PAN-PACIFIC PROBLEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 219, 15 September 1924, Page 7

PAN-PACIFIC PROBLEMS.

AS AFFECTING NEW ZEALAND. AN EMISSARY'S IMPRESSION'S. Speaking of the recent pan-Pacific food conservation conference at Honolulu, one of the New Zealand representatives, Mr. (1. If. Thomson, M.L.C., of Dunetlin, on his return to-day by the Makura, mentioned to a "Star" reporter that he thought the conference had b.->en successful and useful. New Zealand had beeen especially interested in the fisheries section, and that h:id been nmoiij the most Rtrongly-attendcd seetir n by experts from the North Pacific countries. Among other things discussed, one of great importance to this country waft the preservation of whales and weals and 1 other fur-bearing animals in the Pacific. | This preservation would be arranged eventually, he thought, by international agreement. The closer study of ocean currents, as they affected the distribution of food fish of various ki-yds. was likely to,eventuate from discussions on that point, and would probahly be found to be of uso to New Zealand. The quarantine section discussed the introduction into various countries of parasites to cope with insect pests, and incidentally it seemed to Mr. Thomson from the trend of statements mado that New Zealand was regarded as fairly clear, bo far as fruit diseases were concerned, and that there was plenty of scope for New Zealand apples. It was remarked that the supervision of the exported apples was scarcely severe enough at Auckland, but from what was said he felt that if the fruit were properly examined at this end there was room for a much bigger trade in apples from New Zealand than at present I exists. Mr. Thomson made inquiries about the foot and mouth disease in California, and just before he left he received definite information that tlie trouble there originated in garbage from an army transport being fed to pigs. A request was recently made that California and Washington should mitigate their restrictions, but as there nvul been a fewsharp outbreaks of the trouble in California, despite an undoubted general improvement, the Hawaiian authorities have decided to preserve a strict quarantine for a further period.