The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-31
HIGHER COST
 OF DIAMONDS
PRODUCTION or FAMOUS SOUTH AFRICAN MINES SMALLER
 THAN USUAL.
Search for New Fields--De Beers and Kimberley Properties Have Yielded $500, DOC, 900 Worth
 of Uncut Diamonds.

From Washington to Brooklyn Eagle The reason for the increase in the price of diamonds is given in an interesting pamphlet about to be issued by the United States Geological Survey. cover ing the general subject of the production
 of precious stones in 1902. In addition 1t
 tells of recent advances made in the min-
 ing. cutting and polishing of diamonds.
 together with a lot of valuable informa- ton about the operation of the big South
 African trust, which practically controls
 the diamonds output of the world. Local jewellers say that the price of diamonds has gone up 20 per cent. since January 1. This is due to an increase of s per cent for rough diamonds imposed by the owners of the De Beers and Kim berley mines of South Africa at the be- ginning of this year. The advance was occasioned by the extra cost of mining
 and the scarcity of labor to work the val uable deposits
 One is inclined to believe the story that King Solomon's mines were located in South Africa, when it Is known that the | consolidated De Beers and Kimberley properties have produced $500. .000, 900 worth
 of uncut diamonds. The value of the output of the mines of this corporation last year was over s2O. .O0o, ,0O0 despite the fact that the production of total carats
 was less than In the preceding year. One of the main troubles that now con- front the mine managers Is the scarcity
 of labor. Attempts are being made to get
 men from Zululand and from Barotseland in Rhodesia, but with little success and | a good deal of expense. Last year $130O0
 alone was expended in sending for rla- lives, paying their railroad fares and feeding them on the journey to the mines.
 The natives have been spoiled by the high
 wages and good living provided by the military authorities during the war and
 are slow to return to the former rates of
 pay.
 | Several new mines have been developed and promise to give rich yields, the Premier and the Bultfontein, but neither
 approaches to the famous Kimberley and De Beers mines. More than 350000 loads
 of diamantiferous ground were taken cut of the Bultfontein mine last year. yied
 ing an average of one-fifth of a carat pei | load. The Premier yielded nearly 1000. .00t
 loads. averaging one-third of a carat per | load. The figures for the De Beers and Kimberley mines are given together and | show that last year 1,4Ss000 carats were
 mined, valued at over $l7,o0O,0o0. This is
 a decrease of 25 per cent. in the total out | put, but there was no decline in the value | because of the advance in the price or dered by the syndicate, The yield of the
 new mines, the Premier and Blutfontein,
 added another 8, 3,OO0OO0. The report states
 that there are now in sight in these mines
 more than 100000 loads of paying ma
 teriai, so that there Is no likelihood of an
 early decrease in the worlds supply of
 diamonds
 The report tells of the largest and mos' | valuable pile of diamonds ever brought together. It was at the De Beers mine,
 the directors of which were desirous to know the quantity of diamonds necessary to fill a certain measure. Diamonds of
 all kinds were put in just as mined. and
 1t was thus calculated that a cubic meter | of diamonds would weigh 11,957,0O0 carats
 and have an approximate value of about
 $75, 0.O00.