Fruit-Growing in New Zealand.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5896, 23 February 1903, Page 3

Fruit-Growing in New Zealand.

Sydney, Feb 22. Mr Leonard Sannder3, secretary of the New South Wales Fruitgrowers' Association, writing to the Press, under date Auckland, February 14th, says:—l am forced reluctantly to toll the producers of New South Wales that Now Zealaucl as a market for fruit products of any kind will soon be a thing of the past. From time to time wo have had the New South Wales Agricultural Department aud various Fruitgrowors' Associations striving with the New Zdaland Government for the removal of the prohibition on grapes, and the Premier sent back the old reply to j each new requisition, that the matter will be reconsidered. Now, I say emphatically j after ascertaining the political power of the Fruitgrowers' Union, and after various interviews with the vitioultural expert, Penor Bragato, and others, that Mr Seddon never for one moment enter- j tamed one conciliatory thought about the ! importation of New South Wales grapes. 1 He is afraid of industrial antagonism and of the condemnation of any movement that might interfere with the local producer. The practice is plainly a deliberate and m- } tentional restriction of all imports that j might be produced locally." ! The writer recounts a series of experi- j ments with Australian and New Zoaland j wines at Wellington. Most of the New j Zealand wines were clarets made at the i Government's farms. Those present were jubilant that their wines more than held their own against Australian Aviues three J times their age. "It is not pretty certain," j he says, "that the New Zealand Govern- i nient will let the result of this allegad test [ be known all over the world. I should advise Australian fruit-growers to take immediate action and ascertain the exact conditions ■ under which the tests were made." !