The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-09-04

his term % detention is over. provided he
is acceptable. he goes into his stockade.
and he doesn't 80 out again until the
time for which he has indentured himself
is up.
Supposing he wants to leave. He doesn't
get out al once. He goes back to the de-
tention quarters. where not only are all
his clothes thoroughly searched. but his
person rigidly examined. He stays there
long enough for il 20 be certain that he
has not swallowed any gems with the
idea OF disgorging them when he is free
Along with the overhead netting ard
the periods OF detention have come a
great decrease in the number OF stones
stolen II is now almost impossible for
even the most cunning native TO conceal
anything inside or outside his person so
efectually that Il viii escape the eagle
eyed inspectors for a period Of several
days.
When the jungle man comes 20 the
mines, he usually wears. while in the
compounds, wooden shirt. trousers. and
shoes. At work however, his ATTIRE is
often so abbreviated that there Is very
little left
On leaving the oompanys employ the
native enters the detention room abso-
lutely naked and his clothes are marked
and stored. so that the chance OF his be-
ing able TO get away with anything is
so minute as 70 be hardly worth eonsid-
ering.
In the old days, however, some daring
men went 10 almost incredible extremes
20 steal One native swallowed stones IN
the rough worth $3.50. Another gulped
down a gem weighing 152 carats. which
was as large as a chestnut.
Hid Gems I'm His Leg.
One time a native In the De Beers con-
vict station made an inciSion under his
shin bone. and in It concealed some small
diamonds wrapped in a rag. He began
TO show signs OF tetanus. and this led TO
the discovery Of his theft by a visiting
surgeon.
Now there is very seldom an attempt at
anything OF the sort, because the COM
pound system has thoroughly discouraged
theft. Indeed. the entire business. since
the coming Of Cecil Rhodes. In 1857. has
been systematized to the last straw.
When Rhodes took hold there were
many small claims and few large ones
held around Kimberley. Barney Barnato.
he Of peculiar name and picturesque cas
reer. was looked upon as the dictator OF
diamonds.
All that Rhodes changed in a Jiffy. He
soon wrested the supremacy from Bar
nato. bought up practically al the small
claims. and made himself supreme. Along
with his administration came the most
improved machinery and the most careful
business methods.
Then followed that arrangement with
the London syndicate, composed OF five
firms, to take all the output OF the mines
at specified price. Gradually the South
African output became greater than all
the others the demand for diamonds In
creased by leaps and bounds. and the
London syndicate became supreme, con-
trolling all but very small percentage
Of the total production. Now the agree
ments with the syndicate are made for
hve-year periods. and, as before stated.
the contract having been recently re-
newed for another five years, there Is no
probability OF slump IN prices, because
the producers and the statesmen are in
league to keep them up.
Practically the only opponents TO the
syndicate at present. are at the Germans
in the Southwest African fields, where
from 10000 to 10000 carats are turned
out annually. Most OF the stones. how
ever. are Of less than carat In weight
They are fairly well distributed through
gravelly soil. which IS supposed 20 have
been thrown UP by volcanoes which have
since disappeared OF the coast.
1t is possible that the fields are capable
OF being worked on a considerably more
extensive scale than they have been. but
it is hardly probable. unless totally IN
looked-for finds are made. that they Will
rival the great De Beers combine.