CHEAP GRAPES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 110, 1 February 1908, Page 4

CHEAP GRAPES.

THE PREMIER IN THEIR DEFENCE. AN INTERVIEW. (BY TELEGHAP.II—raESS. /SSOCIATIOX.) 1 .' 1 -^.. Auckland, January/31'. Sir Joseph Ward says that he to' Auckland prepared to ! face angry growers, but the Government, 'in deciding', to remove the restriction on ' Australian'''i grapes, had considered the ..[question ijrom, the view of tho people. Those belonging to 1 - tho middle classes could not afford to pay Is. 3d. per lb. for grapes: it was simply ; making a luxury of what should lie a very common artlole of diet. "One's sympathies ; V naturally co out to tho grape growers," snid the Iremier to j Press representative this - ■. morning, "but it is not desirablo k 'to have • . a fruit diet restricted to the use of ft few ur,!i an '° P'V fnnoy prims." t ilie Auckland vignerons claim that the' Government first induced them to go in for ' viticulture, and now withdraws its support at „ ln 9 s t critical period:" ' ■ « i 15 n ® llsoll5C i" { I 'oplied. the Premier. As Inr. as 1 know, the Government, in plnoing aii embargo' on the Australian importations, .did so solely with a view, to ' ■ preventing the introduction of phylloxera.ow wo have torniulated a sclwmo by which ho hope to successfully keep out the introduction of fruit from infected areas. If we ? i j lo ' re B l 'l®tibns are disregarded, Wo will take drastio steps and prohibit the importatiou of grapes from any part of tho Cornmomyealth where a broach of the. rules re-. gaichng pnyllosera in infocted « areas lias ' been discovered; In the p# there''have noen thousands of people 'who 'want, grapes ui , P lu 'Poses, and they have been unableto procure thorn oil account of the prohibitive prices. By tlie removal, of the restriction on Australian importations cheap grapes will now be within • the reach, ; of overybody." . . STATEMENT BY THE HON, R. M'NAB. On the matter of the removal of theprohibition against tho importation of-grapes, the Minister for Lands said list evening that he did not . know the. conditions which ' ■ the prohibition'was made, but'ho imagined it was done on account-«f phylloxera. B>'t, as a matter, of fact; so long as an indiscri" ■ inmate importation of the wood of the vino was not permitted'along with the- grapes. \ there was 110 danger at all from' phyltoxefa. 11)0 only other objection raised?.by crape ■■: growers .to the. removal of,-the ■ prohibition, was th'o danger of the fruit-fly being introduoed. 'But," said the Minister,"tiiii grape is. the last fruit this, pest will attack, and seeing, that- other fruit Jt has a, prefer* once for comes in (under inspection of. courso, though less easy of inspection 'than ..tho grape), I think that obinctjon cannot well be ; sustained. ■ We liave to'realiso that 'tho grape, which is the finest fruit for human ,' consumption, is an unknown quantity to ninety per cent, of the population, and it is a question whether the ninety per cent, should remain without it/in order to' sustain ■ the present conditions., I. don t think . so. My colleagues don't think so." , . ■ The Minister continued that, new i rcgnla-' tions were to bo. introduced,: dealing with tho importation of all classes of fruit. - All v fruit imported would require to be accom-. v panicd by a certificate from the Agricultural Department of the country it. comes from',, stating that it is the product of an orchard in which no fruit-flv. or other,pest has been known .to oxist. Without this certificate, no fruit would be.; allowed to: come ; into tho country. Tliis was to be' an. additional pre- , caution over and above the usual inspection of the officers of the Department: The draft ' of thb regulations was under consideration, and their completion iyas qnly a matter of ft few days. . ■■ ; ;v. " ; •,