PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
י
Reference :-
www u C.O. 885
23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
34
30 April 1914.]
WHALING COMMITTEE:
Mr. C. O. JOHNSON,
have no season for it. I believe it takes (but this is only a belief) a year of pregnancy before the calf is born. I have had experience of catching a black-bellied Hump- back female with a calf 30 ft. long, and I believe the calf was sucking the milk of the mother, as after death the milk from her udders was freely flowing away. In this instance the calf was harpooned in order to catch When the calf was harpooned and strain. the mother. ing at the rope the mother threw herself on top of the calf to protect him and cared for nothing, not even when she was harpooned with a powerful shell bursting in her body. She did not leave her calf but protected him till death. Judging from this case, I believe, they are fully grown at the third or fourth year, and the rapidity of reproduction is about once a year. In this instance we were too late to find out whether the mother was pregnant. I believe she was pregnant, and the fetus was 2 ft. in length, but I am not satisfied that this fœtus came from this mother as there were several females caught. It requires further proof as to preg. nancy and size of fetus and to compare the size of the calf. That means we want to catch a mother with a calf. They are generally about 20 ft. when they are born, and this calf had grown 10 ft. and was still sucking his mother's milk." At South Georgia I noticed the fetuses in the majority of Humpbacks were between a few inches and about 2 ft. in length. At Port Alexander the fetus has varied from a few inches to 18 ft. They were nearly ready to be born and might have had life.
As to Number 4 Protective Measures, to protect both the whales and the whaling industry, I would suggest the present massacre should be stopped by enforcing the following regulation: (a) Each licensee should be allowed to use the number of hur- poon boats he himself sus fit to use, and as these Boats are expensive both in first cost and to keep them in commission, the licensee would keep only the actual number required. Take an example at South Georgia, where they often have storme lasting three weeks, some of the licensees have the right to use two boats, some three. Two licensees of two boats are working one factory at one place, this is repeated at another factory. su each of those factories has four boats. Two other licensees who have two boats each are work- ing their separate factories; three other licensees of three boats are each working their separate factory. Say you get a spell of fine weather with plenty of whales. they are certainly going to bring in all the whales they can manage, and so long as there is a good supply the massacre is kept up, and only the blubber worked. Of course, a small percentage of the carcase is worked, but less than ordinary; there is so much blubber which is so much easier to turn into oil. This is kept It does up till the next spell of bad weather.
not mean that the boats do not get whales in bad weather, they get whales but not so easily, and not enough to keep the factory fully employed. Then you will hear comments like this. "Oh, I wish we had those valuable carcases we throw away to ** work." Now if each licensen were allowed more boats they could keep their factory employed even in bad weather, and if there is fine weather, with a glut of whales, the present massacre would be stopped by the enforcing of the following regulation: (b) Each licensee should be allowed to produce a maximum quantity of oil, my, about 20.000 barrels (that is only Ban argument) if he coukl manage. but for each barrel of oil produced he should be compelled to pro- duce 2 cwt. of dried meat and bone, that is for fertilizer; in other words, to one ton of oil should be produced 12 owt. of fertilizer. This fertilizer is a valuable by-product, the present value being about 71. or 81. a ton. By enforcing the production of fertilizer it would mean the boiling down of the carcase, and of the 20,000 barrels of oil allowed to be pro- duced approximately 11,000 barrels would come from the blubber and 9,000 barrels from the carcase. Now, considered from the point of view of profit, the cost of securing the whale has been paid by the blubber, the carcase costs nothing, and after the extra labour, coal and drying has been paid, there remains equal, if not more, profit from the carcase than from the blubber.
[Continued.
At Port Alexander
I am speaking from actual faote. last year, in a floating factory and without compulsion to boil the carcases, 18,000 barrels of oil and a little below 9,000 bags of fertilizer of 2 cwt. each were produced, but being the first year, fertilizer was pro- duced at this place and aboard ship; considerable quantities of boiled most and bone were thrown over- board at the commencement of the season. (e) By enforcing the compulsory production of fertilizer, the immediate result will be that to produce a certain quantity of oil which now takes 20 whales, will theo- retically take 11 whales, but actually only 10, con- sidering that no belly-blubber would be thrown away during gluta, or, in other words, 50 per cent. of the whales would be spared, and the present quantity of oil produced. In Durban we are compelled to use everything, and in West Africa we find it to our profit to do so. You can have all particulars if you care to write to the Southern Whaling and Sealing Company, North Shields. The whales need to be protected for the continuation of the industry. I produce a letter giving certain particulars with regard to the erec- tion of an additional factory to be erected on land to assist the floating factory at Port Alexander, the duty at this place on the value of the oil, etc., which may be of interest to the Committee (handing in the same).
663. (Chairman.) That is with regard to Portuguese West Africa -Yes, Port Alexander. I think, looking back to previous production, we will be able to pro- duce 15,000 bags of guano. This means we will boil all the carcases. The factory to be erected this year.
664. Would you indicate generally how you think your proposals could be enforced in a case like South Georgia-At South Georgin each one has a licence for 21 years. They are all different in their terms. Some have a licence for three boats and some for two, and some have practically the right to take the blubber and throw the rest away, not having to work it up. Others are more restricted again in the same respect.
665. It would perhaps have been better if I had said in some place where there were no existing "vested rights, and where the Government was at liberty to legislate." What form do you think legis. lation and administration, to enforce such regulations, should take P---That would mean making laws which I do not know anything about, but to enforce that the guano would actually have to be produced and shown to the Government's satisfaction.
666. Would it be necessary for the Government to have an official at every station ?-No.
667. Or merely for the storeabips to visit the head- quarters at the end of the season-The Government need not do so. All the guano would practically have to be shipped to Europe, and, for instance, on the way home some of them would have to call at different ports and they could, to the satisfaction of His Majesty's consular agents, produce the guano to show that it had been made. After it had been shown they would be at liberty to throw the guane overboard. It would simply show that the carcases had been boiled down, and that the oil had not been wasted.
668. You think then that the vessels should be required to call at some port, perhaps in this country. to have their cargoes inspected P-The South Shetland boats call at the Falkland Islands on the way home, and the Government could see that the inspection was done there, and after the guano was shown it could be taken anywhere. At South Georgia there is a magistrate, and the Government could give him power to satisfy himself that it was produced.
669. You think, assuming it were possible to impose such regulations on South Georgia, they could be en- forced by requiring the vessel to go to King, Edward Core?-Yes, they have to do that now; all the factories have got to enter at South Georgia, and King Edward Cove is the port of entry, no matter where you have your factory or your station.
870. You would impose no restriction with regard to the quantities of the various qualities of the oil P-None whatever. It is only an inference that there should be so much guano, and I should say there should be
a bag of guano of 2 cwt. for every barrel of oil. That would show that the carcase has been worked up.
30 April 1914.]
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.
Mr. Q. O. JOHNSON.
871. When the vessel comes to King Edward Cove the guano would be stored away in the hold, and it would be rather difficult for the magistrate to satisfy himself with regard to its quantity, would it not?—He is travelling all over the island, and every whaling company could take him round in one of the whalers to in- spect. Most of the companies there have their cargo carriers which are carrying oil and guano from South Georgia. They have got to clear this cargo, so much oil and so much guano, and there are various means of obtaining the quantity, for instance, at the port of discharge.
672. I understood you just now to suggest that the guano should be examined at King Edward Cove; your last answer seems to indicate that it should be examined at the various whaling stations --That could be done. Of all the whaling companies we are the furthest away; we are roughly 30 miles away, and there are some in between, and some to the eastern side. The magistrate comes round the island at pleasure.
673. He is dependent on the whaling companies for transport, of course, and it is not always available?— But all the cargo has got to be cleared. At the present time there is a small duty on oil.
674. He has to estimate the quantity of oil, and I presume he could also estimate the quantity of guano P -Yea There is the manifest.
675. Do you think your suggestion would be prac. ticable in all localities; for example, we understand it is very doubtful whether whaling in South Shetlands or South Orkney would pay if guano making were en- forced P-South Shetland would be the finest place to make it pay, because they have three months, night and day; there are no storms, it is all fine weather, and it is absolutely land-locked. All they want is to have their floating factories and auxiliaries, for example, sailing ships, fitted for the boiling of the carcase and drying of guano. A good many have meat boilers, some have more, some less; but none I know have driers.
676. They ought to be compelled, you think, to carry meat boilers, but not to carry driers, which I understand are necessary to make guano P-We carry a drier, in fact we carry two, but we have found that one is suffi cient, and we are to take one away and erect it on shore. To dry meat and bone is a small matter. After being boiled it is more profitable to dry it than to throw it into the sea.
677. I do not gather that all whalers would agree with you there. I heard from one gentleman that he was very doubtful whether there would be any profit in having a drier. He said that it would take up a great deal of useful space and that the cost of labour and coal would be prohibitive -We have been doing it in the floating factory, the Restitution, and she is several thousand tons smaller than a good many others which are going to South Shet land.
678. Have you got conveniences in the way of coal- ing, for example, which do not exist in South Shetland P -We have one sailing ship which carries coal too, and oil in tanks from South Georgia. We charter others when required. We call at Capetown as an intermediate port between South Georgia and Port Alexander.
879. A vessel operating in Graham's Land might have to go to Deception Island for coal ?-They have very large steamers, some of 8,000 tons, which are able to carry all the coal required for the season, and also to carry all the cargo back. Others are smaller, but they have sailing ships going down with coal and bringing oil back.
680. Then you do not think that the coal question would render the manufacture of guano unprofitable? --No, it would be profitable, and the whaling would last all the longer.
681. I understand that none of the South Shetland companies have voluntarily installed a guano plant, and it would therefore seem that the question whether such plant would be profitable is at least very doubtful? -There is no doubt, however, about the profit. It is,
of course, more profitable to work blubber only when there are no restrictions.
682. If guano making is profitable, and since the new regulations permit of the employment of a second
[Continued.
35
floating factory, do you think we shall see them volun- tarily installed by the South Shetland and Graham's Land companies P-Certainly nobody would like to be compelled to do so, because it is this way: The present companies do not think they will work it 20 years; they say, "If we can only work two or three more years "we will be satisfied if in the meantime we can make "100 per cent. or more every year"; they are satisfied, therefore, with the years they can run it, but if this is enforced it will be for the good of the whaling industry, and also for the protection of the whales. I should suggest in answer to your question that the whaling companies should have the option to have as many whale boats and factories as they care to employ; but you would have to put a limit on each licensee as to how many barrels of oil he was to produce.
683. There must be a maximum number of barrels of oil and a minimum weight of guano: is that so?— Yes; for each barrel, a bag of guano, and a maximum number of barrels of oil; say they are allowed 20,000 (you can make it more or less). A catch yielding 20,000 is a great proposition, because there is a great profit. They should be compelled to show 20,000 bags of guano. Then they could have as many boats and factories as they wished, because the cost of a factory and the cost of the boats and all that would be against them putting more on than they actually need. In places where they have less fine weather they produce less; in places where they have a lot of rough weather, like South Georgia, boisterous weather for three weeks at a time, they would have extra whalers to work during a scarcity. Then, again, in fine weather they would be allowed to take only so many as they could work up. It would be of no use for them to get more blubber when they are compelled to show a bag of guano for each barrel of oil. They are absolutely compelled to work up the greater part of the carcases.
684. (Mr. Baker.) May I ask how many whales would be killed to get 20,000 barrels ?-That depends on the class of whales. You will get some Blue whales which will amount to four Humpbacks, and a Fin whale may be less. Then, in the beginning of the South Georgia season you will find the Humpbacks very loan, and you will get roughly within less than 20 barrels, Later on in the season you will get 2 to 3 times that up to 70 barrels. This we know exactly, because it happens that one day we got Humpbacks, and they seemed to be both about the same size. We worked up everything, and from the blubber and meat produced 140 barrels of oil, that is 70 apiece. There are plenty of those large ones; they may be even larger, but this is about the ordinary size of large Humpbacks. Then you have the White-bellied Humpback which is smaller, and produces less in proportion.
685. From which whale do you get most oil? -From the Blue whale if he is fat.
686. And the Right whale?—The Right whale is a large whale; it is somewhat similar to the Blue whale.
687. Would you prefer a maximum number of barrels of oil to a maximum number of whales permitted to be killed P-You cannot do that.
688. You prefer the maximum number of barrels P Yes.
689. For one reason, I presume, the number of barrels could be inspected and counted; but the num- ber of whales killed could hardly be checked by a Government official ?-The men employed to catch the whales are all paid by results. The official could get the information in this way, he would have to inspect the whaler's book to know the quantity of whales and the different species killed.
690. But you prefer a maximum of barrels to a maximum of whales?-That is the only feasible way of doing it.
691. You think each company could fairly be re- quired to show a bag of guano to every barrel of oil P- Yes, and still they would have some meat to throw away. In Durban we get more than that, because we must work up every little thing, even the guts go into the guano.
692. Do you think this would be a reasonable law all over the world! It would.
0 2