Oil Industry
pp. 29-30 · Read in the full issue
War's Effect on Whale Oil Industry
NOW that practically the whole of Europe, except Britain and Russia, is held by Hitler, what is going to happen to the whale oil industry, copra’s most serious competitor?
Hitherto, Norway has been one of the chief gatherers of Antarctic whale oil, and Germany has been Norway’s best customer. But both, now, may sail upon the seas, only with the permission of the British Navy.
Germany, during the past 10 years, has been the largest importer of whale oil, which is mainly used in the manu facture of margarine and soap, two commodities of which she is notoriously short.
A recent issue of “The Economist” said: “Whereas Germany produced be tween 10 and 15 per cent, of the world output of whale oil she is no longer in a position to send out from fac tories, while the Norwegian whale oil fleet, which produced between a third and a half of the world’s whale oil in the past 10 years, is now on the way back from the Antarctic, and will al most certainly make Britain its base so long as Norway is partly occupied by Germany”.
As Britain is the second largest whale oil producer—its share is nearly a third of the world’s total—between two-thirds and three-quarters of the world’s whale oil supply will be under British control for the duration of the war.
Mr, Cyril Came, of Ba, Fiji, recently married Miss Esme Hopewell, twin daughter of Mrs. M. Hopewell, of Suva.
The bridegroom is a lieutenant in the Fiji Defence Force.
A correspondent of the “Fiji Times” makes the startling statement that the infant mortality among native Fijians, in the Lau group, has reached the alarming proportion of 50 per cent, of the birth rate. No explanation is given of this extraordinary figure.