THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2154, 1 April 1908, Page 4

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

001)1.IN MOTH AND FR l 1 IT FT A"

S’! r.ICT IiNFORCEAIENT OF REGULATIONS URGED.

(Per Press Association.) NAPIER, •March 31. A largely-attended meeting of members of the Hawke's Day Fruitgrowers’ Association was held at Hastings. A discussion took place on a paragraph appearing in a Southern paper stating “that, codlin moth cannot be controlled with profit to the grower, by any methods advised by the>Agricultural Department; that the Orchard and Garden Post. Act causes everyone in the community to suffer, since .fruit is so enormously dear. The Agricultural Department has itself tried to keep an orchard clean of codlin moth, and has failed, and until the remedy .is discovered legislation such as wo have on our statute book is worse than useless.” The various speakers considered that the statement was most inaccurate and mischievous, and showed a want of knowledge of the subject on the part of those responsible for the statement. An ihstanco was quoted where a certain, man with an orchard was only able three years ago to get seventy cases of clean apples, whereas Jib is year . f •om the same orchard lie obtained ten tons of clean apples. The following resolution was passed unanimously : “That the 'Hawke’s Rnv Fruitgrowers’ Association strongly protests against the views of (Mr ■Marsh and those of Air Massey, the leader of the Opposition, their idea being that it is_ useless to attempt to cope successfully with the nest of codlin moth. This Association is prepared to state that those gentlemen seem to know nothing of the subject on which they write, as the experience of the members of this Association assures them that by following the instructions given by the Government officials and systematically spraying, the crop as a rule is practically saved, -and earnestly requests tliat, the regulations at present in existence should be strictly enforced, as any departure from" .that course will certainly be to the detriment of both .grower and consumer.” A further discussion took place on the now regulations recently gazetted with regard to imported fruits, especially with reference to the protection of orchards from infection by the fruit fly. It was pointed out that the fruit .fly was infinitely worse than the codlin moth, because it did every evil done by that pest, and much more. It was urged that no measures were too strong to protect New Zealand from the fruit fly, aiid the following resolution was passed : “That 'it is the opinion of the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association that the present regulations of the Agricultural Department governing the importation of fruit from fruit-fly infested districts should be rigidly enforced in every particular, and that every shipment of fruit, of whatever kind, be carefully inspected, and if any trace of grub or egg bo found, the shipment'should be destroyed, and, further, that the regulations should extend to the inspection of all trees from such infested districts, as -we fully recognise that if the fly were once firmly established here, it would be impossible to eradiet it, and the fruit industry of New Zealand would be doomed.”