AUSTRALIAN GRAPES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 25, 30 January 1908, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN GRAPES.

GOVERNMENT BIOLOGIST INTERVIEWED. iDJ TLLECHAI'n.— riiZSS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 29th Jan. Mr. T. W. Kirk, Government Biologist, arrived from Wellington to-day, and after transacting departmental business here, leaves for the South. In the course of "a conversation v-fth a Pivss representative, Mr. Kirk, said that consequent upon the removal of the prohibition upon the importation of Australian grapes, frequent shipments of thoce fruits should now be received 111 Now Zealand. -South Australian growers hid promised to stipulate that tha grapes diould be retailed in New Zealand for 6d per pound, but how far it was possible to carry out such an arrangement remninad to be r-?en. Consignments not complying with the regulations gazetted would either be sent back or destroyed. The only ports of entry were Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunsdin, and I Bluff, and at these places the fruit would bo examined by Government experts and passed before going into consumption. It was anticipated that practically the whole of the supplies would bo drawn from South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. Queensland wan too much out of the way. South Australia, was free from phylloxera; in ' New -South Wales and Victoria the pest was being checked. ''This year," Mr. Kirk continued, "tha Australian fruit season is three week 3 .earlier than usual, and we may expect grapes practically fiom now on to the early part of April." { ¦