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Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2481, 5 June 1888, Page 2

In another part of this issue will be found the report of a special meeting of the Waikato Horticultural Society, hurriedly convened to consider the best steps to adopt to prevent the shelving of the Codliti Moth Bill for another session. Although the Bill has passed the Lower House, it is meeting with considerable opposition from the Upper Chamber, due, in all probability, to the reports forwarded to members of the objection to the Bill, as evidenced by one or two meetings held in Auckland and elsewhere, lately. From all that has been said upon this question it appears to lis that some legislation is absolutely necessary to protect those who desire to check the spread of the Codlin Moth, and use the necessary precautions against their careless' and indifferent neighbours. The Codlin Moth Act of 1884 was rendered inoperative. simply bccause it was optional. The meeting yesterday discovered the sa.ne defect in the present Bill, in which there does not appear to bo any provision for making it compulsory. 11l reading the reports of the meetings at Northcote and Auckland, it is seen that the main oppositiou to this Bill comes from the nurserymen, who argue that the effect of the tax would be to shut up the nurseryman's business, and that many who own orchards would grub up their trees rather than pay the proposed tax. Whilst recognising the injustice of placing the whole burden of the tax upon the unfortunate orchardists, which really should be borne by the community at large as it was due to the importation of fruit for their benefit that the pest was tirst introduced, wo must, however, confess that the tax is being made a great stalking horse of. If we look more closely into it, what does the tax amount to ? One or two apples from each tree will pay it. It is not so much the tax we must consider, as that many of the objectors are are too indifferent or lazy to adopt the means that will be forced upon them to protect, not only themselves, but the community generally. This is where the shoe pinches ; and to such people we say it would lie better to do as some threaten i'nd cut down their trees, and thus save themselves from trouble and their neighbours from infections. Judging from the reports of the meetings the objection coines mainly from the nurserymen, but it appears they have over-looked a very material alteration that took place in committee, which, when pointed out will, to a large extent, allay their opposition, and that is, that in Clause 2 the taxable age of the tree has been raised from two years to four years. As will be seen, the meeting yesterday resolved to urge the passing of the Bill in its present form rather than attempt any extensive amendments, as it was considered of first importance to get a Bill on the statutes providing for immediate action than to risk a delay of another session by recommending alterations and amendments which might prove fatal to the passage of the Bill. Better to have the Bill in its present form than to allow another season to pass without any repressive measure being in onoration.