PLEA FOR PEACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 19, 24 January 1933, Page 3

PLEA FOR PEACE.

TASMAN FRUIT WAR.

EMBARGOES NOT WANTED.

AN AUSTRAUAN ADVICE

A pica, for the early lifting of tlie embargoes which had been placed on the fruit trade between Australia and New Zealand before the matter was aggravated and relations between the two countries strained, was made by Mr. E. P. N. Sheedy, who arrived from Sydney last evening. Mr. Sheedy is the chairman of the United Press Association, chairman of directors of the "Newcastle Morning Herald," and is also interested in orange growing in Australia.

"In regard to the retaliatory action evidenced in the present fruit embargo, I can't say that Australia had altogether played its part, ard I feel that there may be very just reason for New Zealand "to fee] aggrieved, but at the same time I think that there should be a reasonable solution of a mutual difficulty," said Mr. Sheedy. "I understand that New Zealand lias placed the embargo on Australian oranges because Australia will not admit New Zealand apples." Fire Blight Fear. Mr. Sheedy added that there had been a highly scientific controversy in relation to the anxiety in regard to fire blight in the New Zealand apple orchards, and for that reason the Australian Agricultural Department had stood out definitely against any suggestion to lift the embargo on apples. So far as he understood fire blight, Mr. Sheedy said that he believed that it had existed' in C'alifornian and English orchards for over 50 years. It seemed to him that undue emphasis was laid on it, for after all it was a sap disease that could be controlled. On the other hand, the New Zealand authorities claimed that there was every possibility of trouble in the importation of Australian oranges because of the danger of the fruit fly being introduced. He found it hard to follow this argument in face of the fact that approximately half the amount of oranges imported from Australia to the Dominion was imported from the Cook Islands, which were known not to be free of citrus troubles. Australia prided itself on its wonderfully fine system of control. Not the Ottawa Spirit. "I am speaking purely from the standpoint of the grower and from personal contact with the merchandising and distributing end of the trade, and I am quite prepared' to admit that the Australian grower is just, as narrow in his outlook as the New Zealand grower. When it is all said and done, these embargoes do not support the . Ottawa spirit'. The world is changing and. we have to change with, it to make for Empire consolidation, with which .we will not get very far without broadness of vision in ■ such matters as ■ these."

" Mr. Sheedy said tile big difficulty in the way of mutually settling'the ' fruit embargo difficulty, was apparently the scientific controversy,- and wlii]e_ he had great regard for expert opinion he thought it imperative that the. more reasonable side of. the matter should receive urgent and practical treatment. The relative trade and business- of the two countries were suffering, and he suggested that to get down to a practical hnsinees viewpoint a conference of the two Government Departments should be called and representative growers and merchants of the - two countries united to. participate.. He had. great confidence that if such a conference were called before the present conditions were aggravated a practical solution • would be found. I . In Time of Need. Tlie fact that in 1918, when _ the Dominion was in the throes of <the influenza outbreak, the Government of the day considered the position so serious that it seized the stock • of oranges (and they were mostly from Australia) so that the' valuable health fruit' should be available for- the afflicted, was stressed by Mr. Sheedy. In view of the reports of influenza in other parts of the world to-day, he shuddered to think what would-happen in, New Zealand if adequate supplies of citrus fruit could not be obtained at a time of grave 'necessj|y.

"But it appears to me that the matter if apples and oranges, is not the real jone of contention in these embargo measures," said Mr. Sheedy. get down ,to bedrock we will find that potatoes are the difficulty. The records of the two countries will show that a crlut of potatoes. never, occurs on both sides of the Tasman Sea at the one time, and it is therefore unthinkable that any Government would deprive its consuming public of such an important staple food as. potatoes if -a shortage happened in either country."