FRUIT EMBARGOES

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 30 January 1933, Page 2

FRUIT EMBARGOES

CONTRARY TO OTTAWA SPIRIT. OPINIONS OF VISITOR. AUCKLAND, Jan. 24. “Embargoes do not support the Ottawa spirit, and I hope the deadlock in the fruit trade between the Commonwealth and New Zealand will not be aggravated,” said Mr. E. P. N. Sheedy, chairman of directors or the United Press Association of Australia, who arrived in Auckland this week. Mr Sheedv is also chairman of directors of the Newcastle “Morning Herald and is interested in orange-growing in Australia. “In regard to the retaliatory action evidenced in the present fruit embargo, I can’t say that Australia had altogether played'its part, and I feel that there rifay be very just reason for „ew Zealand to feel agrieved, but at the same time I think that there should be a reasonable solution of a mutual difficulty,” said Mr. Sheedy. • I understand that New Zealand has placed the embargo on Australian oranges because Australia will not admit New Zealand apples.”

FIRE BLIGHT FEAR. Mr S'lieedy added that there had been a highly scientific controversy m relation to the anxiety in regard to fire blight in the New Zealand apple orchards, and for that reason the .Australian Agricultural Department had stood out definitely , against any suggestion to lift the embargo on apples. So far as he understood fire blight, Mr Sheedy said that he believed that it had existed in California and English orchards for over 50 years. _ It seemed to him that undue emphasis wais laid on it, for after all it was a sap disease that could he controlled. ■ , On the other hand, the New Zealand authorities claimed that there was every possibility of trouble in the importation of Australian oranges because of the danger of tihe fruit fly being introduced. He found it hard to follow this argument in face of the fact that approximately half the amount of oranges imported from Australia to the Dominion was imported from the Cook'lslands, which were known not to be free of citrus troubles

CONFIDENCE DESIRABLE. 'Mr Sheedy said 'the big difficulty in the way of‘mutually settling the fruit embargo difficulty was apparently the scientific controversy, and while he had great regard for expert opinion he thought it imperative that the more reasonable side of the matter should receive urgent and practical treatment. The relative trade and business of the two countries were suffering, and 'he suggested that to get down to a practical business viewpoint a conference of the two Government departments should be called and representative growers and merchants of the two countries invited to participate. He had great confidence that if such a conference were called b.efore the present conditions were aggravated a practical solution -would be solved.

“But it appears to me that the matter of apples and oranges is not the real bone of contention in these embargo measures,” said Mr 'Slieedy. “If we get down to bedrock we will find that potatoes are the difficulty. The records of the two countries wall show that a glut, of potaoes never occurs on both sides of the 'Tasman Sea at the one time, and it is therefore unthinkable that any Government would deprive its consuming public of such an important staple food as potatoes if a shortage happened i'n either country.— “Dominion” Service.