IMPORTED FRUIT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 127, 21 February 1908, Page 2

IMPORTED FRUIT.

NEW REGULATIONS DRAFTED, 'it: , STRICTER SAFEGUARDS. , It is understood that Cabinet last evening • considered and: passed aieiv' regulations gov- ; erning v the admission of Australian frilit. , They will probably be gazetted next. week. The regulations were/drawn' up ' by. '. tho . ~' Minister for '• Agriculture,' the ,HbriV. -R. -! M'Nab, for .the purpose l of making '.."Safer., the. ;admission'of Australian fruit. . The 'constant,.. .: poril to the New Zealand fruit-grtwirig'in- . dustry which' has always accompanied v tke ■- Australian fruit into., our. ports. rhas,'iiv"the 'eyes of those.concerned in the local indnsU'y, ■fully justified precautions than !those .hitherto taken. The seriousness of the fruit fly pest is held to render, any necessary strictness reasonable, and 1 the scare which, we exr \ . iperiencci.'/laS^^jreit^(ati Blenheim- and -Has-.r-; tings). andw'this 'ydar-":'(at>'Dbvouport) has .. brought '.the Vmatter to.;a'. head.; Although. ipliylloxera'and-other'posts will no doubt ue.i ' involved -iny. the regulations, the.^fruit-fly _ • the chief' danger' aimed 1 - at;,, ; •■<• An ■ indication tr^d,.ofithe-:regii|a-'. tibris,.may .be • cently nia'devby^the^ljini^iiv.'.&nd'^i^Bb^ gist .(Mi\T.;W." Kirk)./ ilh;,Kirk;,;hasradvo'-.. cat'ed, for. some, time past- that.TAustraliarf : shippers should .be required to : 6end with their' fruit, a. declaration'.seUihg'iPuVX®ong . ' ;other things that.::thoj.friiit_was. grown in • ' an orohard\which was at -least a specified . ; 'distancß';(one'or:two miles); from 1 any "orchard infected with;fruit fly, phylloxera, and some., other pests. ' This,. ho has..pointed out,- is . . only what-is demanded. by South Australia ■ .from growers sending fruit to them from the, other Federal States, and it is';on the lines ■ of the regulations already governing, the :ad- , mission of Australian grapes .to New' Zealand. Tlio Minister, in a recent interview with-a: Dominion representative made a 'statement' • on the point, \vhich was reported as follows: . "The Minister continued that new regula- . tions we re' tq.be introduced, "dialing ..with the . importation of all classes of fruit: All .Irmt .■ imported would require to be accompanied by . a certificate '. froni the Agricultural 1 Department bf the country it.'.comes from, stat- .. ing that, it is ' the product of an orchard'inwhich no fruit-fly' or other _ pesthas! Jboen ■ ; known to ox>sty Without this certificate, no fruit would bo allowed to "come linto the ■ K country, This was to be an. additibnAl; precaution over ;and above, the usual inspection of the officers of tho Department. The draft'.of the'*regulations',;\viis iinder consideration. and their completion-was only .1 matter of a ~ few days." V''' ' i.