Whale Oil

Plans For Huge Exploitation

TTEMS, selected in July, from the news -*■ papers, which have a bearing on the world’s supply of whale oil, now one of the chief rivals of coconut oil: The Japanese commercial newspaper Nikkan Kogyo reports that the Japan Soda Company proposes to establish a new company to build and operate three 20,000-ton whaling vessels.

The Japanese Bureau of Fisheries is cautious, and is hesitating about sanc tioning the project, desiring to see the outcome of the work of the fleet at pre sent afloat or sanctioned. However, the paper understands that eventually a per mit is practically certain to be granted.

Norwegian official statistics show that, while the yield of whale oil from the Antarctic for the year 1935-6 remained unchanged at 2,454,000 casks, that from northern waters, increased by 198,000 casks to 435,000.

The German ship Unitas, 30,000 tons, claimed to be the largest whaling mother ship in the world, was launched at Bre men on July 5 for work in the South Atlantic. The vessel is Germany’s second of this type.

Britain and Norway agreed to limit whale-catching in the Antarctic, in the hope of saving the whales from extinc tion. Their efforts are being defeated by Japan and German whaling fleets. From the Pacific planters’ viewpoint, it is all for the best. The sooner the whales are wiped out, the sooner there will disap pear one of the factors which depress the price of copra. But, in the meantime, the prospect of-increased whale oil supplies is not good.