Whale Oil

Norwegian Group Joins Unilevers

THERE have been interesting developments in connection with the Antarctic whaling industry.

After the world’s markets, between 1927 and 1931, had been flooded with whale oil (the production in 1931 reached the record total of 3,689,631 barrels) the whaling com panies came together in an agreement to restrict production. In 1932 the Nor wegians discontinued operations altogether and the only production that year was made by the fleet of the so-called “Buying Combine” (believed to be dominated by Unilever Ltd.) and it brought 884,298 bar rels into the market. In 1933, whaling generally was resumed and the Norwegians alone produced 1,110,000 barrels.

It is believed that production is con tinuing on this scale and some newspapers are asking whether something cannot be done to prevent the imminent extinction of the whales in the Antarctic —which is now the last refuge of the marine leviathan. Apparently, only international co-operation can prevent the decimation of the whale herds by the Norwegians, who dominate the industry, and little in that direction appears likely.

Meanwhile, there apparently has been a disagreement among the Norwegian whalers. One of the largest of whaling companies—that headed by Lars Christen sen—has made a separate agreement with the Unilever Combine and the latter, it Is understood, has undertaken to buy the group’s total production up to a maximum of 110,000 tons per annum. It is explained that Christensen’s action is due to the re

jection of his proposal that the whole of the whaling fleets should refrain from pro duction in 1935, just as they did in 1932.

The new development apparently means that the present flood of whale oil will continue to pour into the world’s oil mar kets, and may increase in volume. That is bad for the immediate outlook for copra, but if it hastens the inevitable day when the whales will have been exterminated— which cannot be long delayed—it will be a good thing in the end for the growers of vegetable oil seeds.