WHALING INDSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1908, 17 November 1913, Page 7

WHALING INDSTRY.

THE CAMPBELL ISLAND PARTY

INTERVIEW WITH MR. NORM

Iho Amokura, which arrived at D'un.edm on Wednesday from a, cruise among i, va »® u S groups of islands situated couth of New Zealand, brought with har as a passonger Mr. Norton, tho head of Uio Campbell Island w'ltaimg party. Sir. "ortoii .i s a native of Torea Channel, Marlborough Sounds, and foi- a 1111mol y^ rs Waa associated with his rather and brothers in til® whaling industry carried on in and about Cook otriiit. Aftor_ a time it became «vi> dent that tit© industry was about work-c-a out m those watery and tlio youjiger Members of' th& Norton fiiiiaily eaat around witli tlio object of seeldug fresh i; j * At this iimo Captain fceker, of bJ.noorno, obtained a leaso over Campbell Island irom the Now Zealand Government, and ho approached tho Nortons on t&o subject of working this isu i 1- eI "S awaro that there wouW bo ample scope for the prosecution of tho whaling industry in those soul-horn waters, a party from tho torea Ohaiißel, or, rather, from To Awaito whaling. station; catered into an agree15° ~Captain Tucker to oarii for sheep on the island, d;i<} ; shear aiid generally do all the. work necessary to bo ctoiw, on a percentage basis, agreeing Oil tho Other land to share tlvo profits derived from whaling during tho winter months with the captain. Accordingly, a, part}', consisting of two or three 'members of tho Norfoft family, ono son of Mr. Jackson, of To Awaite, Charlie, Mr. John Hebberiey, Mr. Tmims, and one member of tho 'Ihoiii family, some* years ago set out for Campbell Island, and at varying periods this company of men has returned to tho Dominion in groups, leaving some of their number on tho island, However, by degrees, several members of tlio original party hate with-dra-wiij ißxtil now tlio Nortoiis. aro tho only original members of tlio party who still have an. interest in the island. Tho r principal of these is Mr. jack jfortoii. who w«s interviewed by a "Daily Times" reporter.

Mr. Norton, in reply to a number of questions* said tho present .party had been on tho islaiid for 23 months, mien they vvont down thfty entered into an agreement with a. 'Norwegian whaling party to bring thorn back to : tTio Dominion in Januaiy aiid to. taJto tljem baok again at a given time, together with a stock of general requirements for the carrying oil of tho whaling industry. "However," said Mr. ivor'ton, ''it bo happened, owing to legislation passed in 1910, that these Norwegians were compelled ha leave Now Zealand waters. Tho Norwegians left for their own country—at least, lam given.' to understand so—and, as you will readily fee, we wero loft in tho lurch, being short of detonators and other requisites necessary for tho continuation of our w-hsling operations, • Tho ■ legislation previously mentioned', I am of the Opinion, was introduced for tho special ptjrposo of protecting _ a party at WhasigamoniQ from being encroached upon by the Norwegians, who. had erect? Ed works with a 25-niilo radius oi Cftdi's works at Whangnniiimo. The aba ndon Bent of the Norwegians' south, em operations meant a. big. joss to us, for, iu addition to being rendered Vniablc to carry out our whaling on a. propo.i scale owing to lack of implements, wc lost the valiio. of tho carcasses of' tlit whales w« did catch, because tho jfop wegians, «wing -to' being compelled t< kvivo, wen> not ab!o to carry out theii contract to 4 tiy owt tljo carcs.ssos Of oui whales. 'Wo weiro Consequently''pi'aeti callv marooned on the island, without : getting mails or anything' ■ elso fron Now Zealand, and mo tidings as to ih' causa of the. Norwegians' bread) of con tract. Instead of capturing about 1: whales, Wo only secured oho. Jheft wei'o Quito a inutility- of them about as I have Seen as many as 14 lying a tho Nar'-west Bay, but wo Wore power less to do aujtlriirg owing to having no explosives. If it bad Hot been fc Messrs. Henderson and Co., of lover cargill, who sent down a quantity o stores on the oif-o'banco that we \voul< need them, wo would have had nothinj but mutton to oat. Tho trouble, how over, was that they did not send dow; tho detonators, .of Which we wero ver jnueh in hoed.

"Another grievance wo havo rs that wo received 110 notification that sealing licenses were being, issued until after tho season was over," said Mr .Norton, "Tho scaling season would havo meant a groat differenco to us, and wd would havo been ablo to make. a few poiuids over and above what wo generally make. Others bad l £h© opportunity, but wo, as Noiy Zeakndem and tho pioneer wlutlI era ill tho south, wero absolutely debarred, tiecausft <>ur comniimioatioii with ! ihe mainland through tlio Norwegians i being squeezed out, was cut off. Ah- ■ other grievance wo !have is tho charge niado by the Government for ilw services of tho Tutanekai in falling on us. We did not want, anything unreasonable, but seeing that the Government sent tho Tiitaneitai dowii to tho Ma.cquarie.-, to assist,' Hatch's men, who wero straiidcd t there, after iho wreck of tho Jessie Nitol, thoy might liavo called to see us. without making a charge, as we., as Now Zoalan.ders, should surety -be' worthy of some consideration. .TJ'io steamer would lurr-o called, it- is true,' ■but wo would have to pay £80 for t&is oWigeni-ent, and our agent sit liivercar- : gill did not consider the expense warra'nted. Tho Now Zealand Government did t"io trip to the Macq-anries .for nothing to oMige tho Tasniaiiiau Government, a distqnee of about 860 miles, tmfe because they Would havo had to put out of tlioir courso a distance of 160 miles. to -s-eo us, they wanted to charge us &n<r»gh to pay tho cost of tho trip from Weling'ton to fiio islands. I don't blame tlio Govwnnieiit for obliging the Tasmaiiian Ggycrliment, but I do o'bjcei; to t&o heavy lovy tlioy wanted to ni.a.kfl ttpon lis "for tlio distance islicy would : lifti'o travelled to SCO us, and I consider' it hy ito mows a fair isropos.itifoi."

Speaking of tho island, Mr, Norton said that tho area w-as about 40,0D0 acres, on which there grow course native: grass, this carrying about 7000 sheep, mostly Oorrittlates; JfaSb year buoy dipped 119 bales of Wool, and this year ho expected a- yield of 127 bales, Mr. Norton concluded by a. special refereaeo to tho eoinirmiider of tho AmolMra, Captain Hooper, awl tho officers and men, all of whom had treated him very well'indeed on tho trip from tlio island, lie said that ho and his party were deeply indebted to Captain Hoo.pitt for i the very kind consideration lie had given them.