TUNG OIL PLANTATIONS

Evening Star, Issue 23147, 22 December 1938, Page 5

TUNG OIL PLANTATIONS

CONDITION IF TREES GOVERNMENT REPORT ALLEGEDLY UNFAIR [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, December 21. Because of the conflicting nature of the claims made concerning the growth of the tung oil plantations on the North Auckland Peninsula, investigations were undertaken by the Department or Agriculture and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The position revealed is declared to be approximately as follows: — Fifty-five acres of apparently satisfactory trees, 733 acres of unsatisfactory trees, and 3,760 acres of worthless, deadand dying trees. This information is given in the December issue of the Journal of Agriculture, which states that in inquiry was undertaken as the result of conflicting claims concerning the growth of the trees. Strong exception < was taken by Mr J. E. (Ray, managing director of the New Zealand Tung Oil Corporation, to the statements quoted from the December issue of the Journal of Agriculture. “ Statements based on the position two years ago are obviously Unfair,” he said. His company, which was the first in the field in this industry, had now at least 200 acres of trees well grown and bearing. “ The report is antiquated, and we will press some oil on our own property within the next six months,” Mr Ray said. “We are, on the verge of purchasing and erecting a pressing plant to handle this year’s crop Laboratory tests made last year clearly indicated that the oil we produced at Kaikoho was on a par with the best tung oil grown in the United States, both as to oil percentage and quality.” The corporation has forwarded a telegram to the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Sullivan) protesting against the publication of a report which it describes as not in any way representing the condition ,of the Tung Oil Corporation plantations to-day. The telegram - states (inter alia): “In December, 1936, and in February and March, 1937, on the invitation of our companies, an officer of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research vjsited our plantations. If any further visits or investigations have been made they have been without our knowledge or consent, either direct or indirect, and consequently could not be complete or authoritative.” In addition, Professor Corbin added: “ For a semi-official publication such as the Journal of Agriculture to publish _ a report based upon wrong conclusions reached almost two years ago by investigators inexperienced in the practice of _ arboriculture is most unfair. Genuine progress has been made towards establishing a new industry,” he said, “ and at a time when it has reached the stage of having a satisfactory proportion of its groves bearing prolifically it is most unfair to be subjected to what is tantamount to a general indictment based on entirely unsound premises.”

SURVEY SEVEN MONTHS AGO

REPLY BY MINISTER [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON. December 21. Reference to the official inquiry into the state of tung oil plantations in New Zealand was made by the Minister of Agriculture (Hon W. Lee Martin) in an interview to-night. He said he inspected these plantations about seven months ago, and as a result of the unfavourable impression he gained, arrangements had been made. for a proper survey by the Department of Agriculture, which had the collaboration of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in making the investigation.