MUST THEY BE BURNT?

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10287, 23 May 1919, Page 7

MUST THEY BE BURNT?

GLUT OF APPLE TREES; IN THE

DOMINION

Evidence as to tho glut .of apple trees in New Zealand was given before the Industries Committee yesterday by Mr Robert Nairn (president) and Mr G. A. Green (secretary) of the New Zealand Nurserymen’s Association. The latter stated that he had just covered 4000 miles, visiting the nurseries m the Dominion, and there were probably about a million apple trees in excess of present local requirements. There was only home planting going oh now. Commercial plantations had practically ceased, not, as had been stated in the Press, because the bottom had fallen out of the market, but because of the shortage of labour, due to the war. . The calling up of tho Second Division was the final touch to the commercial planting. The present stock was valued at £50,000, at reasonable market rates, and that was a large item to-the nurserymen of the Dominion. The trees had been grown practically at the request of the .Minister for Agriculture -and the Orchard Division,.- so that they would he free, from the'diseases brought over by imported trees. The witnesses urged that the . trees should be used, under tbo repatriation scheine for fruit-tree planting by returned soldiers, . and that; the Govern ment ' should also give a subsidy - for two or three ships in May and June, 1920, to enable them to dispose of the trees in tho overseas markets, and also to" akSist-'them in opening up and developing thog market. both for trees and fruit. If something could not be done to make use of the trees, thej wouhj have to he burnt.. Mr Buxton said that if the Government did not make a beginning at once, it would be too late to get the trees planted this season. The chairman (Mr O. A. Wilkinson, M.P.); ■ You can be assured that the they’can in the; matter.

Members of the Committee suggested that to send apple trees to South America- might cut the throat of the apple-exporting business to those parts; but the witnesses stated that the nurserymen were also tho largest apple-growers, so would not ho likely to do anything that would have sucb on effect; and the market for apples in S6uth> America was' so large that the apples that could be grown there 'could only meet a very small part of it.