X-Ray to Detect Diamond Thieves

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 787, 7 October 1929, Page 11

X-Ray to Detect Diamond Thieves

CHECK ON SOUTH AFRICAN SMUGGLERS Because of the immense extent, of smuggling operations prevailing on the already famous newly discovered Nr.maqualand diamond fields, the South African Government, to which the gem lands belong, has ordered a complete X-ray plant for the purpose oil examining persons there to whom any suspicion may be attached, says the Johannesburg correspondent of a San Francisco exchange. Search of clothing, hair, teeth and mouths or ears is not sufficient to exhaust the possible hiding places that smugglers adopt nowadays. On irnumerable occasions thieves, both white and black, have swallowed the. gems and very frequently they have made cuts in their own flesh in order to stow beneath some fresh, harmlesslooking scar a crystal worth a fortune. Searching operations at the mines of Kimberley, Jagersfontein, Cullinan and elsew-here have hitherto been conducted by staffs of detectives, governmental and privately employed, but i their work has been slow, difficult and I not always successful. Throughout I the diggings of Namaqualand the , thefts are today so plentiful that the i authorities looked round for some j simpler and swifter way of proving or j disproving disappearances of gems. Certain American customs workers | have for some time been utilising Xrays to discover contraband among luggage or freight. Investigations having been made bread. F. W. Byers, Minister of Mines for the Dominion. got into touch with Dr. W. Stewart, the leading specialist at the 'Johannesburg General Hospital, and this scientist has designed a special | outfit to be used for “screening” doubtj ful characters. j A single glance will show suspic- * ious looking black objects even iu ! the deepest recesses of the suspects ! anatomy, and angry complaining arose ; among the Namaqualand underworld j when the news was broadcast. Several : aggressive smugglers actually threat- ! ened to start a riot against the Govj ernment offices at Port Nolloth, the “Wild West” frontier town of the j fields. This has not altered the policy of the diamond detective department. P. Hofmeyr, general manager of the State diggings, is vested with legal authority to subpoena any person believed to carry stolen gems. Care is being taken that no angry person shall smash the unpopular machine that is carefully kept under guard in. a little hut near the sandhills that contain the jewels. Apart from those who use their own persons as hiding places, the diamond smugglers have been found to carry treasure trove in such unlikely places as the hubs of motor-car wheels, in packets of sugar, among junk at the bottom of their petrol tanks. If the offenders are caught the penalty is very severe, as the mere possession of an uncut stone by an unlicensed person will involve him in six months’ hard labour. This stern practice developed owing to the immense difficulties that iu the early days attended efforts to stop thefts by diggers. W. Stewart, son of the Johannesburg specialist, will be in charge of the new , X-ray equipment.