FRUIT SUPPLIES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 136, 9 June 1906, Page 6

FRUIT SU PPLIES.

alleged i-\ discriminate destruction. "Special remarks re destruction of fruit — of interest to oversea shippeis," runs the iniroaiiction to the fruit and produce market repoit issued by the Wellington liuit auctioneeis, and the continuation o( the story is distinctly interesting, "ihe total condemnation (without the oppuitunity of returning to pore of suipinem), owing to the pieoence of the iruit fly, of a further xdi^e consignment oi mandarins ex iVlonowai fioiu Sydney on \Vednesday, 6th lust. , is suiuuently seiious to ciuae ' alarm as to the -future prospect oi sup- ! plies for the season, as inch has really ! omy just opened," the rtpoit states. ; ■ We ao think it uuniiestly unjust that snippers are not given the oppoitunity to liave thjir Iruit picked o\er under curelul iupervision, and the condemned poition destroyed un occasions such as the piesent, for the loss is a serious one to tiic grow els, who ship quite innocently oi this piej.en.-e oi tue pest, 'which invariably makes its appearance while the fruit is being .convened across the 'j.a£m,.u c!ea, and \»c do Unnk a measure oi' proteution shou.d be aifoided. liris ■n eck s condemnation includes about iiUO coses, fuily worth 12s per case, thus tnLuung a. loss of £120, in out- opinion most unfairly. We feel strongly on shippers bthali, and call upon the Depatt- j inent of Agriculture to ameliorate 'the present rigorons method ot administering the Act. This, we take it, is a fitting opportunity for the Government to favouiabiy review the conditions surrounding the trade, seeing that the Prime Minister of A r ew Zealand, now in Australia, is advocating reciprocal business proposals, and is generally evincing a desire for closer and more friendly relations with ihe respective CoiiimonH ealth States." Discussing the quotation, a gentleman familiar with the lruit trade said that the season ior citrus fruits commenced about May, and, &o far as the Commonwealth States were concerned, finished about October or November. Dur- j ing that time the New Zealand market I was practically dependent for the bulk of its supplies on Australia and the South Sea- Islands. Apart from consignments of bananas irom Fiji and apples from Tasmania, those supplies mentioned v.ere the only ones available here for at least six months of the year. The regulations concerning pests were a little irregular, the expsit continued. For instance, in connection with codlin j moth and scale, shippers were allowed the privilege of having fruit returned or sold to deep-sea passenger steamers, but for the Queensland liuit ily maggot tlie conditions were somewhat different. It was the practice to totally condemn and burn in the Harbour Board's furnace, on the Queen's Wharf, all consignments found affected with this pest. During the previous season the piesence of the pest had not been in very great evidence, but during this season, which had practically just opened, condemnations had been connected with the arrival of each Sydney direct steamer. The unfortunate part of the business was that shippeis found it almost impossible, in packing, to detect the presence of the pest, although all care was exercised. It would appear that the change in climatic conditions brought the evil into evidence. An anomaly was discussed. It was explained that an inspector from the Department of Agricult/ure selected two or three &u>es of fruit, and if he found any affected wivh the fruit fly, he condemned the whole brand in question. Possibly the remainder might be sound ; possibly the coses examined by the inspector might be sound, and the whole brand would be accordingly passed, though the bulk might be contaminated. itt was urged that the whole consignment should be overhauled and that good fruit should not be condemned equally with the bad. Although the department insisted that the pest wus a very grave and dangerous one, yet shippers from the Cook Islands, a New Zealand dependency, introducing fruit affected by the same troublesome pest, were given special consideration in the manner just indicated. The Australians were British people; why, it was asked, should they not leccive similar treatment?

According to the statement) of Captain Lartg, a well-known timber expert, there is a wonderful log lying in tlic Northern Wairoa river. It has been there as long as the oldest "resident can remember — probably over 50 years— and the heart of it is as sound as they day tflie log was put into the river. Attention h directed to tho salo of Mr. R. B. Haybittle's freehold property situated at the corner of Woolcombe and Ingcstro, streets, and which will bo bold by Messrs. George Thomas and Co , at their rooms, Harris-street, on Monday, tX 2 o'clock sharp Tho land has a frontage of 43ft by a "depth of 105tt. Full particulars appear in our auction columnt. The D.S.A., Cubt-6lrcct, ndrcrtlsc special i price* tor blouire during their mtajtle Mle.