DRIED FRUIT

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1928, Page 2

DRIED FRUIT

PREFERENCE TO AUSTRALIA SOUGHT. .•

AUCKLAND, Oct. 23. '9 An effort to persuade the New Zealand Government ;to give preference to Australian dried fruit, in competition with the Californian product, has -brought Air L. A. Robb, vice-president of the Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ ,■ Imperial, (.League of Australia.,, to the Dominion.:'(' (Mr Robb arrived from ( Sydney by the Alaheno,, .and 1 bears with him. letters from Mi* Bruce, the Federal'Premier, to the/Prime Alin,ister of the Dominion.’’ol ■% j •vi ”OUr League has a .membership ot something like 80,000 and we liaie 500 returned soldiers engaged in the dried fruit farming business,” Air Robb stated. “Most of them are settled in the Alurrumidgee district, am at Reiieliff, in 'Queensland, and at the • present time they are producing all the. dried fruit that Australia can consume. The position is that ue want an outlet fior dried fruit, and in .this connexion Ti (will i,interview your Prime Alinister ..to see if pieference cannot be given. All* Robb said that only the firstclass product was concerned in the scheme. Australian returned men were of the opinon that Australia should be given preference. Another matter Air Robb will enquire into is the working of the War Pensions Appeal Board in the Dominion. He said that there was a bad system in Australia, which was causing a great deal of dissatisfaction The Repatriation Board of Australia dealt with pensions and also dealt with appeals. They wanted to get away from this system, and in their efforts they were supported (by Air Bruce. They had heard a great deal about the success of the Appeal Board in New Zealand and it was possible something of the kind would be established in Australia.