PENGUIN OIL

Southland Times, Issue 18810, 1 May 1920, Page 10

PENGUIN OIL

MR HATCH AGAIN DEFENDS HIMSELF.

LIVELY CLOSE OF MEETING.

Mr Joseph Hatch, who has been prominently before the Dunedin public lately in consequence of severe criticisms of the oil industry on the Macquarrie Islands, for which he has been responsible, addressed another largely attended meeting in the Bums Hall on Tuesday night, the Otago Daily Times reports, with a view to clearing himself from charges of cruelty to the penguins, Mr C. W. Hayward occupied the chair. Mr Hatch, it may be explained, claims that he has been ruined by the action of the Tasmanian Government in cancelling his lease of Macquarrie Islands, where he has thousands of pounds worth of plant. Mr Hatch began by strongly resenting the Hon. G. M. ’ Thomson’s reference to the penguin industry as an “accursed” industry', and said he had expressly invited Mr Thomson to be present that evening. He pointed out that if the work at the Macquarrie Islands, which had been stopped by the Tasmanian Government, bad been going on now it would have been of great assistance to many of our industries requiring oil. Among these he specially mentioned the rope and twine industry. He was 'almost certain that the whole “row” emanated from Dr Mawsou, though Dr Mawson did not say the thing that Mr Thomson said he did. If they thought he (the speaker) was a man who could stand before them and lie from hour to hour let them say so and let him go. (Applause.) Sir George Fenwick, at the' meeting of the Society' for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, had said they were entitled to know where Mr Thomson got his information from.— (Applause.) Personally, he was satisfied it came from a Hun doctor who accompanied Mawson’s and came back with tales that were absolutely untrue. The speaker told in racy fashion how he had come to learn about penguins from sea captains in the whaling trade, and took full credit for his enterprise in starting this oil industry' in these inhospitable and dangerous islands. He threw on the screen a vcry r large number of interesting pictures of bird life on tire Macquarries and of his plant there, and also showed scenes from the Antipodes, the Campbells, the Auckland Islands, the Snares, and Stewart Island. He contended that the penguins were actually increasing where he was working because his men destroyed their natural enemies, the skua hawks and the sea lions. His remarks were mainly directed to denying that live birds were at any time put into the digesters in his plant. One slide he threw on the screen contained the signatures of a dozen men to a statement that they' had never heard anything of boding birds alive down there. The picture bore the notice: ‘These men are telling the truth.” He defied anyone to find a single man who would dare to. say that they had ever put a single bird into the digester. Mr Hatch was given a most sympathetic hearing, and even some offensive references to well-known citizens were taken in quite good part. Towards the close, in speaking of the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, he made special reference to Mr W, F. Sligo, on whom he made a personal attack. He wtts heartily applauded at the close, Mr Mitchell moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Hatch for his practical lecture, which, he said, had disclosed no cruelty at ail. The chairman said it would be quite clear to them that a miscarriage of justice had occurred, and that Mr Hatch had suffered a great wrong. At this stage Mr W. F. Sligo made his presence known in the meeting, and accepted the invitation to come on the platform. He stated that he was a member of the executive committee of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and he had come in just in time to hear Mr Hatch making an attack upon him. He did not thing much of a man who tried to make fun of a man’s name. It was not a manly action.—(Hear, hear.) He explained ihat the society had answered some inquiries horn Adelaide about the Macquarrie Islands, but he did not think it had anything whatever to retract in regard to anything done or said about the cruelty of killing penguins. Although Mr Hatch had used the speaker’s name in an advertisement, that he would be asked to withdraw or apologise for, he (the speaker) had not at any time made a charge of cruelty' against Mr Hatch, for the reason that he did not know anything about his methods. So far as he knew, everything that was done there was all right, and there was no more cruelly in it than in the destruction of sheep and cattle.— (Applause.) He was not stating that as an absolute fact, for Mr Hatch's pictures did not prove there was no cruelty. However, Mr Hatch said there was not, and his men said there was not, and he (the speaker) was quite satisfied with that, statement. Mr Hatch proceeded (o read from a newspaper report crediting Mr Sligo with the remark, “Was it not possible that the photographs shown had been made to suit? lie was not likely to show the penguins being driven into a hot place.” Mr Hatch declared that Mr Sligo was not a man unless he withdrew everything he had said. Mr Sligo said Mr Hatch was misrepresenting his words. His point was that, so far as the pictures went they did not prove any thing.— (Hear, hear.) If there was cruelty’, Mr Hatch was not going to show it in his pictures, but he was prepared to take the .statement of Mr Hatch and Ids men. — (Applause.) Mr Hatch roundly declared that that was “all bunkum” and Mr Sligo was begging the question. A member of the audience asked if Mr Hatch had any picture at all that showed how the birds were killed. Dir Hatch said he had not, but he would ask one of his men, Sutherland, to come up and tell them. Mr Sutherland, a returned soldier, who got a good reception, took the platform and explained the process briefly and clearly. The birds were clubbed, and none were put in alive. The chairman; I think this is the strongest evidence that we have.—(Applause.) Another man at the back began to question Mr Hatch about a certain “Wild Bill” who lived for 12 months on the island with a dog. It was suggested that this man was guilty of cruelty by damaging birds that got in his road. Mr Hatch said that was a man they' could never do anything with. Mr Hatch repeated that he had tried to get Mr Thomson to come to that meeting, but he Intel not the pluck to come. On the motion of the chairman, Mr Hatch, who said he was perfectly satisfied with the result of the meeting, was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. A retiring collection was taken up at the doors to defray the expenses of the. meeting.