Fiji Tomatoes

No Blight in Colony

Result Of Government’S

Investigations

From Our Own Correspondent LOCAL shippers and residents are hurt at the attack in The Pacific Islands Monthly of October, concern ing what was stated to be blight in the shipments of Fiji tomatoes sent to Sydney.

It is a fact that no blight exists in Fiji. A case was taken at random from the last shipment and held by the Department in a close room with out any cooling and, at the end of a week, it was found to be in perfect condition.

It is freely asserted that there is a definite conspiracy in Australia to keep any fruit from Fiji out of the Commonwealth and, however fantastic the idea may be, these folks say that there is some sort of arrangement to make Fiji bananas and tomatoes so unsaleable that shippers will tire of sending them to Sydney.

An incident has been made public which rather emphasises this idea. A local resident was recently in New South Wales and asked a shopkeeper for some tomatoes.

The man told him that he had some special Fiji tomatoes, and these he found to be perfect. The seller said they were the finest he had bought for his shop this year. Why, then, say the people here, should our tomatoes be blackballed and sold at ridiculous prices? The matter certainly should be more critically investigated.

It is asserted that the blighty sam ples came from the heap of Queensland tomatoes which lay alongside the Fiji article. Whatever may be said, I want to assure buyers of tomatoes in Syd ney that our tomatoes have no blight and are absolutely clean. (The matter has been further investi gated by The Pacific Islands Monthly, and it has been found that a later shipment to Sydney arrived in first class condition.)