With reference to the American claimants the conditions under which the persons were deported were practically the same, and there was little if any distinction as to social rank or grade of employment.  Mr. Crane, therefore, seems justified in his conclusion that the idea conveyed by the percentage relation of the amount demanded to the amount actually awarded is misleading, and should not serve as a precedent without comment for similar claims in the future.  A much fairer method for ascertaining what the award really amounts to is shown to be that of computing what average sum each claimant received, since the claimants were practically of one walk of life and employment and were deported under like conditions.  Such a computation shows that the United States fared much better than any one of the other governments, the average sum received by each claimant being L428 11s. 5d., as compared with L150 15s. for Germany; L142 17s. 1d. for Russia; L133 18s. 6d. for Austria-Hungary; L133 6s. 8d. for Belgium; L125 for Norway and Sweden; and L106 3s. 10d. for Italy.

The L6,000 offered by the British Government as full compensation for all claims of citizens of the United States on account of wrongful arrest, imprisonment and deportation from South Africa up to October 26, 1901, was accepted by Secretary Hay.  Only L4,000 had been originally offered, but the amount had afterward been increased to L6,000.  Throughout the negotiations the attitude of the English Government was generous toward the United States.  The claimants included good, bad and indifferent, some of whom were not entitled to compensation at all, since they were not citizens of the United States, while others had actually taken up arms against Great Britain.  The average amount awarded to each alleged citizen of the United States was approximately $2000 as against $216 for each claimant of all other Governments taken together.

In a number of cases the claimants had contracted with local attorneys upon the basis of a contingent fee of 50 per cent, of whatever might be awarded.  In one case the fee of the attorney presenting the claim amounted to $3750, although his services consisted in merely filing memorials which were not supported by a single word of proof of the assertions they contained, even after ample time had been given for the introduction of such proof.  Mr. Crane, therefore, urged that in future similar claims should be presented directly by the citizens themselves without the intermediation of attorneys.  In the present cases he said that his requests to the attorneys for the different claimants to furnish evidence to meet the accusations of the British Government against their clients had met with no response whatever.  He felt justified in believing that these attorneys had either given up the presentation of the claims of their clients or that the latter were dead.  It was accordingly suggested that in either case the United States would be justified in refusing to pay over to the attorneys such sums as might be allotted to their clients until the latter had been directly communicated with.  In this way they would have the opportunity to confirm or withdraw any powers of attorney which they might have executed for the collection of their respective claims.