WHALING IN THE SOUTH

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 89, 9 January 1919, Page 8

WHALING IN THE SOUTH

NORWEGIANS AT SOUTH GEORGIA

WHERE BRITONS LAGGED BEHIND When Sir Ernest Shaukleton returned from his last journey to the Antarctic nearly two years ago lie mentioned (hat he had been surprised lo find at South Georgia, a British island on the fringe of the Antarctic regions, some well-estab-lished and prosperous Norwegian whaling .stations. The history of these enterprises is outlined in a recent report on whale fisheries i&sued by the Government of tho Falkland Islands. It-appears that the Norwegians hiive been allowed.lo make a practical monopoly , of whalo fishing in waters that may fairly be regarded as British. ' .'

In 1900 the Falkland Islands Government announced that it was prepared to grunt a mining and general lease of South Georgia, then an liuinlinbitatcd and largely unknown island, for a term of twenty-one years, with right of. renewal, to any responsible individual or company on certain slated conditions. Seme time later n company was formed in Chile, called the South Exploration Company, composed chiefly of British farmers with interests in Patagonia. This company, in 1905, was granted a lease of the island for a preliminary period of two years at a nominal rental of .£1 a year, with an additional .£l.O a year for a sealing license. But the British company did not proceed with any form of development. Captain C. A. Larson, a Norwegian who had commanded the ehip Antarctica, of the Swedish Polar Expedition, in 1902, was on the scene, and he formed a Norwegian company to develop the wnale fisheries. The British company, which had n capital of only ,£30(10, was bought out by the Norwegians for .£ISOO. Captain Larson hud had wide experience of whalo fisheries, and he soon had ships and sear at his disposal. He was successful from tho outset, and to-day there arc no fewer than eight companies engaged in whaling in the waters around South Georgia, with their stations on the island. Five of them are Norwegian and three are nominally British, bul the atnfts are Norwegian almost to a man. Other Norwegian companies are working the whale fisheries of the South Shotlands and Graham's Land, which also are British territories.

During 1917, according lo the reports furnished lo the Falkland Islands Government, the whalers killed no fewer than 7516 whales,' and won oil to (ho value of ,£1,512,01)0. They also killed 2941 sea elephants, and 77 sea leopards, which produced 5297 barrels of oil, worth iE2G,400. The significance of these figures is made apparent by the further statement that the Norwegians are killing whales all the year round. There seFms b be no doubt that the foreign companies, having got into an advantageous position owing to the indifference of British people, are making hay whije the snu shines. If they are left in possession for a few more years there'will be very few whales to kill in the waters of South Georgia.