ISLAND FRUIT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 300, 12 September 1908, Page 3

ISLAND FRUIT TRADE.

LETTER FROM THE BRITISH RESIDENT AT TONGA. IBT TELEQKirZI —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, September 11. The Tofua, which arrived from Tonga today, brought as a passenger Sir. Kronfeld, the head of one of the largest Island fruit importing firms in the Dominion. Mr. Kronfeld handed to tho press a letter from Mr. Hamilton Hunter, British Resident and Deputy-Commissioner at Tonga, on the fruit regulations, containing the following:— "I have received a letter from one of the principal importers of Island fruit in New Zealand, forwarding me tho certificates required by the New Zealand Government to accompany consignments of bananas and oranges. With regard to bananas, the shipper is tho only person who is to sign the certificate that no species of fruit fly is known to exist in or within one mile of the said orchard. As you are aware, nearly all tho bananas shipped from here are grown by the natives in small patches, scattered over the country, hence it is impossible for any shipper to know the exact locality in which each bunch is grown. Ho ' cannot, therefore, with any degree of honesty sign tho required certificate. Would it not bo sufficient to certify that tho bananas wero shipped 'green, and in good condition?' There cannot be much danger of tho fruit fly in green and sound fruit. With regard to tho certificate required for oranges, 1 seo that the Government inspector, in addition to the shipper, is also to certify that 'no species of fruit fly is known to exist within one mile of the orchard where such fruit is certified to have been grown.' In the first placo, there aro no Government inspectors, and, even if thoro were, they could not sign tho required certificate, as I suppose thoro is not a single grovo of oranges throughout the wholo group that is not infected more or less with tho fruit fly. It therefore seems that, if tho present regulations are persisted in, it will closo Now Zealand as a port to which oranges can be shipped from tho Friendly Islands. A stoppage of tho export of oranges from the Friendly Islands, aa seems likely, would entoX great low to the natives or tta grotectoiftta,"