Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-21

profes sion passing from father to
son, the children virtually grow up
in this atmosphere. and are trained
to their calling during comparatively
tender years"
But while commissions were report
! ing that any attempt to establish the
diamond cutting industry in South
Africa would have disastrous results
to our diamond mining, the Ameri-
cans, accustomed to legislate in their
own interests. forced the establish
ment of the cutting industry in New
| York by means of the tariff, and soon
had the satisfaction of putting up
such headlines as: New York sue
ceeds Amsterdam as the gem market
of the world" America is now taking
! 75 per cent. of the value" OF our
south African output and half that
value" is now being taken IN 4uui,n
stones.
However. the fairy stories" to
quote Bernard Op2enheimer, to the
effect that diamond cutting could not
be learned except by long years of
experience. and that British work
men would prove incompetent rec2iv-
ed their final answer from the dis
aoled SoldlefS and SallpFS at MT. op-
! penheimor's factory at Brighton.
Here. as early as october. 1917, nifty
legless men were employed. and Mr..
Oppenheimer stated that they had
made very rapid progress at their
new trade. which was simply mat
ter of application anc intelligence
under expert direction" The results
showed that in from three to six
months the men would be efficient in
one or other of the grades OF dia-
mond cutting. SO. MIR. oppenhelmcr
went ahead with his scheme TO es-
! tablish at Brighton the biggest ola-
mond-cuttinG factory in the world.
designated to give employment to
2o0o disabled soldiers, ana IN NoNem-
her last year he spoke posltlVelE or
the success OF the scheme.
In the course OF an interview with
n representative OF the London Ilmes'
/ MIR. Oppenheimer dealt as follows
with the question OF other factories
and similar schemes being desirable;
, Il hope other merchants Will follow
suit. The more competition ana the
more factories started the better.
There is no limit to the number we
may train. There may have TO he
some wedding out; but so far the
most unlikely men are proving the
best. Many small cutting factories
have been started in London by the
BelGians since the war
Regarding action on similar lines
in South Africa, 1t is clear that the
demand for suCh action has become
so insistent and has reached such
proportions that the public will not
be satisfied with any measure which
does not produce results. The bill to
control the industry and to insure
supplies of rough diamonds to those
engaged in the cutting is the first
serious attempt TO get over the grea.
Gifficulty-the monopoly of the dia-
mond buying syndicate. Whether the
bill will insure that the local cutters
will receive their diamonds on a
London parity of price'-and not at
the London price after sticking on
the 10 per cent. and the freight
charEes--is q question which must be
tested in practice. Who is going to
decide the parity Of price? The South
African cutters success depends up
m getting the right diamonds at the
right price. The hill aims at that.
but will the promise be kept to the
ear and broken to the heart? Ger
tainly the proposal to make all pro-
ducers sell 70 per cent of the dia-
monds worn by all classes t. the two
nil