Principal Agricultural Acts of the Union. 439 



PRINCIPAL AGRICULTURAL ACTS OF 

 THE UNION. 



III. 



The Laws Governing the Export of South 

 African Produce. 



There are three Acts, with their relative reguhitions. that govern the 

 export of South African produce, namely, No. IT, 1914: Fruit Export 

 Act; No. 36, 1917: Agricultural Produce Export Act; and No. j.6, 

 1922 : Agricultural Products Grading Act. A hriet outliae of their 

 principal features follows. 



(a) THE FRUIT EXPOllT ACT, No. 17 of 1914. 



This Act provides for the inspection of fresh fruit which is being 

 exported for the purpose of sale. Under it no fruit may so be exported 

 ' nless it has been examined and passed by a Government inspector 

 aiid the containing packages have been branded or stamped accord- 

 ingly. Any one who intends to become an exporter of fruit must 

 notify the fruit inspector to that effect. Such fruit will be examined 

 in respect of condition and grade (as prescribed by regula'-I>ni) by Ihe 

 inspector, who will advise the consignor in writing if his fruit ct'imot 

 be passed. The consignor may then refer the matter to a board of 

 reference (constituted according to regulation), after depositing the 

 prescribed fee therefor; and if the board reverses the inspector's deci- 

 sion, the fee will be refunded. 



All fruit rejected (whether the inspector's decision is accepted in 

 the first instance by the consignor or whether such decision is uplield 

 by the board of reference) must be removed, and the consignor is 

 liable for all expenses of storage pending such removal. Moreover, 

 if the fruit is not removed within the prescribed time, the inspector 

 is authorized to have it destroyed or otherwise disposed of. 



A cousigjior may ])e present at any examination of his fruit by an 

 inspector. 



The Act empowers the Governor-General to make regulations 

 regarding the notification of intention to export, packing, time of 

 delivery, marking of packages, condition and grading of fruit, per- 

 centage of fruit to be inspected, stamping of receptacles by the 

 inspector, payment of fees for inspection or storage, cold storage 

 temperature prior to export, removal of rejected fruit, the constitu- 

 tion of the board of reference, the grades and species of fruit that 

 shall be shipped, and the order in which shipnient shall take place 

 (Act No. 16, 1922), and generally for the better carrying out of the 

 objects and purposes of the Act. 



Any one guilty of a contravention is liable to a fine not exceeding 

 twenty-five pounds. 



