London, June 3. Definite materialization of the Anglo-French plan for the with-Grawal of foreign combatants in Spain may take -place today, some observers declare, since they noted the conciliatory attitude of the Soviet delegate at yesterday morning's meeting of the Non-Intervention Sub-Committee.
"In the Far East we hear very little of the Union, as it is spoken of out there, and perhaps I am right in assuming that the majority of those present here have only a hazy idea of. what South Africa is like," said Mr, P. D. G. Gain, honorary Trade Commissioner for the Union of South Africa, when he addressed the Shanghai Rotary Club at luncheon yesterday on the subject of "South Africa, Past and Present,"
After describing the terrain, population and climate of South Africa, Mr.
Gain said that the country was very: largely given over to agriculture and mining, although manufacturing had also developed considerably during recent years. Also in recent years, attention had been paid to the export of fresh fruits, which now ran into substantial figures, about 100,000 tons of citrus fruits being exported and between four and five million packages of deciduous fruits a year.
Next to Australia, South Africa was perhaps the largest producer of wool, while the vineyards were a feature of agriculture and the making of wine was possibly South' Africa's oldest industry, The country was rightly closely identified with minerals, especially gold and diamonds, which brought wealth and also travail and bitterness to the country. The great care, far-reaching precautions and detailed organization necessary in mining precious stones "could be imagined from the fact that many years ago it was estimated that three-quarter million pounds worth of diamonds were lost annually by theft.
Today, a labourer who joined the mining force was clearly given to understand that he would have to remain in the compound for months, possibly a year, and before he was paid off a careful physical examination for hidden diamonds would be made.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.