Whale Slaughter
p. 46 · Read in the full issue
Some Comfort For Copra-Growers
SOME years ago, whale oil was worth around £l5 per ton. Then the commercial chemists of the world got to deodorising and purifying it, so that the unpleasant stuff could be used in margarine and so forth; and then the world price of the commodity moved up quickly to around £2O and £25 a ton and it became an active competitor of coconut oil.
Meanwhile, more and more whaling fleets went to the Antarctic, and more and more whales were killed —it is cal culated, now, that the annual destruc tion of whales is not less than 40,000.
Experts say that at this rate there is no doubt that within a very short time
the Antarctic whales will be extermin ated.
A report published in Sydney, in April, was that whale oil of first-class quality is now worth £4O per ton—which means that the rush of whaling expeditions to the Antarctic will be more frantic than before—and the end of the whales will be hastened.
Since international control seems useless, and the end of the whales in evitable, coconut planters in the Paci fic will pray for the ever-greater success of the whaling fleets. Soon, when there are no more whales, coconuts must be come a little more valuable.
MR. L. COTTEW, Suva manager for Cable and Wireless, Ltd., will shortly re turn to Australia on transfer.