Diamonds Produced in South-West Africa since 1908.
| Year. | Carats. | Value. | Value per Carat. |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | s. d. | ||
| 1908 | 39,762 | 53,842 | 27 1 |
| 1909 | 519,190 | 704,123 | 29 0·5 |
| 1910 | 792,642 | 1,015,779 | 25 7 |
| 1911 | 766,465 | 968,418 | 25 3·1 |
| 1912 | 992,380 | 1,408,738 | 28 4·7 |
| 1913[18] | 1,470,000 | 2,953,500 | 40 1·9 |
| Total | 4,580,439 | £7,104,400 | — |
The figures given in the last Consular Report (1913) differ slightly from the above, which are from Dr. Wagner’s volume, “The Diamond Mines of Southern Africa.” The Consul’s figures are as follows:
| Carats. | |
|---|---|
| 1908 | 39,375 |
| 1909 | 483,268 |
| 1910 | 867,296 |
| 1911 | 747,152 |
| 1912 | 985,882 |
| 1913 | 1,570,000 |
The Consul also appends a statement showing the output of diamonds during the last three years from mines in the Union of South Africa, and the sales of German South-West African stones during the same period. These figures are deeply significant, and serve to show how important a factor in the diamond market these stones have become.
| Year. | Country. | Carats. | Value. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Union of S. Africa | 4,891,998 | 8,746,724 |
| ” | German S.W. Africa | 816,296 | 1,019,444 |
| 1912 | Union of S. Africa | 5,071,882 | 10,061,489 |
| ” | German S.W. Africa | 902,157 | 1,303,092 |
| 1913 | Union of S. Africa | 5,163,546 | 11,389,807 |
| ” | German S.W. Africa | 1,284,727 | 2,153,230 |
FOOTNOTES:
[18] Of the 1913 production only 1,284,727 carats were sold.
Chapter XI
THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY
After a visit paid to South Africa in 1895, Mr. (now Viscount) Bryce published a volume of “Impressions,” in which he made the following reference to South-West Africa: “Great Namaqualand and Damaraland constitute an enormous wilderness, very thinly peopled, because the means of life are very scanty ... the country taken all in all, and excepting the little explored districts to the north-east, towards the Upper Zambesi—districts whose resources are still very imperfectly known—is a dreary and desolate region, which seems likely to prove of little value.”[19]