PENGUIN SLAUGHTER

Evening Star, Issue 17311, 26 March 1920, Page 2

PENGUIN SLAUGHTER

MR JOSEPH HATCH DEFENDS HIMSELF AGAINST ALLEGATIONS OF CRUELTY. • The question and method of killing penguins on Macquarie Island have been discussed in many countries by several eminent men and representative societies. Our local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals played a part in having the Macquaries proclaimed a bird sanctuary. This proclamation has interfered with the business oil extracting penguin oil, which was carried on by Mr Joseph Hatch. As he has a plant at the islands valued at several thousand pounds, the decision of the Tasmanian Government in closing tho island is financially a serious one for him. Allegations of cruelty in the slaughter of the penguins was* a factor which weighed with the Government. Mr Hatch says the industry was always carried on in a perfectly humane way. "I could not kill a sparrow myself," said - Mr Hatch at a public meeting held in Burns Hal! last evening. The body of the hall was about half full, and Mr J. J. Clark introduced Mr Hatch as a one-time prominent figure in the political world and a man who had filled" a big part as a leader m industry.

Mr Hatch was well received, and made a promise-, to let his audience awav nsome minutes past 9, whereas he spoke until 10.20, a: J" then answered questions. He began by stating that he was anxious for a large attendance, because of various remarks by certain people and many newspapers, all of which were incorrect. He reminded his hearers that he had sat in Parliament from 1884 to 1887. was an exMayor of Invercargill, and was 83 years of nge. Chief among the offenders who had condemned the business carried on by Mr Hatch were certain scientific men and" professors, among whom were Sir Douglas Mawson and "a man named Spencer" (probably Professor Sir Baldwin Spencer). The Hon. G. M. Thomson was the subject of some of the speaker's keenest verbal shafts. _ "Mr Thomson had done all the harm it was possible for a man to do," said Mr Hatch. Mr Hatch was sorry Mr Thomson was not present. It was his intention to ■ visit many centres in the hope that hg, might stir up a public opinion to reverse the decision of the Tasmanian Government. He was anxious to clear himself of the allegations of cruelty. " I don't want to go to my grave having people saying, ' Thank goodness that old fool has gone.' "

Mr Hatch set out last evening to disprove all the allegations of crreltv in carrying on the industry of oil extraction from the penguins. The allegation was that live penguins were driven v,p a plan 1 .; into boiling water. Mr Hatch snvs the allegation is absolutely untrue, and that it was first made !>v » German doctor. The speaker did not" deny that penguin, are killed. Four digesters are "in use. Each of these holds 800 birds, and they

are boiled for seven to 12 hours. The | digesters are worked for about 20 hours I a day for seven days a week. It was ! therefore, very plain that many thousands ! of birds were killed annually." Mr Hatch contended, however, that " they actually I saved a larger number of penguins than ' they killed." The explanation was that they killed the natural enemy of the penguin—the ■ skua gull and the Pea lion, i Ihe birds weve not driven into either boiling water or steam. " Thev ace simply hit on the head with a waddy and are then packed in the digester." The .king penguin is not killed, because the percentage of oil is low. The royal penguin is the profitable bird, because it is rich in oil. The industry was carried on in the most humane way. The birds were at times driven into" a stockvard made of barrels. Those killed are birds one year old, just when thev have come to moult. There are many millions of them, and as the parent birds are not killed and some of the rookeries are inaccessible. Mr Hatch ridicules the idea that it would be possible to decimate the penguins: indeed, he. claims to be the penguins' friend. Mr Hatch explained that h© was net a sea. captain. People evidently thought he was, because he had been associated so long with shipping and the oil trade. He told "some strange stories." For instance, some of the men on the Maequaries would eat 12 to 13 ordinary- hens 4 eggs • for a meal, and it was little wonder that a ( sojourn on the islands improved their physical proportions so that in some instances they became so fat thev could hardly walk. Rabbits and Maori hens made a most excellent stew—the rabbit was dry and the hen was full of fat—a combination fit for an epicure. Whatever views may be entertained as to the humanity or otherwise involved in the industry,* Mr Hatch impressed his audienco with his grievance. Ho has some thousands of pounds of capital sunk in tho industry. The cancellation of the lease virtually confiscated that capital since it would be impossible to remove heavy boilers and digesters and load them on a steamer in open ocean. Then, again, he said that the universal demand was for more production. The value of the season's output of about 300 tons of oil was £12.000 or £15.000. He had been approached -recently with an order for oil valued at £20,000. The oil was there the penguins and the sea-elephants. The- address was illustrated by a series of views, which were at once "educative and beautiful. They included Invereargill. Bluff, Stewart, "Auckland, and Macquarie Islands, and the penguin rookeries were especially interesting, as showing the millions of birds which frequent the islands during the season. At the conclusion of the meeting Mill. _F. Sincock moved the following motion, which was carried : That this meeting of Dunedin residents, after hearing "Mr Hatch, feel convinced that the condemnation of the oil trade recenjjy carried on. at the Macquarie Island is quite unwarranted, and regret that any member of the New Zealand Legislature should have, by misstatement of the facts, materially assisted in closing the trade, thereby ruinous loss' to a respected and energetic .citizen: and farther, that this meeting bind themselves to support Mr Hatch in his efforts to combat such misstatements and secure the reopening of the trade.