NEW DIAMOND FIELD.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13336, 30 January 1909, Page 9

NEW DIAMOND FIELD.

REGULATIONS FOR GERMAN SOUTH-WBST AFRICA. | United Press Association—By Electrio t. Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 29th, 11,30 p.m.) BERLIN, January 29. According; to an' Imperial'DeOroe, all; daamond_. found in German South-west Africa must be handjed to the .colonial, authorities for sale. The authoritieswill d__n-t one-third of tho price aa a tax, besides a percentage to defray trading expenses, and pay the residue to the mining companies. I may be withheld from sale to prevent! degfeciation. ' I It is stated that a diamond market will shortly be established in Berlin, with German polishers. During tho debate on the estimate-' in the Reichstag on December\_tlt_, a statement was mado by Herr Dernburg the Colonial Secretary i regarding the discovery of diamonds' at Ludteritz Ray. Ho set th© value of the diamonds found there at 33s per carat. The cost of working was 3s at Luderita Bay, as compared with 18s at Pretoria. Tins was due to the fact that tho -tones in South Africa were embedded in rocky while tliose at Luderitz Bay were lying open in the sand. The Imperial Government, Herr Dornbnrg went* on, would take the necessary steps to prevent companies from dopreciatins the value of the diamonds found. . stones found' were _lr_o_t exclusively in the lower lying regions in the very numerous depressions of tho country, which was or an extiomely undulating character. Hitherto a German firm had been attaining _n output of •200 carats _aily, but there was nothing to prevent a yield of 2000, or, it* things were properly managed, 5000 carats daaly. In Luderitz Bay thewind had <W© the work for them,, and the diamonds could) bo simply picked) up from ground, as ho himself had done. "(Loud laughter.)