WHALE OIL : NORWAY THE BIGGEST PRODUCER BRITAIN THE CONSUMER

Facts Behind the Whaling Restriction Dispute
There was a new turn in the whaling dispute between England and Norway on Wednesday evening, when the British Government announced its decision to abandon the .close season.
The dispute has resulted from crosspurpose attempts to arrive at an agreement restricting the annual catch of whales. The chief reason put forward for such a step is to ensure against the extermination of the species. It was pointed out some years ago that modern efficient methods of locating, killing and converting whale blubber into oil might kill the industry unless controlled.
Norway is the biggest whale-oil producing country in the world, but Great Britain the largest consumer. Neither country is satisfied with the other's proposals for restriction.
The Governments cannot control the amount of whale-oil per annum or per ship, but they can and have settled a close
season and certain restricted areas. Previously the arrangements had been fairly happy, each company agreeing to lay up a certain number of ships every year, and only to use approximately half their total available fleet.
English firms, through the Government, contend that Norway's terms are prejudiced in favour of Norwegian whaling interests, and declare that the alternative proposals put forward by the British Government are fairer and also more practicable. The Norwegian Government has suggested setting up a quota catch per boat, while English companies prefer the system of limiting the season's catch.
Counter Proposals
The Norwegian Government's note to the British Minister expresses their point well. It states:
"The Norwegqin Government observes with satisfaction that British whaling companies in principle have agreed not only to a restriction of the period of fishing but lo a linulafiioi ii Hie quantities to be fished. On the other •hand the Norwegian Government cannot fail to express its regret that the same companies are not willing to join the Norwegian proposal of maximum catches for
oda expedition.
" will he known to the British Govern
meat, the Norwegian Government tried to cut the eiirly productioii of whale oil down to 2,100,000 casks, having found this necessary to maintain the stock of whales in the A Ilta retie. T,aI er the Government declared its willingness to pin a later proposal from the Norwegian 1.N . tpInta Committee for a total production for next season of 2,265,000 casks. But the Norwegian Government deplores that the British companies would raise this quantity to 2,529,000 casks and propose other terms that the Norwegian Governthent is unable to fulfil. The Norwegian Government, after strict consideration on all matters bearing upon the question, has found the most effective form of restriction to be the adoption of a fixed quota fur each expedition in consideration of each expedition's capacity for catching whales, under which only the largest expedition might reach the proposed maximum of 90,000 casks. Only by such pleasures is it possible to arrest the extinetion of whale stocks. On this account the Norwegian Government does not see its way to favour a higher total catch than 2,205,000 casks of oil at the very outside."
Facts and Figures But it is very interesting in the light of the proposals to examine a few facts and figures pertaining to the whaling industry.
Norway is the biggest whale-oil pro.ducing country in the world, hut Great Britain is the biggest buyer. British companies alone buy approximately 75 per cent. of the world total output.
Norway has long been the home of the whaling industry and the Norwegians enjoy an almost complete monopoly of the world's supply of skilled labour, gunners, experts for the factory ships, etc.
Norway last year had 14 factoryships at sea; England only had 7; and Japan had 2.
If, therefore, the quota was fixed per ship, Norway's interests would be better served. Also, the limit per ship is very small, and not nearly the oil output of which each ship is capable, so very many more ships would be at sea, working at about half capacity, and more men would be employed—Norwegian, eighty per cent. of the personnel on English whalers are Norwegians.
Factory Ships
The method of the whaling industry was revolutionised by the introduction of the factory ship. Previously shore-stations were the factories, but they had a very limited radius of action. Their hunting was restricted to a small area, and if whales passed through that area the whalers operating from the station could capture them and tow them to the shore stations. But factory ships could follow the whales wherever they went, decimating the school, and hunt those profitable whaling grounds
previously out of reach. As a consequence the number of whales killed per year increased, and experts feared extermination of the species. The League of Nations was informed, and an International Whaling Convention was set up. It was agreed to cut down drastically the annual kill.
The annual kill for 1935 was approximately 30,000 whales of different types, from which 2,400,000 barrels of oil were ob tained. The annual increase of whales is uncertain. A whale does not have young until two years old, and then only one per year, and often years pass without reproduction.
Uses of Whale-Oil
Whale-oil is a valuable commodity. Unilever, the British company, use it for a variety of purposes, but besides its utility for soap or margarine manufacture, it is a very necessary constituent in the making of explosives.
The present dispute between Norway and Great Britain may have widespread effects, but English and Norwegian whaling companies are closely connected and interallied. What is of considerable importance is the fact that if a satisfactory agreement is not reached English companies may consider it worth while to transport their share in the industry to England. The absence of skilled labour is not an unsurmountable barrier,
Australian Whaling Grounds
An Act enabling Australia to assume control of all Antarctic territory south of the sixtieth parallel between 160 degrees and 45 degrees East, except Addlie Land, over which the French have prior claim of discovery, will be proclaimed shortly.
This area is as big as Australia, and con tains very great whaling grounds. The Arctic whaling is negligible; all the important whaling is carried out near the edge of the icefields within the Antarctic, where the whales migrate and where whale food is plentiful.