The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-10

The declaration Of peace In South
Africa, which is to be followed by the
reepening of the greatest gold-produc-
ing mines of the weird and presumably
by a general revival of business In that
greatest consuming section Of Africa,
lends especial interest to a monograph
entitled Commercial Africa in 1901"
just issued BY the treasury bureau of
Statistics.
The commerce of Africa, according to
this publication of the bureau Of sta
tistics, amounts to over $500, 0oo, Geo. Of
which 429 n illions represented the value
Of the imports. Necessarily in SO large
an area with so many tribes and pee-
pies who keep no records OF their trans
actions, q considerable amount of cora
merce must pass without being record
ed in any way. The total imports 81
the ports where records are kept
amounted in the latest available year
to S42e, 4e1 .O0o. and sthe exports to $685.
s07, 600. OF the exports. a large share,
especially those from the south Is gold
and diamonds; in the tropical region,
ivory, rubber, palm nuts and gums;
and In the north a fair share of the ex-
ports are products OF agriculture, cot
ton. coffee, spices. dates. etc. The ex-
DGIL Ale5 A4E5 u IECEnl ears are ACS5
than those Of former years, owing to
the hostilities in South Africa, which
have both reduced production and in
creased local consumption.
Africa occupies fourth place In the
list of the grand divisions of the world
in its consuming power in relation to
International commerce.
Railroad development in Africa has
f,aaa 20 sid fss 4na mast few wears and
seems but the beginning Of a great sys-
ten which must contribute to the rapid
development, civilization and enlighten-
ment of the Dark Continent. Already
railroads run northwardly from Cape
Colony about 1900 miles and south
wardly from Cairo about 1920 miles,
thus completing 3 700 miles Of the pro
posed Cape OF Cairo" railroad, while
the intermediate distance is about 5000
miles. Those OF Cape Colony are over
5000 miles in length, and those ofPortu-
guese East Africa and the Transvaal
are another thousand miles in length.
Including all Of the railroads now con-
structed or under actual construction,
the total length of African railways is
nearly 1850 miles, or half the distance
around the earth. A large proportion
of the railways thus far constructed is
owned by the several colonies or states
which they traverse. about 1900 miles
OF the Cape Colony system and nearly
all OF that OF Egypt belonging TO the
state.
That the gold and diamond mines of
South AFRICA have been and still are
wonderfully profitable is beyond ques-
ton. The Kimberley diamond mines.
about 500 miles from Cape Town, now
supply IS per cent of the diamonds OF
commerce, although their existence was
unknown prior to 1867, and the mines
have thus been in operation but about
80 years. It IS estimated that $3.50 Co.,.
600 worth Of rough diamonds, worth
double that sum after cutting, have
been produced from the Kimberley
mines since their opening in 1869. and
this enormous production would have
been greatly increased but for the fact
that the owners Of the various mines
there formed an agreement to limit the
output so as not to materially exceed
the worlds annual consumption
Equally wonderful and promising are
the great Witwatersrand' gold fields
of South Africa, better known as the
Johannesburg" mines. Gold was dis
covered there in 1888, and in 1884 the
value VI +AAc 6OA4 RAOQuCL was dbOQt
$4,000 It increased with startling ra-
pidity, the product of 1888 being about
s.. OOO0 900; that of 1890. SO, 600, 600; 1892.
over $40, OOO. 600; 1895, over SAC, 600 900; and
1897 and 1898, about s55.OOOOOO. Work in
these mines has been practically sus-
pended during the war in progress in
that section within the past two years.
The gold production of the Rand,
since 1894 bas faa., over econ Onn am or5
careful surveys of the field by experts
show beyond question that the gold
in sight" probably amounts to $780,
900 900, while the large number of mines
in adjacent territory, particularly those
of Rhodesia. whose output was valued
at over S4,500,00o last year. gives prom
Use Of additional supplies, so that it
seems probable that South Africa will
for many years continue to be. as it is
now, the largest gold producing section
of the world