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23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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24 April 1914.]
WHALING COMMITTEE:
Mr. HOLMAN KINGDON, M.A.
hypothetical, must it not? If you are to increase an article 25 per cent. in balk, in this particular case I would say that provided the price of whale oil, plus the price of manufacture, still shows an economy in using that manufactured article to substitute some other material, the world could easily take care of the extra 25 per cent.
649. Such an increase has actually occurred, but I gather that in fact there is no fear of a glut, and, on the other hand, that reduced production would not materially raise the price: is that so I should be inclined to agree with the first part of what you may but not the second; I should think any reduction in production of whale oil would have an effect in raising the price.
650. Whale oil has some peculiarity for which there is no very economic substitute: is that so ?--That is the reason we use it.
651. Could you not substitute linseed ?-Yes, if it was cheaper; it is all a matter of price.
652. Then linseed oil and whale oil are practically interchangeable --Not entirely, but very largely; forex- ample, supposing we were using let us take arbitrary figures-10 tons of whale oil a week and 10 tons of lin- seed oil a week and the prices were much about the same, and then supposing linseed oil fell 21. a ton and we suddenly started using 15 tons of linseed oil a week and five tons of whale oil, and supposing everybody else did the same. do you not see what the result would be?
658. (The Secretary.) There would be a glut of whale oil as the result ?-If by "glut" you mean to say that the whalere had to face taking a lower price for Yes; but if by a glut you mean such a their article. surplus that there would be no means of disposing of it I should say, most unhesitatingly, no.'
654. (Chairman.) You could not carry the process of substitution to which you have referred to the extent of using 20 tons of linseed and no whale oil, is that so? We will take the -Put it in a rather different form. price of whale oil at 227. a ton-whale oil when it ia quoted is always quoted as for the best quality-suppos ing it went to 301. a ton we should not use an ounce of it. Supposing it went to 251. a ton we might use 25 per
[Continued.
cent. of what we are using now, because we are just very nearly about on that border line where it is not going to pay us to use it. The price has gone up in the We bought last two or three years very materially. whale oil at about 172. a ton, I think, three years ago, and it is now 22.
855. I have only one other question: what is a con. can ascertain venient publication from which we current quotations for whale oil? It is sometimes of interest to us to know the prices P-I can give you the name of a publication which will give you the reported prices of whale oil, but I cannot vouch for their accuracy because this whale oil dealing in a matter of negotiation. George Dornbusch's Circular is a publication from which you will get valuable information with regard to the quotations for whale oil. If at any time I can give you any information as to the commercial aspect of the thing about Liverpool There is one I should consider it a pleasure to do so.
thing you have not asked me which I thought you would. I thought you would want to have some ides of the value in the industry which has been built up upon this hardening process, because you must remem- ber we would ask you to hear that in mind. I know you would not act unreasonably, but there is a very large amount of capital now invested in this country in these processes, and if you are going to do anything to suddenly haul up the thing and shut it up, unless linseed oil or some other article is obtainable which you could harden, it would be rather a serious menace to us in that way. As I said before, we do not want the supply of whale oil stopped; we want it regularly, and we are entirely in sympathy with any proposals you may make, or any steps you may take, if the result of these steps is to secure a more regular production. It would not auit us at all to have what you call a glut It 18 of whale oil for a couple of years and then none.
the dislocation of industry which results from those rapid rises and falls in price which is always the great trouble to the manufacturer.
I think I can only say that this consideration would be likely to carry much weight with the Com. mittee: the Committee would seek to interfere with the industry as little as possible.
The Witness withdrew,
FIFTH DAY.
Thursday, 30th April 1914.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mr. DARNLEY.
1
Mr. BAKER.
MR. DARNLEY in the Chair.
Mr. WILLIAMв (Secretary).
Mr. C. O. JOHNSON; Director of the Southern Whaling & Sealing Co., Ltd. (Messrs. Irwin), called and examined.
ti56. (Chairman.) We should like to ask you various questions presently, but perhaps in the first instance you would care to make a statement of your views generally? I have made up some notes of practically everything I know. We are whaling in three different places. in South Georgia. Port Alexander in West Africa, and Durban in East Africa. With regard to the first ques- tion asked as to South Georgia, at present every whaling licence is based on a certain number of harpoon- boats, that is, boats fitted with harpoon guns which actually catch and bring the whales to the factory, The gunners and crews of such boats are paid by result -or so much per whale brought in. Now, if it happens to be fine weather and lots of whales about, each bont will do its best to secure as many as it will be able to tow, as all modern boats are fitted to tow ten whales;
each boat will only be satisfied when it has scoured that number. This happened very often at South Georgia a few years back (two years to be exact), but very seldom now as the whales have diminished consid. erably, especially the Humpback, which has become very scarce. There are two species of humpbacked whales, the White and Black-bellied. The principal whales caught there now are Blue and Fin. A few years back the boats only looked for the Humpback. whales are small, very fat, and easily caught, and the harpoon-boats were then only half the engine power of the present-day boats, and with their gear did not dare to tackle the large Blue and Fin for fear of losing their gear.
If, however, there were no Humpbacks about, then they had a try at the larger whales. An- other reason was that at that time the crew's share of
These
30 April 1914.]
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.
Mr. C. O. JOHNSON,
the whales-Humpback, Blue, and Fin-were equal, and therefore if Humpbacks could be obtained the boats were able to catch and tow twice the number than of the larger whales. But experience has taught, and at the present day practically every licensee has replaced the old boats of about 350 horse-power with new boats of up to a power of 750 horse-power, able to catch and tow six or ten of the largest of the species for distances of 50 or more miles. I have seen the bow of the boat headed against three large Fin whales which were feeding, to get them out of the way, to be able to harpoon a Humpback on the other side. whaling at present is carried on in the following way: if there is an abundance of whales the boats will ne cumulate them at the factory (whether floating or on shore), and I have seen more than 50 whales acoumu- Iated at one place, and the factory has of its own accord had to stop the boats from going out to catch more.
The
When whales are brought in and accumulated in this way it shows the factory is unable to work them up before decomposition sets in, which commences 24 hours after death, then the factory starts to dispose of them quickly. The whales are deprived of the blubber on the back and sides; they secure about 40 to 45 per cent. of the total oil of the whale; they do not strip the belly- blubber off. This is thrown away with the carcase till the catches start to diminish when the carcases (meat and bone) are boiled down, that is if the factory is fitted with a carcase boiling plant; it will be understood that the carcase boiling plant will at all times be working either with carcase or blubber during gluts. As long as there is plenty of whales they do not bother about the carcase or even the belly-blubber.
657. These are facts of which we have heard a good deal already, and perhaps you need not enter quite so fully into the details P-I would like to go through it as it is, and you can score out anything you find un- necessary. I also wish to mention that the best of blubber, which is not fresh, will make an inferior oil and will be graded No. 2 or the same grade obtained from a fresh
carcase.
As to South Shetland, I will mention only from what I have been informed by associating with whal ing men working there. I have not been there. They have a short season, only three months and few dark hours the fishing ground is practically landlocked, stormy weather unknown, abundance of whales, especi ally the larger species. The whaling is carried on na described at South Georgia, and my informants firmly believe if the present massacre is allowed in two years the whales will become scarce. They do not even take the belly-blubber there; they just take the back and sides, and throw away the belly-blubber with the carcase when whales are plentiful.
658. (Mr. Baker.) Where is this?-This is at the South Shetlands; they do the same at South Georgia where whales are plentiful, but at South Georgia they have a lot of bad weather. As to Port Alexander, South West Africa, the whaling season commences in the southern winter in the month of June and lasts till the end of October. All the whales are trek whales, that is, whales coming from the southern ice-barrier where they have been feeding, going north towards the French Congo, returning trekking south in the month of October. 97 per cent. of the whales are Humpbacks, the other 3 per cent. being Blue, Fin, and Sei; the Humpback is again divided into two classes, the Black Belly and the White Belly, the Black Belly being a larger species than the White Belly. They are all very fat, the Black Belly yielding up 70 barrels of oil from the whole blubber and carcase, that is, roughly, half from blubber and half from carcase. The White Belly yields 45 barrels, but the stragglers of Blue, Fin, and Sei are very lean. Big shoals of Sperm whales by the thousand are making visits, coming from a westerly direction.
Five years ago the Humpbacks trekking past were double the number of those at the present time; but it took double the whales then to produce the same quantity of oil as it takes at the present day, as only the blubber was taken and even then badly boiled down.
(6)20410-E▼ 1 &c
erected on land.
[Continued.
33
Now the carcases are utilised in up-to-date floating factories, and the meat and bone dried for fertilisers. A new regulation has just been issued allowing each licensee for harpoon-boats (we had three previously) and one tug, but we are not allowed to increase the The additional factory must be floating factory.
659. Is this in Portuguese or French West Africa! -Portuguese West Africa--15 or 16 latitude south, At Port Alexander during August and September there is another specie of Humpback, a very small specie, visiting the vicinity, known among whating mien as the Bahia Humpback. It is supposed to come from Bahia because they are caught there by other companies.
680. (Chairman.) Is there any conclusive evidence that they cross the Atlantic P-We do not know. We only know that they are caught at Bahia and they are known to be t ero at a certain time of the year. After the ordinary Humpback trek has passed going north they come from somewhere and then we start to catch those small ones in the slack season. That is, before the ordinary Humpback starts to pass south again.
As to Durban, South East Africa, all licensees have land factories. There is no restriction as to the number of harpoon-boats, but the total carcase must be utilised. Principally Humpbacks, but now and then Right, Sperm, Blue, Fin, and Sei whales are caught.
With regard to Cape Town, in the month of May, thousands of Sei whales come into Table Bay and False Bay and vicinity, and are utilised by the whaling factories there. They are then in their prime.
Now there is the second question in your letter: "Areas of migration of the various species of whales hunted." From the quantity of Humpbacks trekking north at the commencement of the southern winter, part going to the East and part to the West of Africa, it is my firm belief they come north in a due northerly direction from the ice-barrier. They do not go for the nearest point of laud; if they did, the Cape of Good Hope would be an ideal fishing ground, but these of the whales going due north, touching the Cape of Good Hope or its vicinity, must follow the land on either side. The few whales nearing shore at the Cape of Good Hope proves this. The further north you go on either side of South Africa, the quantity of whales is increasing. Once on a journey from Marian Island in the month of May we were heading for Durban, and we noticed hundreds of whales heading north for the African shore. As to whether the whales travel much in an easterly or westerly direction at the ioe-barrier I do not know, but taking as a guide the present scarcity of Humpbacks at South Georgia and (from informa- tion) at South Shetland there are practically nothing but Humpbacke going north to East and West Africa therefore I believe they do not travel much east or west at the ice-barrier, but follow as nearly as possible the same routes north and south on which they, as young. have followed their parents. The Right whale also frequents South Georgia in the summer. Last January and February our Loate caught nineteen; five were caught by one boat on the same day.
661. (Mr. Baker) Can you tell us how many boats you had in South Georgis when you caught nineteen Right whales F-We had only two boats. The next day, I believe, or a few days afterwards one boat caught three and the other boat two. They visit South Georgia in the height of summer and at the most western part of the island we believe they came from the Argentine coast where they are in great numbers. We know they are in great numbers on the Argentine coast. Now, there is the "Natural history of the whale, especially as regards the periods of parturition, the length of the period of pregnancy, rapidity of re. production and rate of growth." This is a very serious question for me to answer.
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662. It is a very important question from the point of view of the Committee P-1 will read my note with reference to that and then I will explain what I am working at now to find out. All fully grown females of the Humpback whales are mostly pregnant (the fotuses vary in size from a few inches to 18ft.) at all times of the year. So far as I have found they