FRUIT GROWERS ASSOCIATION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10701, 23 August 1912, Page 5

FRUIT GROWERS ASSOCIATION

DEPUTATION TO PBIME

MINISTER.

(By Trngmph—Trm Association.)

WELLINGTON, Last Night. A deputation representing the N.Z. ' Fruitgrowers' Association,_ which recently sat in conference in Wellington, waited on the Prime Minister today, and discussed various questions regarding the industry. MrSisson urged that there should be a standard size of cases for apples and pears, and also that when municipal markets wore created the auctioneers selling fruit should bo compiled to. use them. The regulations in regard to imported fruits should not be relaxed, as it was necessary to keep out disease. Mr W. Purvis presented a remit urging the Government to advancemoney for tho cool storage of fruit at the main centres of production, the Graders' Association to pay interest and sinking fund. He also protested against the importation of nursery fruit. Mr Hudson asked that the Government should supervise all shipments of fruit for export, especially in regard to grading, and that there should ho a rebate of duty on wrapping paper which could not be manufactured in the Dominion. A renewal of the guarantee of a penny in the pound on fruit shipped to the United Kingdom was also asked for. Tho proposal to plant gum lands with prison labour was protested against. Mr Sisson asked that a reward should be given for the discovery of a. preventive of tho fruit disease known as woolly aphis. The Prime Minister said the Government had no intention of utilisingprison labour on. the gum lands. They wished to encourage the establishment of fruit farms by private enterprise. He would reoommend the Government to continue the penny a pound guarantee. They must maintain their reputation by producing and exportinc u good article. Their recommendations would receive erery consideration from the Government.