WHALING OLD AND NEW

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25247, 28 July 1947, Page 2

WHALING OLD AND NEW

ADDRESS BY MR G. W SOUTHGATE

“Whaling was an important industry when many industries that are important to-day were little more than handicrafts,” said Mr G. W. Southgate on Saturday night when addressing the Christchurch Cultural Society on “Whaling—Old and New.”

“To many countries, especially to the Dutch, British, and American nations,” he continued, “the whaling industry had given wealth, seamen, and explorers, it was responsible for expansion of trade and settlement, it provided the advance guard of civilisation and was responsible for the acquisition of outposts of empires.” He then briefly sketched the history of whaling from the thirteenth century, when the Basques, in the North of Spain overlooking the Bay of Biscay, hunted the right whale, a comparatively slowswimming variety, which yielded oil and whale-bone. In the next century the French and then the English emulated the Basques and were soon joined by the Dutch. At that time whaling was done from sailing ships. It was a hazardous undertaking attended by great hardships. It proved most profitable for England and Holland and for these two nations the industry reached its zenith in the sixteenth century. Then the Americans came into prominence and established thriving stations. The industry in the seventeenth century was a great source of national wealth. . Then it experienced a set-back. The American revolution broke out, petroleum was discovered and superseded sperm oil, the gold mining and cotton industries developed and attracted men who might have taken up whaling. But in 1864 a new impetus was given to whaling by the invention of a whale-gun by a Norwegian. Next came steam chasers and the technique of inflating whales, particularly the blue whale and the fin-back, to prevent them from sinking when killed, followed by pelagic whaling and the use of factory ships. But many nations, Mr Southgate said, especially Britain and Norway, realised that if the rate of killing whales exceeded the natural increase, whaling would soon become uneconomic or even extinct. The League of Nations tried to regulate whaling but a few nations would not agree. “UNO may succeed in saving the industry,” he said, “but I am not too hopeful.” Mr Southgate, with the help of Dr. G. Jobberns, president of the society, showed a series of interesting slides of whales, whalers, wind jammers chasers, and factory ships. Before the address, a musical programme was presented by Mrs R. Miss A. Stone (Mrs Brown) and Mr H. Stone (instrumental trios). Miss Valerie Down (songs), Mr Stone ;5. ell o t sol °s)- Mrs Cairns-Bell and Missi Stone were the accompanists. Mr P< avi o hlt< r th anked the artists and Mr Southgate.