Transcription

A PETITION
AGAINST
THE PROPOSED DESTRUCTION 
OF
COLONIAL VINEYARDS.
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Humbly presented to the Honourable Gentlemen

Members of the Legislative Council of N. S. Wales.
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HONOURABLE GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,

As a great colonist of long standing, who has had the honour to hold,

under the great Seal of the Colony, her Majesty's commission to represent in Europe the interests of Colonial Viticulture, and was entrusted by the New South Wales Government to study and report upon vine culture and diseases, including the Phylloxera, besides being now largely interested in the vine growing industry of the Colony,

The undersigned deems it his duty to respectfully solicit your high consideration of the following remarks against the Bill now proposed to your adoption by the Government to deal with the disease known as Phylloxera :

FOR the last eighteen months the dreadful Phylloxera vastatrix of the vine has been positively known to be present within the colony of New South Wales; but for several years previously the vineyard, where the insect is strongly supposed to have first landed, had been gradually decaying, and such decay was attributed to all other sorts of causes, until gentlemen of scientific attainments and of practical knowledge, being called upon to give their opinion, revealed the true cause of the ruin, as a vineyard, of a valuable and almost historical estate. 

Since then the insect has spread outside of its original landing place, and caused the 

same havoc in surrounding vineyards. It has been allowed to continue its depredations without any check for the last two seasons, and now the Government of the colony has taken the matter in hands, and appears decided to deal with it, in a way, however, which I respectfully regret to say, must lead to nothing else than severe disappointment, great ruin, loss of money, and of valuable industry to our colony.

In October, 1885, the late Honorable Sir Alexander Stuart, K. C. M. G., then Colonial

Secretary, speaking on this subject, stated that the experience of continental vine growing countries went to prove that the eradication of Phylloxera was a difficult matter, and that the destruction of vineyards had also well proved to be a fallacy. On another occasion, the Hon. J. P. Abbott said also, as Minister of the Crown, that experience in other countries did not give much hope that it will be possible to extirpate the scourge.

The present Government, however, seems to endorse the absolutely contrary opinion

that it is wiser spending money to destroy quantities of insects, than for keeping healthy and alive colonial vineyards. It has submitted a Bill to such effect, upon which the colonial vineyards growers' opinion has not been expressed, nor asked for, and in support of which no information is given as upon what grounds, upon what experience, authority and previous results, such a drastic measure is being recommended to your adoption, when it is officially known otherwise that means exist to absolutely restore to a perfect state of health and production, and to free from Phylloxera, vineyards even greatly damaged by that insect, without the slightest division of opinion amongst either scientific men or practical growers, in all European vine growing countries.

 

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