WHALING CONFERENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23225, 24 June 1937, Page 14

WHALING CONFERENCE

SESSIONS IN PRIVATE I T' JAPAN NOT REPRESENTED (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) ~ 0 . LONDON, May 26. Mr W. S. Morrison, Minister of Agriculture, opened the International Whaling Conference this week. The conference, which is meeting in private, follows a joint move by the Governments of Great Britain and Norway, the principal countries concerned m the whaling industry. Other countries which sent delegates are Argentina, Germany, Portugal, United States Canada, the. Irish Free State, New Zealand, and South Africa, while Australia asked Great Britain to represent her. Japan has refused to participate.

Certain protective measures have been taken, including the regulations made at the Geneva conference on whales in 1931, but Germany and Japan did not adhere to the close season recommended last year. Delegates will consider the possibility of fixing an economic whale oil production figure in the 1937-38 season. This total may be divided on a quota basis among the various whaling fleets under the control of the Governments represented. Should this not prove possible the conference may decide to determine fixed limits for the season, during which there would be no restriction of output.

Representatives of the whaling compames are not taking part directly in the talks, but they will have an opportunity of reviewing ihe proposals put forward.

Production of whale oil in the Antarctic during the 1936-37 season totalled 2,596,850 barrels, compared with 2,412,583 barrels during 1935-36. This increase, due largely to the expansion of Japanese and German output, has caused some concern, particularly to Norwegian interests, who last year recommended that production should be limited to 2,256,000 barrels.

JAPAN’S REFUSAL Japan's refusal to participate in the London conference and her apparent determination to expand her whaling fleet regardless of the need for conserving the whale population, will provide the delegates with one of tneir greatest difficulties.

It is estimated that Japanese production next season will total 360,000 barrels, and that in 1938-39 it will reach 690,000 barrels, equivalent to no less than 25 per cent., of the total Antarctic production last season. Japanese whale-catchers, it should be noted, are manned entirely by Japanese crews and are thus independent of foreign labour troubles. * ■, - Germany has also been expanding her production. Last season she owned one whale-catcher and had two on charter; next season she is expected lo own three (possibly live) and to have two chartered. Despite the recent Norwegian law forbidding the sale of national whale-catchers to foreign countries, it is believed that one or two ships are about to come under German ownership. Nevertheless Germany, dependent to some extent on Norwegian crews, is likely to take a reasonable view of the need for restriction. Her acceptance of the invitation to the conference is regarded as a good augury. If the Japanese persist in their attitude. severe competition may result. Some British companies are unlikely to wish to restrict their operations to, say. three months if the Japanese are to fish during the maximum period from October 20 to March 20. Particularly is this so, as the Japanese rely upon selling much of their whale oil to Europe—even to other branches of those companies whose participation in a restriction scheme has helped to maintain prices at a high level. To what extent the unrestricted killing of whales may be carried depends largely upon the conseouent movement in the price of whale oil. During the 1936-37 season the quotation has averaged £2O per ton (one ton equals six barrels), which compares with £l3 10s for 1933-36 and a low level of £8 10s reached during 1934- 1 35.