THE FRUIT FLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13744, 8 May 1908, Page 6

THE FRUIT FLY.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. [BY TELKGKAI'H.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CHEtsTCHUECH, Thursday. With regard to the cablegram from Sydney concerning the ' fruit'fly, published today, the matter was brought under the notice, of the Hon. K. McNab (Minister or Agriculture), who passed through Christchurch on his way to Wellington this evening. ■'..■■ Mr. McNab- made the following statement to a Press representative: —" My answer to the statement that I have not replied to the Minister's letter is that so far I have received no communication from him. and on communication with Wellington I learned that the Department lias; : re-: ceived no communication from the Minister eithei. The Secretary of Agriculture has received from the Secretary of Agriculture in Sydney a communication, which appears to be what the Minister refers to, and he tells me that he has the material .for hie, reply, but is waiting foi my approval before sending it. The fact that the growers are kicking, because the regulation requires a. declaration that there must be no known fruit fly within a mile of the orchard exporting, shows that the fruit fly must' be very prevalent there. In New Zealand we have known only of some two or three outbreaks, so. that we are almost immune from it. Our growers could make the declaration with ease even if the radius -were increased to five or 10. miles. The fruit fly, however, is so serious a problem {hut wo must face either a regulation such as a mile radius or total prohibition, and ''he mile radius was the alternative selected':'-; "It is not the presence of. the fruit fly that is objected to. It is fruit in which the fly has deposited its egg, and that'tiannot be detected until it lias developed''sf£er •some days, "if the fruit were taken .from the orchard, and sent straight; away, to J | New Zealand, no inspector could tell w,.he- ■' ther it was loaded with the elements we desire to prevent or .not, but after the- rvoyage, and on reaching the coast of New. Zealand, it would be sufficiently developed for us to be able to ascertain its presence in the great bulk of cases. Of course, investigation in Australia would be of no 1 rise, even if we had our own. men investigating. Immense pressure was brought to bear on the Government to get the importation absolutely prohibited. Ido not agree to that, but it would be better than'the'danger of fruit' fly." ' ■'.; ""*'•