GOVERNMENT COMPETITION IN THE WINE TRADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12909, 4 July 1905, Page 7

GOVERNMENT COMPETITION IN THE WINE TRADE.

Sir,— letter in your issue of June 22, from an alleged winegrower, complains of the Government placing the wine produced at Wairangi experimental station on the local market in competition with local growers. I think as an exhibition of ignorance and ingratitude your correspondent's remarks would be hard to beat. Speaking l as a bona-fide grower, I for one see no objection to the W airangi wines being planed on the market » ere ' T 1 have the largest stock of wine in the North Island in my cellars here, and I fail to see how Mr. Bragato's action will in any way interfere with me. On the contrary, placing his wines on the market will show the excellence and high qualities of the wine which can be produced here, and by removing the prejudice at present cast over our local wines, will assist private growers in disposing of their produce, and check the importation of foreign wines. Air. Bragato s duty, so far as I understand it, was to demonstrate the best bf his skill and ability— winegrowers and the public what could be done by proper skill and management By means of the \Vairangi vineyard, and labouring under great disabilities, Mr. Braga/to has shown that high-class wines can be profitably produced on poor land, and having done so he is naturally justified in proving the success of bis work by placing , Jus wines on the open market, so that the public may judge for. themselves what can be done, even on t' 10 heart-breaking lands of Wairangi. Holding this view I consider Mr. liragato's action to be the only satisfacJ°f'y Wf| y °f proving that his vineyard has unruled its object, is a commercial success, i and , that his methods are worth adopting. Seeing that the Government, has spent a largo sum .of money on the Wairangi vineyard, purely for the benefit of the growers here, only a very contumacious and spiteful i critics could object to the sa;le of the produce for the purpose of paying interest on i the outlay, and so making the station a selfsupporting.concern. For while the intention .of. Wairangi is not to make a profit, but to' provide an, object-lesson for growers, if the produce of the station were not sold, and a heavy outlay of public money were incurred each year, "Mr. 'A Scddon Dupe" would probably write and! complain that public money was being wasted on a white elephant. As to the absurd statements of your correspondent about the methods adopted at Wairangi, and that each berry is wrapped in cotton wool, or some such treatment, and cost a penny each to produce, and that only the best of theso were utilised 1 , does lie seriously expect any intelligent person to swallow such fairy tales? Where is the evidence? Who reported that the berries cost a penny each to produce?" Why does not "Mr. Dupe" sign his name, or'give the authors of his charges? Has lie been duped again? The Wairangi station is always open to the publio and persons . interested in the industry, are welcome to examine the work carried 011 and the methods adopted. As to the cost of the vineyard and' cellars, it has ■; been proved to me that the money spent is less than the value of the wine in stock there at the present time. ■ This wine is the pure fermented juice of the grape, and a j pleasant contrast to the faked and . adulterated concoctions at present on the market, which probably contain tho juice of one j grape per bottle—possibly less. I don't know, of course, what sort of wine Mr. Dupe" makes, but if it is such that, oil his own confession, the Wairangi wine immediately ousted it, the sooner he carries out •his announced intention of retiring from the business the better for him and his customers, for he must not only bo "a poor ! grapegrower" as he calls himself, but he '.must also be a very poor winemaker.,, At present this country imports 150,000 gallons 1 of wine yearly, most of which could be produced here, and there is plenty of room for all local wines at a good price, provided, of course, they are pure and drinkable, and Mr. Bragato's work in showing how the best wipes can be produced should be . warmly appreciated by all growers. „ r , , ' W. nmiicoTK JAOKMAN. Whakanirau, July 27.

Sir,— seems to mo that "A. Scddon ! Dupe" is. in want of a broader backbone, ! when he complains of Mr. Bragato introducing New Zealand wines to the Auckland market. I'am, not. a great admirer of the Reddon Administration, , there being too ■many holidays, too, many inspectors, too many cranky and hysterical laws to please a certain . class, and too much interference with the liberty of the subject; but when they (Seddoiv Government) do an act' to 'benefit, as, I think, one of the coming and most promising industries in New Zealand, vix., the grape and wine industry, it is only fair that they should get the credit of it. Mr, Bragato is perfectly right when, lie says ■tM.t ft better ' light ; wine 'can bo made here H Sca-lnnd)' than ■■■either *••; in Gape*' (Colony,•;' California,' or Australia, as, owing. 'to ; our oven 'temperature, night'' arid; day; even " fermentation is the result, which "is" really the 'Alpha and Omega, of the making of a good, sound 'wine.' The New Zealand wine industry is entirely,in its infancy at, present, and has, ■ undoubtedly,, a. great future before it, 'healthy and interesting labour for thousands of hands. If .■,; Mr. Bragato can induce the hotels to buy and sell, at a reasonable profit, New Zealand .wines, the prohibitionist would see and hear of less drunkenness. Franco, before the vintage, failed some years ago, was essen-' tially a wine-drinking country, and allowed to be one of tho most sober nations in the world. When the vintage failed they (the French) got hold, of, stronger drinks, and tho reverse > of soberness ' was the result. Now, I am glad .to say, the vineyards are as they were of old, and soberness is again taking the place of drunkenness. So much for a wine-drinking country. "A Seddon Dupe " seems to think that the few acres of vines grown in Wairangi by the Government are going to monopolise the .market, What rot! I am a vine-grower myself, and have spent a lot of money on the, industry sine© I have been in the colony, and intend. going on planting and planting. I quite agree with "A Seddon Dupe" that Government should, not compete with local industries; but let me assure him that no Government would ever dare do so, as the moment they did so the Same Government would be hounded out of it, and with no light hand; but for a. Government to start a A new.. industry and introduce and push it on until it finds a demand and a market, I think is working in the right direotion. However, after an industry is, well started and able to walk on its own legs, then the Government should retire from competing. In fact, no Government should compete with local industries, but confine themselves to introducing and pushing forward the industry, and that is what, I contend Mr. Bragato is trying to' do, and more power to him, say I. In conclusion, "A Seddon Dupe" must not, run away with the idea —as too many do in this countrythat Queen-street' is Auckland, Auckland New Zealand, and -New Zealand the world— it is not. . ", A Farmer.