Menace of Whale Oil

Antarctic Whales Soon Will Be Wiped Out

T'HE significance of what is happening * in the Antarctic should not be lost sight of in the tropical Pacific.

The chief factor in bringing copra prices tumbling down by £3 or £4 per ton recently was a well founded report that Japanese and German whaling expe ditions had secured huge quantities of whale oil in the Antarctic; and the buyers of copra used this information effectively against sellers, for a few days.

British and Norwegian whalers made an agreement, last year, to try to restrict killing and save the Antarctic whales; but the Japanese have not accepted any such consideration, and their expeditions are now very active in the south. Ger many also is planning a big expansion of her whale oil production next season and it was reported during the month that she is trying to buy two British steamers for conversion into floating oil factories.

This thing definitely threatens the stability of the copra market; but it will not last very long. It was reported from Melbourne in February that Captain J. K.

Davis, Commonwealth Director of Naviga tion, who has been a member of many expeditions to Antarctica, predicted the almost complete extinction of whales in the Antarctic within a few years, because of unrestricted killing by Japanese fleets.

Captain Davis was commenting on a message from Japan, stating that a Japan ese whaling firm had placed an order for a whaling factory ship of 21,000 tons, and a fleet of chasers to supplement the large squadron of Japanese whalers now operat ing in the Southern Ocean.

“To preserve the whaling grounds of the world 28 British and Norwegian whaling companies formed an agreement to protect the industry through the regu lation of catches and of seasons,” said Captain Davis. “The Japanese and Ger man companies disregard this agreement, and operate when and how they pldase.

At present, a large fleet of Japanese craft is operating in the Southern Ocean, and there is little doubt that whales in Antarc tic waters will be almost extinct within a few years. The whaling industry is doomed already. The northern grounds have been fished out because of this un restricted killing, and the southern grounds will soon follow.

“Any suggestion that Australia should enter now into the Antarctic whaling industry is ridiculous,” Captain Davis con tinued. “If Australia had realised the potentialities 15 years ago, it would have been wise to do so then. Now it is too late.”

Mr. J. K. Twycross, manager at Rabaul

for Amalgamated Wireless (A’sia) Ltd.,

departed from Sydney for New Britain by the Nankin in mid-February. He was accompanied by his wife and children.

Rev. C. W. Whonsbon-Aston, formerly of Levuka, Fiji, who is now an Anglican missionary in Eastern Papua, arrived in Sydney by the Macdhui on March 11.