THE RECIPROCITY TREATY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13273, 4 September 1906, Page 3

THE RECIPROCITY TREATY.

« , ir 'T" ln the Herald .of yesterday's date 1 find the proposed tariff alterations in th« new treaty with Australia. Now as regards fruitgrowing the alteration would he most disastrous. The proposed reduction on applet and pears from December 31 to March 1 is most uncalled for, as it covers two of the busiest months of the fruit season in the Auckland district, and would it carried mean that Australia could swamp our markets at a season when tons of fruit would be rotting in New Zealand orchards simply because it would not pay to put it on the. market, as with the quick steamer communication between Australia and all Now Zealand centres in many cases fruit ; could bo landed from Australia moro cheaply than could bo done from many local orchards. For some years past the Government have been spending largo sums of money in the establishment of experimental l stations and th© employment of fruit experts' to encourage people to go in for fruitgrowing as a profitable industry, especially in the North, and now they propose to take away , the small protection th© fruitgrowers enjoy and allow Australia with her cheaper labour, and cheaper freights to make New Zealand the dumping ground for all her surplus crops, and this at a very critical time when they are proposing to strictly enforce the Orchard and Garden Pests Act. The fruitgrowers of the North were beginning to think that the Government wore really trying to help the industry, and haw been trying to assist th© officers of the Agricultural Department all they possibly could; but when we see proposals such as those put forth so suddenly in the now tariff proposalsour confidence is very rudely shaken, ; Much mor© can be said in reference to grapes, as thf-y , have . been strictly prohibited on > account of the dreaded phylloxera. The Government experts have been going through New Zealand trying to stamp it out wher> over, found, and in cases where it was found the vines were totally destroyed without any rocom'ponoo to the owner; yet it is proposed to remove the prohibition and allow grapes to com© into New , Zealand . from Australia , for id per lb duty. If the pro- - posed alterations are carried all the labours of the experts and large sums of money spent by them in connection with the fruit industry will have been in vain. As a, large fruitgrower for many years I respectfully bill, 'strongly protest against the proposed alterations in the tariff with reference to • fruit. ■ John Park. Gratia, September 1.