CHEAP FRUIT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 29 August 1907, Page 2

CHEAP FRUIT.

EEUI'UI'iOK OF DUTY,

iJISUVJSSIOJt IK TUB HOUSE.

Pel' Press Association. Wellington, August _ During the discussion on _ the tariu this evening, Air Jlassey saidf gn»pui were allowed to enter the colon) - of duty, or even at a penny per pound, it woui'l ruin many who had inverted money in hothouses, as they could noi. compete with imported grapes. The lion. Mr Millar said hothouse grapes would always bring a higher price than grapes grown outside, consequently the industry would not be interfered with by allowing grapes to enter free. Mr liutlierford said South Australian grapes were infinitely beiier than any gra]. es g.nwn in tlie hothouses o£ the. colony. Mr Barber said tlie grape-growers of the North had nothing to fear from the importation of grapes from Australia, as that country could not supply the demands of the colony. He urged that a reduction should be made in the duty on grapes to enable the "people to benefit by cheaper grapes. Mr Massey said Mr Barbers argumeats wove all right in a way, but would lie agree to the duty being removed from woollen goods, bo as to benefit tne people? Mr Barber: Yes, if you will agree to tdkc tlie duties off wheat and potatoes. Mr Massey said they had to guard against disease in grapes. Mr Hogg moved an amendment that fresh fruit be admitted free. This country grew abundance of fruit, yet much of it never found its way to markec, possibly because of tie lack of means of transit, but lie did not see that growsrs here were going to derive any benefit from the imposition of an inhuman duty on fruit. (The duty on apples, pears, plums, cherries, peavhes medlars, apricots quinces, tomatoes, and grapes u proposed to be a penny ner IK, r.o (H'lv oa-t-ceding a lialipennye per lb to be letiefl on apples and i-enrs from .lutjr 14 to IVc ember 311. Mr l.ung said the Mini-lsr for Cus'mus, in jtWing only a sma!' duty on fruit, was doing the very opposite to what the Minister for Agriculture was doing in encouraging fruit growing. He opposed Mr Hogg's amendment. Air Gray said this colony was handicapped in fruit growing ov.inj to having a less genial climate for tlie purpose than Australia, and also had to pay higher values for land and higher wages than other competing countries. The principle cause of high-priced fruit' in the cities was the higher rents thai had t" he paid by shopkeepers. Messrs Whitty and Bennett opposed the amendment, which, on a division, was negatived l>y 54 to 10.