AUSTRALIAN GRAPES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 115, 7 February 1908, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN GRAPES.

AN IMPROVED SHIPMENT. The second shipment of Australian grapes, -which ■ armyed ■" yesterday •; by tho Mooraki, tame to. md in better order than the first. AJtoge _. chero woro 273 cases, consigned to -.-■■■ European >fruit roorcliants and tho ..Cluneso tolony. .l'Tbe If go majority wero Blabk flam- • burghs,' but th' i'-! were also ono. consignment of the Hermi.vo 'variety,- and, a small pro- , portion-.-of • 1 ... ?ats; Tho grapes, though 1 small, wfflo o( average quality. All of thorn came frf>pi New South Wales, and thoy - wero closely":nd.-carefully-:packed, .without granulated cc other device, for, ensuring safe' convcyaiice. l ' Tho grapes were- carefully' mspwted by. Mr. A. E. Palothorpc,,of, tho ■ Agricultural Department, and found to be in ■ excellent conmtion.c - - .■. i.. . : • Somo pf the lots were late in reaching: tho saleroom,owing to tlio fact that tho examination o! the shipmont: by-tlio Customs was most rigid. -.The; prices .obtained ranged from 6d to 5d per lb • Owing to: the lßtcnoss of-tho hour at which •oonsignmentsNworc. delivered—it being .'after 4 p;m. before'somo ol tho,lots, camo to hand ' .—the bulk of.-the. shipment . was' held .over : until to-day's .sale.' ' . COMPLAINT TBOM SYDNEY.

;firnr received :the Allowing- lotter.. yesterday. - from ■• a Sydney i" lonfc:™'"Door Sirs,—Cable- to hand. , Ten; ulUngs a case for grapes is no good to us,- . ihoughi-of":cpursO' ; it':spems'..a lot of 'money. But Took at the .expenses;to. como oft. Iho ■ Malaga" and .Musfeat grapes- (of .which I sent . ■ . a caso of' each-as-'.samplos) cost-mo . 10s. in Sydney, and-, if anyone in Wellington knows good grapes when ■ fceon i thpy should have rashed those'grapes 3t Bd. a.pound whole-, , ' salo, which rwould'ihavo! worked out at lbs. per •:cases i .To-day (February. 1) I, send , a shipment of; choico Mnscats m-twelve-pound '. fancyboxes, i wliich.rcustbring" Bdi,?a. ; pound: to.clear my expenses.' .1 don't think to-day's - ohipment will: ba .large,-as, many, were d;s-. / appointed ibyvresults of.--the initial isalo at, , / ;•,i;ancl^, jis^!foy.'. : Christbhiirch,v, the Bales-there oven worse. -I reckon,l lose; \ ,shiUing^•'»)'.boxf.o£/my''jflwV..shipment "to •;; ' ' ;Wolli|igton, :and .3si '6d.,. a box on: the first V;'/.-;'/- shipment::td-Christchlirch'; ; so New. Zealand, :; ,-y,; for. all.(ifa; big..demand ;foi>.grapes|.; is np good-. ." v to l Sydney .shippers: A ■ poiiny per.. pound ..duty, and'a.penny "per: poundsteamer'freight. , it a knocfeout.'.'SYDNEY PItICES. y . Our Sydney correspondent, writing on(•February Instates: —Wo , aro now able to- / v 'Abuy 'fine' large grapes in tho Sydney friot i ishops for-3d. and 4d. per-pound—think of. I that, : you: poor New Zealanders, 1 who must pay • Is. 6d. probably. But: tho removal or i ' modification - of,. <tho- restrictions upon tho :i importation of. grapes from,any of.tho Australian.States into tho Dominion will permit: ... .'thai Ney':'Z^teiidm.- : t6"-ferij6y:-;at"i4^arb7of;-' . ••; .our; good The' New. South-.-Wales s and South-:Austrahan growers are;preparing to take advantage of the now regulations,. , and• probably;'tto doubt,,it'will soon bo pos-, :BiblO'tOi"bijy 'Australian grapes in Wellington at 1 reasouablo .prices,-- though tho. season is just .now/far..advanced. The-partial "removal ■y of. tho rostnctions- is; naturallv, of .considerf7'a!)lo; importenco "to tho -fruitgrowers of the Commonwealth, who. have for many-years *** v mado, reprosenfations towards that end; and until-tho pvesfiiit-tittle, without succajs. Tho- .. reason< for tlio restrictioa. is, of course, .tho fear of phylloxova, but wo on tbis sida of ■ .'Tasman Sea hold: the-:view that theso -vfearsiare.' greatly iexaggerated.', .The *nows . / f thatithc. grapogrowers in, the' Dominion are - protesting against tho admission of tho Australian • fruit into' 'New : Zealand; is 'appropriately received by , tho; growers, here with » quiet smile. ' 1