FRUITGROWERS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18406, 12 June 1925, Page 11

FRUITGROWERS.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. ASSOCIATSOX IiuZQKUI.) WELLINGTON, Jane 11. The Conference of Now Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation was continued today. It was' decided that careful enquiry bo made as to whether russctting is regarded as a blemish or defect in t.ho markets of the United Kingdom, and. in tho event of the replies being in the negative, that steps bo taken to treat this question with greater liberality when framing regulations for tho 1026 season.

Other remits carried were: — That consocutivcly-numbered booklets in duplicate bo used in place of the present, cumbersome form used in submitting export fruit for examination for export. That. the Horticultural Department bo asked, wherever it is possible to do so, to arrange their district boundaries no to make it possible for orchards supplying a certain port of shipment to be under the charge and control of the orchard inspectbr at such port. That a guarantee be given for good grade. That labels and the Government regulations be in the growers' hands, if possible, by, November 15th each year.

The work during the past season of the Fruit Cool Storage and Carriage Committee was outlined by .Mr J. A. Campbell, Director of tho Horticulture Department. He stated that the shipping companies were anxious to carry fruit satisfactorily, and were prepared to do all they could to that end. Proposals made for pre-cooling at Wellington were. : considered inadequate, and in consequence loading in Nelson Bay was advocated. A trial was made with the Waimana and the- Wairuna, when it was found that dependence on weather conditions would largely interfere with tho . complete success. of the scheme. The committee was of opinion that loading in the bay should bo discontinued. The only permanent arrangement of a satisfactory nature that could be suggested was that the Wellington Harbour Board should provido proper cool storage facilities, and there was a prospect of the Board taking this up provided a given quantity of fruit could be guaranteed to pass through the store. A counter-blow at the United. States was advocated when the . Conference unanimously, adopted a motion urging the Government to put a total embargo on American fruit importations. This has arisen out of the . United States' action.in barring the import of fruit from all countries: infested by. the Mediterranean fruit' fly, and classing New Zealand among them. The Dominion has never suffered from, the fruit fly pest, but a protest through the Foreign Office was ignored, and ' the American authorities apparently refusod to accept the.positive assurance of the New Zealand Government on tho point. It "is now eighteen months since the legislation was passed, and : growers have become impatient. At the moment importations from California are banned because of tho recent outbreak of fo6t and mouth disease, 'but now it is advocated that the ban should be made permanent, even though this may mean risking the : newly-opened market for New Zealand -apples in Hawaii. ; ''l quote these figures just to Jet you see that we' have not been standing stilt,;" ; sa'id Dr. Reakos, Director of Agriculturo,. in ' addressing: the Conference.. In 1915 tho biological laboratory .consisted of .four, officers,, and-;, the';.expenditure was ~ £9OO. per' annum. ' ..In 1623 it Itad 20 officers, .arid the' expenditure, w;as £5140 per. annum. '

"The packing and general • appearance of;our export fruit for tho whole season, was highly,satisfactory,, comparing favourably with, that. of any other. exporting country,". says the port; of,the Fruit Cool Stbrage. and Carriage (Committee presented to the Conference to-day. "It is satisfactory to note that'in this regard the position is equally good and in some respects an improvement' on last year. Tho fruit itsoif generally, was in. very much, better condition. Numerous cases wer« opened and examined on the Wellington wharf, and with a few exceptions the fruit was in very good order, excepting that in the latter steamer, mainly, duo to congestion, it was iii somo instances slightly on tho mature side. On "the whole much less Bruising damage, from stem puncture was noticeable, du\}/no doubt to. the •fact- that. growers generally are becoming much more alive to the absolute, necessity of care in handling and packing fruit lintendpd ft>r export. Careful handling .largely constitutes the basis of successful export, and although improvements were effected last season.in this connexion, there.is still room for a greater amount, of care. There sliould bo no great. difficulty in . landing fruit in sound condition on tho English market, consequently fruit arriving in a condition other than sound, suggests a fault somewhere. There is' a. general impression that tho cause is largely due to the treatment after it leaves New Zealand. This may be so, but before a case can be made good against the shipping companies, sufficient to" hare drastic alterations made in tho system of carriage, the grower must "put his own- house in order."