THE LAST PHASE OF WHALING 293 



mostly for fifty years. Prior to the outbreak of 

 war the general opinion in whaling circles was that 

 future prospects were good, although, since the 

 industry is highly speculative, there is no certainty 

 about it. In many districts, especially in the 

 extreme south, success is dependent to some extent 

 on the weather, which in the Antarctic is extra- 

 ordinarily inclement. 



A considerable fall in the price of whale oil 

 owing to increased production was at the time not 

 improbable. This price also depends to some 

 extent on what other oils are on the market, such 

 as cotton seed oil, linseed oil and others. In 

 1911-2 whale oil had declined in a comparatively 

 short time from twenty-four pounds to eighteen 

 pounds per ton. 



The table (Appendix VII.) shows the position 

 of the Norwegian whaling companies in 1912, 

 following the boom year in 1911. 



Generally speaking, one ton of whale oil fills 

 six barrels. The species of whale yield oil at the 

 following rate : Blue Whale (Balcenofotera sib- 

 baldi} fifty to sixty barrels; the Greenland Whale 

 sixty to seventy barrels; the Finner (Balcenoftera 

 musculus) thirty-five to forty; the Humpback 

 (Megaptera) twenty-five to thirty-five; and the Sei 

 Whale (Balceno'ptera borealis) five to ten barrels. 

 All these, it will be noted, are whalebone whales. 

 One ton of whalebone would be worth from thirty- 

 nine to forty-five pounds. 



Recently the Norwegian whaling interests have 



