ORANGES AND LEMONS IN AUSTRALASIA. 475 



FBUIT TRADE. 



The seasons in Australia, as stated before, being directly opposite to 

 those iu California, there is of course a strong demand for fruit in one 

 country when most abundant in the other. The want of quick and fre- 

 quent steam service between tlie two countries is the principal obstacle 

 in the way of the development of the fruit trade; at least that is the 

 case as far as the imports of American fruits into this country are 

 concerned. There is only one steamer per month plying between the 

 cities of San Francisco and Sydney and there is no direct steam com- 

 munication between Melbourne and San Francisco, while no steam 

 service exists between these Australian cities and New York or other 

 cities on the Atlantic coast of the United States. 



The voyage from Saa Francisco to Sydney occupies twenty-five days. 

 The revolution which has taken place in steam-ship construction within 

 the last decade has rendered the vessels at present plying between 

 the two ports obsolete, so far as cool storage accommodation is con- 

 cerned. The owners of the line, l^Iessrs. Spreckels & Co., have, however, 

 expressed their determination to replace the A lameda, Mariposa, and 

 Zealandia by vessels of the most modern build. When this is accom- 

 plished, as a natural result the fruit will always be in the best condition 

 when it arrives. The weather, especially when crossing the equator, is 

 extremely hot, and without cool chambers and other modern facilities 

 for properly storing fruit it is hardly to be expected that it could make 

 so long a transit without injury. 



At present the trade is small and is confined principally to the im- 

 ports of fruits from California. The fruit export to San Francisco thus 

 far has been only a few trial shipments. The truth is, the cost of get- 

 ting the fruit from the country districts to Sydney is too great to induce 

 the farmers even to bring it to market except in small quantities, much 

 less to think of exporting it to America. 



The railway freights from the fruit-growing centers to Sydney are 

 from 75 to 100 per cent, higher than in the United States. There is a 

 strong agitation on the part of the public press and people to have these 

 high charges reduced. 



G-. W. Griffin, 



Consul. 



United States Consulate, 



Sydney, N. 8. W., January 21, 1890. 



