The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET, AUCKLAND THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1929 FRUIT FROM OVERSEAS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 712, 11 July 1929, Page 8

The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET, AUCKLAND THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1929 FRUIT FROM OVERSEAS

ALTHOUGH New Zealand lias 20,000 acres of land occupied by commercial orchards, and is favoured by climatic and other advantages that should make her virtually independent of fruit imports, whether in the fresh or preserved form, she finds it necessary to spend about £1,000,000 yearly with overseas growers and packers. This large sum is offset to some extent by the fact that New Zealand manages to sell a good deal of her own surplus fruit on overseas markets. But the development of those markets could be watched with a good deal more satisfaction if it were not accompanied by an upward movement in the annual expenditure on imports of fresh, dried, bottled and canned fruits. The figure involved rose from £723,827 in 1923 to over £900,000 last year, which is a sufficient increase to show that there is room for more attention to the possibilities of local enterprise. No discussion of this question, to which attention was directed in the remarks made by Mr. P. J. Nathan, president of the Institute of Horticulture, at the opening of the institute’s conference yesterday, could be complete without an examination of the sources of the imported products. In its genial role of one of Uncle Sam’s best customers, the Dominion buys something over £200,000 worth of fruit from the United States in a year. A part of this sum is paid for Californian preserved fruits, and a very large amount for raisins. In 1927, £66,400 was sent to the United States for oranges. Another important source of outside fruit is Australia, where over £300,000 is spent annually. Trade in fruit with Australia has more to recommend it than trade in the same commodity with America, which buys relatively little in return, whereas Australia is one of New Zealand’s best customers. Hawaii, Fiji, the Straits Settlements, Greece, Italy, South Africa and Canada are other sources of our fruit supply. It may be true that a substantial amount of the fruit purchased from overseas suppliers is of a type that, cannot be grown in New Zealand. But, even allowing for a deduction on that account, a large amount of money is sent overseas that could better be spent in patronising local growers. The Auckland citrus growers are fully capable of supplying the Dominion’s needs in such commodities as lemon peel, hut a considerable amount continues to be brought in from overseas. Canned peaches and pears, dried apricots, and overseas jams, represent importations which could be dispensed with if proper attention were paid to the possibilities of industrial enterprise in conjunction with orchard work within the Dominion. State-assisted research would undoubtedly go a long way toward showing the possibilities of local canneries. The same qualities of active investigation that have so influenced the dairying industry would pay a handsome return if devoted to fruit growing and fruit packing, both of which are really in their infancy in this country. The point to be emphasised is that, while outside competition from firms backed by immense capital and the most modern appliances would perhaps force the New Zealand product off the market in the event of an effort to exploit overseas demands, there still remains the local market, with its present margin of, say, half a million pounds spent on fruit products that we could well produce ourselves. Until there is a better appreciation of the possibilities of New Zealand orchards and factories as a source of our fruit supply, there seems little ground for believing that the progress of the fruitgrowing industry will be anything but slow. In late years there has been a decline, rather than an accession, in the amount of land under orchards. The State’s attitude is perhaps typified by the admission in the Year Book that there is no accurate record of the amount of land sown in fruit trees. Such figures as are available, however, show a decline of 2,000 acres between 1923 and 1928. If more public institutions followed the lead of the Institute of Horticulture in giving active support to the principle that New Zealand is quite capable of producing nearly all its own fruit, the prospects would no doubt be distinctly better. The institute is active in a good many more respects than are covered by the general appreciation of the meaning of horticulture. Since the visit last year of Dr. A. W. Hill, director of the famous Kew Gardens, it has persisted in representations to have some sort of Dominion botanical gardens and research station established. Interviews with the Minister of Agriculture have so far produced no tangible result, but the institute wisely takes the view that, while questions of greater public urgency arc before the Government, it should be content simply to stress the value of its proposals, and then wait a more favourable opportunity to demand that they be adopted. ANOTHER AUSTRALIAN TRIUMPH WITH the Southern Cross safely in its hangar at Croydon, Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and his crew will now be able to take rest after having established a new record for the air journey between Australia and England. The flight will be listed among the notable ones of the year, for it has more than “stunt” qualities to commend it. Indeed, all the flights of the Southern Cross, one excepted, have demonstrated the progress of aviation. Plights between Australia and England have been accomplished in the past, but, with the exception of that by Sir Alan Cobham, all have been made by Australian pilots. The first was by Sir Keith and the late Sir Boss Smith, and this was followed by the even more daring flight of Parer and Mclntosh. The outstanding effort, however, was that by Bert Hinkler last year, and even though his record has now been broken by his compatriot pilot, his flight must still be regarded as the greatest of the series. The Southern Cross made the journey in three hours under 13 days, whereas Hinkler took 15J- days, but it must be remembered that he flew a light plane with a cruising speed much less than that of the Southern Cross, and in addition Hinkler was a lone pilot. Still, the flight of Kingsford Smith and his men is a great feat, made more notable by the splendid record of pioneering work that already stands to their credit. Australia will have cause to exult at this new feat, because it adds yet more lustre to the country’s record in aviation, a record which certainly stands out in the Empire, and is scarcely rivalled by any other country in the world. All the Australian flights have been of real value, for each one has shown how Empire links may be established by air travel. The spectacular flights, such as Lindbergh’s epic lone dash across the Atlantic, make romantic appeal and bring universal admiration of courage, but their contribution to the cause of aviation is not so great as that of men who set carefully about a pioneering task with the object of showing that distance can be annihilated through the air with a minimum of risk. While Australia will be feeling satisfaction in this last, triumph, it must not be forgotten that New Zealand has some share in it, too. for Mr. T. H. McWilliams, a New Zealander, was wireless operator on the great journey.