COLONIAL WHALE FISHERIES.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 27, 10 September 1842, Page 107

COLONIAL WHALE FISHERIES.

Sir Robert Peel, on laying his tariff before Parliament, proposed certain alterations in the prohibitory duties then existing on oil of foreign catch. The English shipowners were greatly alarmed, and at a public meeting held in London on the 15th of April, J. Somes, Esq., in the chair, passed a series of strong resolutions condemning the change proposed. It appears, however, that Sir Robert paid but little heed to these gentlemen, and passed his measure with very slight modifications. We believe the alteration will produce good here, by inducing foreign whalers to resort to our harbours and dispose of their oil, which will afford immediate freight to the ships which bring us immigrants. We extract from the Australasian Record the following particulars :—: — " Sir Robert Peel has very wisely, in our opinion, proposed no alteration in the duty on foreign wool ; which, as heretofore, is to come in at a duty of one halfpenny if of less value than Is. per pound, if exceeding that value Id. ; colonial wool being free of duty. "On oil, however, a very important alteration is intended. Train and sperm-oil of foreign catch are now subject to a duty of £26 125., which in fact is a prohibition, except when our prices are excessively high; but under the new tariff, train-oil is to be admitted at a duty of £6 per tun, and sperm at £15. The plan of a differential duty on the two descriptions 18 perfectly correct, train-oil not usually being more than a third of the value of sperm. There can be no doubt that the price of sperm-oil, owing to the exclusion of foreigners, has been exorbitant ; and which is a matter of serious importance, so much being used by our manufacturers for their machinery. At the pesent moment train-oil is rather high in price ; and as one of the chief purposes for which it is used is cloth-making, it also affects the same individuals; besides, very high prices are not desirable for the parties engaged in the British fisheries, for they invariably check the consumption, and drive the manufacturer to the substitution of seed and other oils. A differential duty of £5 19s. (the duty on British oil being Is. per tun) per tun in favour of train-oil, and of £14 19s. in favour of sperm the produce of our own fisheries, appear to us to be a sufficient protection. There is also to be an alteration in the duty on whalebone : at present the duty on British whalebone is £1 per ton, on foreign £95 (prohibitory). It is in future (if| the scheme is carried, as no doubt it will) to be 20 per cent, on the value of foreign whalebone, and one per cent, on British — a difference quite sufficient. -' " We have to complain, however, of another -plan, quite distinct from the English tariff; it is a proposed alteration to admit oil and whalebone of foreign catch into England, on the same terms as British, after having paid a duty of rt> per cent, ad valorem in a British colony, provided it is brought to this country in a British bottom. Now, whilst we fully appreciate the motives which prompted this proposition, viz. the benefit of the colonial revenues, and the encouragement, which, alas, is but too greatly needed, of the British shipowner, we must yet protest against 15 per cent, ad valorem being any thing like a sufficient protection to the colonial fisheries. Why, we should have all our colonial ports inundated by the American and French whalers, as they would probably be able on this plan to send their spermoil into London at not more than two-thirds the duty that it would pay if coming direct, and the train-oil, from its smaller value, would not pay more than one-half the duty proposed by Sir Robert Peel in the English tariff. •We have not the slightest objection to give the foreigner a slight advantage, by landing his oil in one of our colonies, for the sake of the trade it would confer upon them and our homewardbound ships; but the rate proposed is too low — it should be at least 20 per cent, on sperm, and 25 per cent, on-train, which would bsjquite sufficient inducement to the French and Americans to send their oil and bone to England via a British colony. Our idea that 15 per cent, is too low a rate, is fully borne out by the opinion of the oil-trade ; a deputation of gentlemen connected with it intending to have an interview with the President of the Board, for the purpose of procuring some further protection." '