AUSTRALIAN FRUIT

Northern Advocate, 16 August 1933, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN FRUIT

LIFTING OF EMBARGO. t, j •. J EXPECTED LN DAY OJLjSQ... PROGRESS OF NEGOTIATIONS. (Per Press Association. —Copyright.) WELLINGTON, This Day: ■Conversations are proceeding he.-. tween the Commonwealth and’- New Zealand Governments, as a- result. of which the lifting of theembargo against importations into the Domiir-' ion of South Australian oranges is;.expected any day now, Although-these discussions have not ceased, it is understood considerable progress has been' made in the negotiations between the. two Governments, and that the, removal of the embargo so far as South Australia is concerned is almost an accomplished fact. An embargo on the importation into New r Zealand of Australian fruit. and vegetables was imposed on December 10 last, and has been in force ever since. The position is that the United States of America will not take fruit from New Zealand if the Dominion allows imports of fruit from countries affected by Mediterranean, fruit. fly. South Australia is free from the fruit fly, and therefore . the importation of fruit from that state does not violate the conditions under w r hieh Now Zealand may trade with America. Australia has an embargo on . New Zealand fruit and fruit plants on the ground that Ncw r Zealand fruit is affected by fire, blight. • Previous. r tp the embargo on Australian fruit importations to the Dominion, America maintained an embargo on New Zealand fruit not because of the existence of flroblight in New' Zealand, but because Australian fruit, w r as affected by the Mediterranean fruit fly. As was then pointed out by the then Minister of Customs, Hon. W. Downie Stewart, the result of the Commonwealth embargo was that Ncw r Zealand Host'two markets —the Australian market, " because of the existence of flreblight, and the United States market because New Zealand allowed the importation of Australian fruit. •'

A Press Association message from Invercargill last evening stated that the embargo has been lifted as far as South Australian oranges are concerned. In official quarters, however, it is stated that the embargo is well on the way to being lifted, but that the actual removal had not yet tah;en place.