CHEAP GRAPES.

Bush Advocate, Volume XX, Issue 937, 3 February 1908, Page 5

CHEAP GRAPES.

THE PREMIER'S VIEWS. [press associatiox.l AUCKLAND, Saturday. Sir Joseph Ward says he has come tv Auckland pro-pared to face angry grnpegrowors, but the Government, in deciding to remove, tho restrictions on Australian grapes, had considered the question from the view of tho people. Those belonging to iho middle classes could not afford to pay Is ;kl per lb for grapes. It was simply making a luxury of what should be a very common articlo of diet. One's sympathies naturally went out to the grape-growers, but it was not desirable to have a fruit diet restricted to the use of a few Mho could afford to pay fancy prices. Tlio Premier was told that tho Auckland vignerons claim that the (■'(ivcrnmcnt first induced them to go in for viticulture, and now withdraws its support at the most critical period. "That is nonsense,'' replied tho Premier. "As far as I know the Government, in placing an embargo on the Australian importations, did KO solely with a view to preventing tho introduction of phylloxera. Now we have formulated a scheme by which we hope to successfully keep out tho introduction of fruit from infected areas. If we find the regulations arc disregarded we will take drastic steps and prohibit tho. importation of grapes from any part of tho Commonwealth, where a broach of tho rules regarding phylloxera-infected areas have- been discovered. In the past I he re have been thousands of people wbo want grapes for diet purposes, and have been una-blo to procure them on account of the prohibitive prices. Hy the removal of the restriction on Australian importations cheap grapes w ill now be within the reach of evervbndy."