AUSTRALIA'S LOST WHALING CHANCES

Chronicle (Levin), 20 August 1946, Page 8

AUSTRALIA'S LOST WHALING CHANCES

(Special Correspondent).

RETURN OF JAPANESE RAISES BIG PROTEST

Reeeived Monday, 7 p.m. SYDNEY, August 19. • The feeling that Australia has missed' a remarkable opportunity of establisbing herself as a power in Antaretic vvhaling, is growing rapidiy. International moves in that fiield were first brought to the notice of the Australian public a week ago by tlxe announcemeut that Gener.al MacArthur had authorised the Japanese to send two factory shijis, twelve wlrale ehasers and seyen carrier yessels to . Antaretic watters during the 194,6-47 season. The revelation that he had not conferred with the Australian Goveripnent before granting this perm.i5si.0n, and indeed had not even consulte.d the Allied C,on trol Commissidn, caused a storm of pr,otest. Spealcers who included Mr. Harold Holt M.H.R., and officers of tlie Returned Services League, recalled the pre-war cliarges of rapaeity and lawbreaking by Japanese whaling erews. In 1937 cvhen Britain, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Norway, Germany, Eire, and United States signed an international agreement for the regulation of whaling, Japan refused to adheye to the rules controlling tfie zones, seasons and sizes of whales to be caught. This resulted in the depletion of large areas. Mr. Holt demands that Australians should command the Japanese ships and erews and should divert a portion of the catch to pay reparations. Hard on the heels of the Japanese announcement comes news that eight Norwegian wlialers, including the welllcnown factory vessels Sir James Clarlc Ross and Kosmos Fourth, are due in Australia from Norway in Oetober. This is the fieet which, with three British ships, toolc whales worth over £12,000,000 from waters of South Australia and New Zealand during the season ended last April. "With whale oil selling at an all time high of £70 a ton to a world market daugerously short of marine oils and fats, the Australians are bemo«.mng the fact that their country is left without a stalce in the gaxne. The story of the stillborn Australian effort, as told by the,Tasmanian Premier, Mr. Cosgrove, arid Mr. H. E. Sizer, retired klinister of Labour for Queensland, does not help matters. It appears that, following a suggestion by Mr. Cosgrove, a Federal subcommittee agreed to order a 20,000 ton factory ship from Furness Conqxany on Tees. The original scheme was for the Commonwealth, Tasmanian and West AUstraliaxx Governments to join a private company in starting an Australian whaling industry. The understanding was that if the Commowealth Government witlulrew, the priv.ate company would be permitted to earry on. The Capital Issues Board, which is tfie irfstrument of the Commonwealth Government, refused to allow a business group to raise capital for a whaling company. Finally the Government cancelled the order and the Furness yard surrendered priority to a Nor.wegian firm. Mr. Sizer, who is the J.eader of the company, estimated that if the total costs were £3,000,000, including the prices of the factory ship and ehasers, tlie company would still have made a profit of £500,000 in the first season. Whale oil prices show no signs of falling but with all sliipbuilding priorities now talcen, it seerns as if Australia is out of the contest at lcast until 1948-49.