196 



Journal of AgricnUure. 



[11 April, 1910. 



if he think fit, condemn a whole line if he find one diseased fruit therein, 

 and, in addition, may prosecute the vendor. The majority of growers, 

 however, know that such xs not the case and are content to rely upon the 

 good judgment of the inspectors and the common sense of the adjudicating 

 Ix-nch. It may safely be contended that this confidence has never been 

 misplaced ; as, although some hundreds of prosecutions have been under- 

 taken, in no instance has it been proved that the same have been instituted 

 against offences of a trifling nature. 



There is no provision under the Vegetation Diseases Act to compel in- 

 spection of fruit, plants or vegetables prior to their bqing exported to 

 Inter-State ports. As all the Australian S'tates and New Zealand, how- 

 ever, have passed laws regulating the import of these products, it is neces- 

 sary that the provisions of their regulations shall be complied with to insure 

 the admission of our products. These Inter-State regulations were mutually 



IN.siklNG A CRUl' Ui' CLEAN FRUIT. 



drawn up at Conferences of State Ministers held at Sydney and Mel- 

 bourne during the last two Nears. Thev have since been adopted by most 

 of the States. 



bruit Cases Act. — This measure was pas.sed on the 28th December, 

 1906. Its object was, by securing uniformitv in the sizes of fruit cases, 

 to grant traders and the general public some securftv in the matter of re- 

 ceiving full value for their money when purchasing fruit. The Act did 

 not come into working operation until six months after being passed. In 

 order to allow vendors to rid themselves of any stocks of undersized cases, 

 a term of two years was allowed from the passing of the Act for the sale 

 of fruit in any sized packages, provided the same had the net weight 

 legibly and durably marked thereon in letters of not less than one-inch in 

 length. This provision has now expired, and all cases u.sed for local sale 

 of fruit must be of the standard sizes shown in the schedules to the Act. 



