EX-MINISTER OF LANDS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2382, 24 December 1908, Page 5

EX-MINISTER OF LANDS.

RETURNS FROM AUSTRALIA

[Piiess Association.]

WELLINGTON, Dec. 23

Mr McNab returned from Australia to-day. He examined the Mitchell collection, but found nothing to augment the material he lias already collected for his book. He said the Mitchell collection is a magnificent one of early Australian literature, but poor in New Zealand manuscript. While in Sydney he visited the bone factories to see the New Zealand officers inspecting and supervising in order to prevent the spread of anthrax, and he also visited the Parramatta 'fruit orchards to ascertain what steps were being taken to cope with the fruit fly and codlin moth.

[Spe|ial to “Times.”]

WELLINGTON, Dec. 23

Mr McNab, who returned from Sydney to-day, mentions that it is a bad fruit -season in Australia owing to the want of rain. While in Sydney he inspected the bone manure sterilising. The sterlizing of bone manure for New Zealand is inspected by New Zealand inspectors. This action on the part of the Dominion to prevent anthrax was due principally to Mr Gilruth’s efforts. Mr McNab says: “New Zealand insistence on inspection has raised the standard of bone manure in Australia, and the result has been that Australia gets the benefit of the New Zealand Government’s work.”