity. VIII they suffer Ge-
struction. as has been threatened; viii /
they be seized and worked in the interest
Of the Boer GOvernment-Or will they
merely lie idle and take only the damage
iue to neglect? Unfortunately, no direct
answer seems obtainable. 1t is not TO be
however. that any destruction of
equipment could receive official sanction.
In the first place, contrary TO the generally
received opinion, the ownership of the
mines is vested chiefly on the continent.
British interests are minority only, he
majority Of the shares being he'd in Ger
many, France, and other European coun-
ries.
Even should the Geneva Convention ex-
,rcise but little influence upon the conduct