FRUIT FLY AND THE IMPORTERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 294, 5 September 1908, Page 3

FRUIT FLY AND THE IMPORTERS.

MAJOR BROUN AS THEIR CHAMPION PUBLIC INQUIRY DEMANDED. ■ REVELATIONS PROMISED. Something of a sensation was created at ; fruit importers' indignation meeting held on Thursday regarding Government regulations relating to Island fruit by an addres: by Major Broun, the well-known ontomolo gist, who was until recently fruit inspectoi at Auckland. In the course of his remarks, be said that all tho Departmental report! were headed-"Fruit Fly," which was a misleading term, for they had'to deal with three soparate fruit _ flies—the Queensland fly Ytephritis tryoni),' the . Mediterranean fly (halterophora capitata), and • a yellow fly (dacus xanthodes). The Yollow Fly. The Queensland fly and. the yellow fly were in the Islands, and although the yellow fly had been raised in great abundance it bad never been put in the schedules of the Department.' If it was so dangerous and numerous, why was it not put in the schedule? Simply because ho (the speaker) was the first - to describe it. Had tho chief of the division happened to discover and descrbd it; it would have been in the schedule, and information about it spread broadcast. (Hear, hear.) The Department's report omitted to mention the now species, but attached his (the speaker's) name, to another Australian species, thereby making him take credit for another man's discovery. -Those present knew how long ho had been here and what wide experience he had, and they would understand he knew 'what he was talking about. (Applause.) Th 6 Queensland fly and the yellow fly were the only flies that camo hero m Island fruit. The Only Fly That Matters. , No clear distinction had hitherto been made, and the result was that growers of fruit from end to end of New Zealand had been terrorised without cause. Tho really dangerous fly was the Mediterranean. It would live here, but the Queensland fly would not, and the latter was the fly infesting the Islands. In order to test tho Queensland fly the Government went to great expense to erect cages,- and put the tests in charge of a pomologist, not an entomologist. Is There a Natural Enemy at.Work? He (Major Broun) had reported to tho Government that there was a natural enemy of tho Queensland fly in Raratonga, because of the decrease of the presence of the fly,■ but Mr. Kirk, and Mr. Boucher went to the Islands and failed to discover tho natural enemy.' Yet there must be one, because at the time he left the service the number of infected oranges was not one-hundredth what ,it used to be. ' '' . Experts- Differed. His report never appeared in the Department's publications, but an article appeared stating" that the Queensland fly had been bred in Tasmania. Ho at once telegraphed to, the Government that this was wrong, for he had'a letter from the Government Entomologist of Tasmania to,say that the Queensland fly had not been bred in Tasmania, but the Mediterranean fly. had. •He .announced that ho had overwhelming proof of tho fact that the Queensland fly would not breed hero or . in Tasmania, but no mention was mado jn tho Department's reports, nor was any investigation made. What Mr. Seddon Intended. It might not bo. known to importers or to the''general' public 'that ithe late Mr; Seddon had taken, some steps ih this matter, and told him (tho speaker) to' prepare two complete sets of papers dealing Iwith tho different fruit flies, to add notes on the pomologists' experiments, and to include a copy of every telegram and communication, whether private or not, that had passed between Mr. Kirk and himself! One set was to go to Mr. Seddon and one to Mr. Ritchie, secretary of! the Department of Agriculture, with a_ request that it might bo delivered to the Minister for Agriculture, who was then the Hon. T. Y. Duncan. What Happened to the Report? "Mr. Seddon got his set,''. Major Broun wents on to say, "bjit . I understand Mr. Duncan did not. , I have Mr. Ritchie's letter stating he handed his set to Mr. Kirk. I' havo the originals of'-those' papers, and I: think it right that .you should ask for an inquiry into this matter." Let tho Public Judge. ' "Then let all these papers and documents be produced, and let the public seo how matters stand. Mr. ; Seddon was to look into the matter when he returned from Australia, but he died on tho voyage. These regulations of the' Government are not worth the paper, they are written on, and tho fruitgrowers of New Zealand can be easy in their minds." (Applause.) The statements made in this connection were considered by several present at the meoting as warranting a full inquiry by tho Government. CHILLED MEAT. ' AN IMPROVED PROCESS. A new process of chilling that it is believed will revolutionise the chilled meat industry is being tested between Argentine and London. The process has been described to the Melbourne "Argus" by Mr. Charles Turner, chief engineer of the steamer Indralema. He points out that prior to the establishment of this system, chilled beef from Argentina had to be carried, 3deg. or 4deg. below freezing point, and upon arrival the meat was partially frozen. With tho new system it*is, however, kept at loss than ldeg. below freezing point, and the meat on arrival is as soft and fresh as when newly killed, and may be hung in the market for several days before being sold. Experiments havo been successfully made between Argentina and London, ihe main features of tho process aro tho treatment of the meat after killing to destroy any bacteria in it, and subsequently to keep the air. in the ship's chambers purified during the voyage. The moat, after killing, is hung in a chamber fitted with a steralismg apparatus, consisting of a fan for circulating the air and a steam heater for evaporating tho sterilising fluid (formaline), which is a strong antiseptic! As the formaline is evaporated tho fan carries 1 tho vapor into the chamber, and keeps it in circulation while it deposits itself on the meat, destroying all bacteria, and forming a slight skin on the beef, making it practically airtight. It is then covered with steraliscd cloths, and is ready for shipment. Tho steamers carrying the meat aro fitted with a fan and a steriliser, but in addition have two boxes for purifying tho air during the voyage. Jho urst box through wheh tho air passes is fitted .with sticks of chloride of calcium so arranged that tho air cannot pass without comine m contact with them, and theso absorb the gasses given off by meat carried at a nigh temperature. It is then passed through tho second box which is fitted with lead discs, revolving s owly in a bath of sulphuric acid, which completes the purificatiori-by absorbing any gases which have escaped tho chloride of ca emm chamber. After the meat has been loaded on tho steamer, tho cham her doors are closed, and a small charge of tho sl'-rT'iting gas is circulated amongst the meat to destroy any bacteria which may have been picked up during the handling and stowing. VIOLETS IN DEMAND. ■ A SWIFT CLEARANCE. There is.a keen demand, for flowers in •Wellington. * Yesterday , afternoon a handcart appeared outside 'liib Dominion office in Lambton Quay laden with penny bunches of violets and twopenny bunches of narcissi. A circlo of passers-by immediately closed around tho cart, and in a very short time bought up the wholo supply. Penny baches of violets are a saleable commodity in Wellington.