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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19505, 13 June 1925, Page 11

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY. Tfte deliberations of the federated fruitgrowers of the dominion in conference at Wellington have not been devoid of

interest to the general public. The attention devoted by the conference to the subject of the export trade in fruit is sufficiently indicative of the importance attached to the objective of building up a trade of respectable dimensions that will bring with it a commensurate return. Although the trade has scarcely as yet advanced beyond the experimental stage, the quantity of fruit that is being successfully carried long distances and the prices that are being realised both show that satisfactory progress has been made. Not strikingly consistent with this is the attitude displayed by the fruitgrowers in conference on the question of fruit importations. It was decided by the conference to approach the Government with a request that a total embargo should be placed on all fruit importations from the United States, and that there should be a doubling of the duty on lemons and cherries. It is true that the desire for an embargo on American fruit wears a retaliatory aspect, because of the action of the United States in barring the importation of fruit from all countries infested by the Mediterranean fly and in including New Zealand in the list. But that explanation, though it may supply a pretext, is not an all-sufficiefit justification for the resolution of the conference. The idea of a total prohibition of, or interference with, fruit importations is not one that the Government should think of entertaining. With regard to cherries, the statement was made that Auckland could supply the whole of New Zealand, if protected against outside competition. Whether that be the case or not, there is no reason why the general public, the consumers of fruit who find it all too dear an article of diet, should be further penalised in order to encourage a few fruitgrowers in one portion or another of the dominion. The price at which lemons are retailed in present circumstances constitutes them a luxury, in the South at all events. The policy of interfering with fruit importations is certainly not one that should commend ffcself to a country like New Zealand, which is not only desirous of building up a successful export trade in fruit, hut is enormously dependent for its well-being on the export of its prodncts.