£Lo,Ooo Cargo Of
p. 39 · Read in the full issue
Kumeras Destroyed
WHEN the Waitemata arrived at Auckland in mid-December, with a 200-ton cargo of kumeras from Rarotonga, it was discovered that they were heavily infested with “white - fringed weevil.”
Minister of Agriculture Holyoake reported that unsuccessful efforts were made to destroy the pest by fumigation. As the weevil is un known in NZ, and could cause great damage to the local kumera crops which are an important Maori food, it was necessary to destroy the entire cargo.
The loss on the cargo, which was timed to arrive for Christmas, will fall mainly on the Cook Islands shippers.