A Proposed Orchard Act.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 272, 13 June 1888, Page 3

A Proposed Orchard Act.

Wh have received from the Whangarei j^ruitgrowers' Association the draft of an Act which they hope may ; become law thifc, eesaion, ontiUod " The Orchard Act," and its object* are staled to be to " provide for the destruction of the innecl known as Carpocapsa Nomonolla, or codlin moth, Icerya Purchasi, and other contagious pests. ' This de r wition of the objects of the proposed Act is probably sufficient for all popular purposes, but it is hardly accurate to describe the insects named as " coif tagioutj "' pests ; "injurious insect pests' would, wo think, have better expressed the meaning of the promoters ot this measure. With regard to the principle of the Bill wo need hardly .say that we heartily approve of it. Indeed, the title, " Orchard Act," and several of its main provisions, are adopted from our own suggestions published in The Faumlu for July, 1887. We are gratified to find that our views upon a question ot such importance to orchardi&ts have met with the general acceptance of the Fruitgiowers'Associationbin the chief fruit-grow ing centie of the Korth Island. The pro. visions of Uie draft Act, which coincide with our toimer recommendations above referred to, are the following :— The power to prohibit the importation of fiuit or fruit trees liable to introduce injurious in->ects or disease into colonial orchards ; the appoint mont of a (ioxeinment official at a, fixed salary to carry out the pui poses of the Act; the appointment of district orchard and fiuit inspectors under the Act, and their payment on the same plan as sheep inspectors are paid ; the imposition of penalties upon persons sending out from their piemiscs or ottering for sale or a.s a gift any infected fruit, tree*, or scions- 1 , unless they have been eUectually cleaned and disWith regard to the appointment of u general fiuit inspector, as provided for in this, measure, we may explain that our idea was to appoint a (Jovernment entomologist to whom ihe district inspectors could apply tor information and guidance. Thi- othcei .s duties were not to be confined to horticultural matters, but he would examine and lcpoit upon all 01 chard and larin insect pests, native or imported, foi the guidance ot hoitieulUiral and agricultural boards, lv the diait Act under notice, no provision is made toi the establishment ot these hoiticultmal boards as v*e proposed, 'i lie appointment ot the district inspectors is to be loft in the hands ot the general inspector, subject to the approval or the local fruitgrowers'association, where any such exists, i'his appear to us a lather unbusinesslike kind ot unangea.ent. jn the first place, a truitgioweis' a-soc!<-iion is an inesponsible body? and the bulk of the members niiijh t consist of people quite unfitted to judge an inspector's qualifications. But, apaitirom this objection, there might be a popular suspicion that the inspector, dependent upon the'good will ot members ot tlieassociation, might be inclined to deal moie gently with thorn in the performance of hi- duty than with others. For these and other reasons w e think the appointment of inspectors should iest in the hands of a duly constituted Horticultural Board for each provincial district. The members of these boards should be elected by the county councils (a» the members of the Education Board aio elected by the soseral school committee. ), andshoiikl consist of gentlemen couveisant with horticultural matters, and willing to act in the interests oi the fruitgiowing industry without fee or reward. One mumbei would represent each horticultmal district, such distiict being defined a> to boundancs according to any con\cnient system -which would not make then too huge to bo workable. Wo can sec nu good iea-on ioi calling these distiicts •'Codlui-mo'Ji District-,, "' as proposed by the Act undoi notice. V\ c might, as well call oich sheep district a Scab District- -the "\\ aikato Scab District* for instance, when thoie might be no scab whatever in the whole pvowncc. Besides the legislation wo want i- Mich as will deal with the whole- army of horticultural insect plague- and communicable fungoid blight-. The csnlial Horticultural Board ot each province; would do aw.iy with the necessity ot a general inspector, for they would recchc seporis tiom distiict inspectots appointed by them, and to them or to their ct edit all orchard taxes, tines, and penalties teeoveied under the Orchard Act would be paid, u> bo expended first to defray the salaues of the inspectors and neccs-sa-y expen.-es connected with their work, and secondh, » there wove any balance ot funds in thejsjencral interests of horticulture as they might deem best. We spcciallv appiove of the pio\won making it unlawfulw ful lo lemovc from an unclean di-tiict truit or tiees until passed and stamped or othen\i-c marked by the inspector as dean. Wo al-o think the principle is fair that tin- la\ per tree should in clean districts be only hall w hat it is in in-fe-ted distiicts. Tne amount proposed to be levied pei tree on nil treed over two \ ear* old isonolavthimr in clean and one halfpenny in inte.-tcd neighbourhoods. Making adiilorcncein this Avay will be an inducement to fniitfirowcis to unite in efforts to keep a district 1 " clean to a\oid incurring the hi" her t.iK. We aKo agree with the piwisions by w hicli urchardisfcs and nurserymen 'iiib bound to label case or package of any fruit or trees sent out b> them w ith their names and addi esses. This would, for purpose-, of identification, corru-pond with the compulsory branding of sheep instituted in the interests of the .suppi e< of scab. Other excellentfeaturos are contained in the Lull, but it would be improved, in our opinion, by considerable revision before being submitted to Parliament. Tin; piinciple of the measure is, as we ha\c said, thoroughly soundarid legislation in the direction indicated is i- vi gently needed in the interests of colonial hoi ticullure. Imoiii the " Noav Zealand Farmer."'

Amoiiea po^v— e-> onI 4\ 4 \ one C'hine^u 10poilcr, ami ho lives in New York. His, name is Wong fin Foo. Me has ju*b nought the protection ot tlie police against the Chinese "hookbindeis," who threaten his lite because lie ha* been exposing: the Celestial opium den* and gambling hells in the rit>. Lord llnmpiei: -who ha? just, celebrated W\> golden \\ cclclin** —^ heir to one of the \ory few Lngli^h baronies ot undoubted Xoi'inan origin, and will, if he survives his brother, be h\ en t) -fourth Baron Dac e. Cl.ioagn ha.> a queer way of showing its admiiation for European monarchy Lfeie is one ot its best papers exclaiming " Wlr.t a syndicate the momirehs of Europe could toi ni. Ff they ever got out to business they could corner the pork of the world.'' "A-Lovxiu London."— The Ts'cw Zealand two millions !