FRUITGROWERS' ASSOCIATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15540, 23 August 1912, Page 5

FRUITGROWERS' ASSOCIATION.

DEPUTATION TO THE PRIME MINISTER.

(Piß United I'rer.h Association.)

WLLLINGION, August 22. A deputation representing the New Zealand Fruit-growers' Association, which recently sat in conference in Wellington, waited on the Prime Minister to-duy and discussed various questions regarding the industry.

Mr Sisson urged that there should lie a st;indar<l hzo for cases for apples and pears and also that'when municipal markets wero erected auctioneers selling fruit should bn compelled to u.y- them. The regulations in regard to imported fruits should not bo relaxed, as it was necessary to keep out disease.

Mr W. P ttrvis presented a remit urging the Government to advance money for tlio cool storage of fruit at the main centres of production, the Graders' Association to pay interest and sinking fund. He also protested against the importation of nursery fruit.

Mr Hudson asked that the Government should supervise all shipments of fruit for export, especially in regard to grading, and that there should lx~ a relate of duty on wrapping paper which could not l» manufactured in the Dominion.

A renewal of the guarantee of Id in Iho lb on fruit shipped to the United Kingdom was also asked for. and the proposal to plant gum lands with prison labour was protested against. Mr Sisson asked that a reward should 1» git en for tlio discovery of a preventative of a fruit disease known as woolly aphis. The Prime Minister said tho Government had no intention of utilising prison labour on gum lands. They wished to encouragc tho establishment of fruit farms by private enterprise, lie would recommend the Government to continue the Id n lb guarantee. They must maintain their reputation by producing and exporting a good article. Their recommendations would receive every consideration from the Government.