A Thousand Miles in a MachiUa 



which covers about 400 square miles, is the only 

 place at present being worked. The price of this 

 coal is prohibitive, except for certain mines in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of the railway; but with 

 an improved water supply, which has recently been 

 arranged for, a reduction may before long be 

 possible. 1 



Chrome Iron, The export of chrome iron 

 ore from the Selukwe district shows a satisfactory 

 increase forty-four thousand and two tons, valued 

 in Europe at ,98,217 in 1910, as compared with 

 twenty-five thousand six hundred and twenty tons 

 of the previous year. 



Precious Stones* Up to the end of 1907 the 

 Somabula area was the only district where precious 

 stones were known to exist in any quantity. About 

 that date it was found that between the Bembezi 

 and Inkwekwesi rivers "there existed one or more 

 pipes of the true Kimberley type of rock, and upon 

 trial these were found to carry diamonds in notable 

 quantity." So far this district has not been much 

 developed, but prospects are encouraging. The 

 diamonds are "white in colour and quite different in 

 their crystalline form " from those of Somabula, 

 which, according to the report, are somewhat green 

 in their raw state; this, however, disappears in 

 cutting. No one is allowed to prospect for precious 

 stones without a permit issued by the British South 

 Africa Company under a penalty of 100. A 

 digger must register any claims he has made and 



1 A reduction of 25. a ton was announced on ist January 

 IQII. 



272 



