FRUIT REGULATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1194, 1 August 1911, Page 8

FRUIT REGULATIONS.

TO MEET DISHONEST TRADING. AND SUIT AUSTRALIA, VIEWS OF A LOCAL DEALER, A deputation of fruit merchants waited upon Mr.. T. W. Kirk, of tbo Agricultural Department, yesterday, in reference to the proposed new regulations as to the admission of fruit from Australia, into the Dominion. . -''.Mr'. Kirk informed the deputation that the proposed regulations had been framed as a result o£ representations fvom Australia, the sole object being to prevent dishonest trading. He could not hold out any hope of au alteration from this end. Tho fruit dealers urge that the regulations will not achieve the end arrived .at, but will rather assist what it is desired to prevent, and actually drive the grower-shippers who control the best of the fruit out of the market.

One local fruit-dealer sums up the position as follows:—"The proposed regulations us far as the tipnins of 10 per cent. of tho frait out on the Sydney wharf is concerned will be no disadvantage to the merchant shippers in Sydney, because they live practically next door to all the fruit inspectors and at a moment's notice they nre able to get tho inspectors to 'inspect fruit before the packing is commenced, or, probably, during the process of packing. The position is en-tirely-altered when you come to consider the o'rehardist himself who desires to ship direct to the New Zealand market. Tho number of theso orchardist shippers to Wellington, as far as can be learned, is something like 25 recognised gravers. These men pride .themselves on the excellence of their fruit; they, are experienced packers, and can get nearly a quarter as much again into a case as tho ordinary packer. It is the fruit from .these men that tho bulk of the Wellington retailers seek to buy, and their fruit invariably brings far more momy than tho rest, as it is so reliable as to quality, grading and absence of disease. If these meu'have to send their fruit to Sydney and 10 per cent, of it has to Iμ tipped out, it means a big loss to them on a, heavy .shipment' and an unnecessary one .when tho.inspection is repeated at Wellington, as , is the case under the regulations.

Growers and Inspection. / "fn order to •allow of the inspection in Sydney grower-shippers would have, to pull fruit at least two days sooner than .at present .to enable the inspectors at Sydney to put the fruit through in tine k> catch the outgoing steamer for Wellington. This would be a great disadvantage with regard to citrous fruits. In the past buyers of fruit from these direct shippers have come to learn that the fruit was fresh, and pulled on, say. the Friday and shipped on the Saturday, whereas the other fruit might possibly lie about the market for several days." The new regulations compel the iri-Dwers to make- a statutory declaration, which in itfclf is objectionable enough, for tho reason that "it is not an eosy matter to ,get a Justice of tho Peace to sign Jor. fruit that is being sent out at midnight or in the early hour? of the morning, but to compel them to '.ip their care-fully-packed fruit out at Sydney is adding "insult to injury. It semis only fair that where a grower has a .certificate Ixam the New South Wales Agricultural Department for a clean orchard, and on t.op of this makes a declaration that the fruit he is shipping is going direct to Kew Zealand, that this should meet all requirements without having to stop tbi fruit in Sydney for a further unnecessary inspection." The effect of tho proposed regulations, according to a local trado view, will be that the grower-shippers, some of whom lave been .sending to New Zealand for tha Past 25 years, will drop out of the trade, and with them the very best class of fruit that has come in from Australia. *

Reason for tho Alterations. Inquiries in other quarters . indicate tbiit tho proposed alterations have been suggested in order to assist the Xew South Wales Department. Tho Department wished to have the certificate read that no phylloxera or fruit fly is known to exist within a quarter of a mile of an orchard or vineyard concerned instead of one mile a; at present. 'While prepared to meet' New South Wales in this direction, the New Zealand Department was not willing to make any alteration unless they were safeguarded in another direction. Hence they insisted on the clause that 10: per cent, of the fruit should be examined. In the past it is stated that the- examination in Sydney has not been .satisfactory. If the regulations do not suit the New South Wiiles people, aud tho Department notifies >?ew Zealand to that effect, there will, it i.s slated, be no difficulty in keeping thing* as they an.-, but it is safe.to say. that no further official move will bo made from this end.