AUSTRALIAN FRUIT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13750, 15 May 1908, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN FRUIT.

; , N EW ZEALAND RESTRICTIONS. , , ,A MINISTERIAL PROTEST. \ pki'Ctation' of importance as affecting i •/' the interests of the fruitgrowers of New '• & South -Wales -waited upon the Minister 111 for Agriculture (Mr. Perry) in Sydney on I' V" ie sth inst,, "with regard to the regulal tions in. force in New Zealand relating to \ citrus fruits. At 'the outset a letter from Messrs. ! . ■ Townsend and Paul, Ltd., auctioneers; ' / ; ■■ etc., jjf Wellington, New Zealand, to Mr. pf 11. -Morton, of Sydney, was read. The y letter; was dated April 22, and ran as ' * follows: — • •'We may state that small supplies of • citrus fruits have lately been arriving from ■ ■ your port, and have got through success- :: fully. We cannot say at present whether the- Department intends to strictly carry " • oat these regulations. We intend, during W the next few days, to form a deputation of / the Wellington fruit-brokers to wait upon V'" the Government here and endeavour to get '5V these regulations altered. If you could manage to get some of the merchants on i your side to place this matter before, the • Agricultural Department in your State, j'■ asking your Department to place this mat- . to-/ before the New Zealand Government, -:'V with the idea of having the regulations altered, this would help us very materially. The various Government Departments are ' often in communication with one another, ', arid ve:y often, when a little pressure is brought to bear from outside, it has a good effect-.'' , The effects of these drastic regulations, ' the deputation pointed out, would be felt Hi . .very much by the growers of New South . ' Wales. As the Minister was aware, during the' citrus season, which would commence . shortly and extend up to the end of November, ships were leaving here ;' weekly with from 2000 to 6000 or 8000 r" cases of citrus fruits. Under these reguI : lations hardly a cafe could be sent to New Zealand, as it was understood that accompanying each shipment there would have to be a declaration, signed by the . grower and an officer of the Agricultural Department, that the fruit was not grown 1 H ■ within a mile of where the fruit fly existed. Knowing that the fruit fly was ■ , •spread very much over this State, un- : fortunately, it was felt that it would be . : impossible for any grower or any officer : • ' of the Department to sign such a declaration, except perhaps in the winter months,, when the fruit- fly was to a great extent ; inactive. ; ;j ; : ' Mr. Perry, in reply, stated that when ■ New Zealand first put its regulations into force, a' copy of them was sent to him. • Representations were made.about the matter, and the New Zealand Minister pro- ; "mised to have the obnoxious provisions V ; altered. ' This was done, but certain influences were brought to bear upon him by grapegrowers, and he went back upon hie promise,' and isstieck.the objectionable U :' ■■ regulations. On March 10 he (Mr. Perry) wrote to the New Zealand Agricultural !'• , Department, and pointed out that these I, new regulations practically prohibited the ft' importation of any fruit from the greater part of New South Wales. He had not ■>'* lost sight of the fact that it meant a loss •' of trade. If growers were so short-sighted as to' send diseased fruit into other States, W or attempted to send it, they must expect j i\, to be treated in this way. He did not j !;.• want any threats to go forward, but they i ' might perhaps try the same sort of me- | C' t-hod that they tried with Victoria, and j lie might 'say with Success. He did not I \ blame any State for protecting its own I ' 1 people from an invasion of'the sort men- j ' . ' • tioned, but if they gave a certificate that j > no", fruit fly was in the shipment, he j V . thought it ought to meet* the case. Of ] "j : course, they could not absolutely guaran- j ■ , tee, no inspector could, that the fruit was | absolutely firce, because some flies might j ,Yj develop on tho way over. He had not, j v); as lie had shown, lost, sight of the im- j porlauce of this question. He would stir • them up again, and see what could ba j fit* done. !