CO885-(21-23) — Page 274

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

40565

SIR,

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No. 16.

BOARD OF TRADE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received 23 December, 1912.)

[Acknowledged 6 January, 1913.]

Marine Department, 7, Whitehall Gardens, London, S.W.,

21st December, 1912. WITH reference to your letters of July 10th aud November 1st* (number 15591/12), relative to the protection of whales, I am directed by the Board of Trade: to state, for the information of Mr. Secretary Harcourt, that they have made enquiries on the subject, and have ascertained that no very serious opposition to measures such as are suggested in your letter of July 10th is likely to be put forward by the firms in this country interested in the products of the whaling industry.

As regards the whaling industry itself, I am to transmit herewith a copy of a nemorandum which has been prepared in this Department, showing the extent to which it is developed in this country.

I am to state that, in the event of an inter-departmental committee being formed to consider the matter, the Board would be happy to appoint a representative.

I have, &c.,

WALTER J. HOWELL.

Enclosure in No. 16.

NOTE ON THE WHALING INDUSTRY AS DEVELOPED IN THIS COUNTRY.

1. Whaling was formerly carried on extensively as a British industry, having bases at most of the principal ports on the east coast of Great Britain, notably Hull, Dundee, and Peterhead. The industry was pursued mainly in the arctic regions, the principal species hunted being the Greenland or arctic right whale (Balania mysticetus), which was sought on account of its "whalebone" and oil, and later, the white whale (B. leucas). The whales were caught by means of harpoons attached to lines and thrown or fired from small hoats sent out from the whaling vessels, the animal being ultimately killed by means of a lance. The carcase was towed to the vessel, and the whalebone and the blubber (from which the oil was obtained) were taken on board, the remainder of the carcase, including the skeleton, being wasted. The whalebone of commerce, which is obtained chiefly from the "right" whale, is now very scarce, and commands a price which, though subject to violent fluctuations, has risen as high as £2,500 a ton. The blubber oil was formerly used in connection with wool carding, jute spinning, and for lubrication, but lately it has been supplanted for this purpose by cheaper mineral oils, and it is now used mainly in the manu- facture of margarine.

2. This phase of the whaling industry is now almost extinct in this country; there are still two firms at Dundee, and a small company at Peterhead, owning in all nine vessels which have been employed in whaling (as whalers or storeships), but this year only three vessels (one a storeship) have been sent out. This decline is attri- buted mainly to the increasing scarcity of all species of whales, and especially of the right" whale, which has rendered the industry unprofitable to firms employing the old-fashioned methods. Contributory causes appear to be a lack of efficient organi- sation among the older British firms, and their failure to adapt themselves to modern conditions.

3. Of late years, however, a number of firms have sprung up which by the employment of new and more effective methods which have made the whaling industry a very profitable one. These firms, most of which are Norwegian, operate mainly in

• No. and reminder of No. 6.

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the South Atlantic and South Pacific from bases in the Falkland Islands, the South Shetlands and South Georgia, in South Africa, and possibly also in South America As far as the Crown Colonies are concerned (we have at present no definite information as regards the other countries) whaling is carried on in virtue of leases granted by the Governor. The establishment in such a case consists of a factory, from two to four whalers (the number being specified in the lease), and one or more carriers or storeships. The factory is set up either on shore or, where this is not practicable, on a ship which is generally moored in a harbour. The whalers are usually small steamers of about 100 tons gross. The whales are attacked by means of harpoons fired from guns placed in these vessels. Each harpoon has a line attached, and is fitted with an explosive bomb to kill the whale and expanding barbs for securing the carcase. The whales when killed are towed to the factory, where they are cut up. Oil is extracted not only from the blubber, as formerly, but also from the rest of the flesh, the oil obtained in the latter case being used mainly in the manufacture of soap. The residue of the flesh, after the extraction of the oil, and

the bones are converted into guano. Experiments have been made with a view to preserving portions of the whale beef for human consumption, but these bave not, up to the present, proved successful.

4. It will be seen that the modern methods are much more profitable than those formerly employed. Not only is more got out of the carcase, but the modern method of hunting is adapted for the pursuit of the fin and humpback whales, which, owing to their great speed and fierceness, and to the difficulty of killing them with a lance, were left alone by the old whalers.

All

5. The majority of the firms engaged in whaling in the southern seas are Norwegian. Three are, however, British. Of these only one appears to be a registered company. This is the Southern Whaling and Sealing Company of North Shields, which has a paid-up capital of about £20,000, apparently entirely British. Of the other two, one, Messrs. Salvesen and Company, of Leith, appears to be a genuine British firm, but no information appears to be available respecting the other. Fuller particulars concerning these firms are given in the attached statement. own British registered vessels, but the crews employed are, as a rule, entirely foreign. The partial employment of British seamen has been tried, but this was abandoned, as it was found that they could not get on with the Norwegian members of the crew, objected to the food, and showed a disposition to go on strike at the least provocation. Apparently these firms have not been able to obtain sufficient British seamen experienced in whaling to form a complete British crew.

6. In addition to the above-mentioned firms a fourth company has recently been formed in this country, for the purpose of whaling in the South Atlantic. This, the Consolidated Whaling and Fishing Company of South Africa, has a paid-up capital of nearly £50,000, but about £30,000 worth of shares are held by a Canadian company. The Company has acquired five vessels, which have opened agreements with crews almost entirely British to proceed to South Africa, but it is not clear whether they are to be stationed there permanently.

7. As regards other parts of the world, the only British firms conducting whaling operations in the arctic regions are, so far as can be ascertained, those already referred to in paragraph 2 (see also statement annexed). Three companies, however, two British and one Norwegian, are engaged in whaling off the coast of Scotland from bases in the Shetland Islands, under licences issued by the Fishery Board. Neither of the British companies is registered, and both appear to be more or less intimately connected with Messrs. Salvesen and Company, to whom reference has already been made. The methods employed by these firms are similar to those now in use in the South Atlantic. The British firms employ. British registered vessels, but the crews are entirely Norwegian. About sixty per cent., however, of the men employed in the shore factories are Shetlanders. Under the Whale Fisheries (Scotland) Act, 1907, whaling licences will in future be issued only to British subjects or to companies registered in the United Kingdom.

Two companies, moreover, conduct whaling operations off the coast of Ireland under licences issued by the Irish Department of Agriculture. Such licences are, under the Whale Fisheries (Ireland) Act, 1908, restricted, as in the case of Scotland, to British subjects or British registered companies. The two companies in question have a total capital of about £30,000, but only about 10 per cent. of this is British.

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