§ Sir NEWTON MOORE by Private Noticeasked the Minister for Health (1) whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that officials of his Department have notified importers of Australian apples that, notwithstanding the fact that an arsenical preparation has been adopted for years as a protective measure against various pests, in future should a mixture showing more than 1/10th of a grain of arsenic per pound of tipples be found the whole shipment will be condemned and destroyed and re-export prohibited;
(2) whether, in view of the exceptionally good results that have been obtained for years past as a result of this preservative being used, he will issue the necessary instructions to prevent any steps Being taken which will jeopardise the future of the Australian apple export trade?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINNo such notification has been given by my Department, but various discussion have taken place in which attention has been drawn to the presence of excessive quantities of arsenic in some apples and to the powers of port medical officers of health to order the destruction of food found to be unfit for human consumption. I should like to add that I am not aware of any instance in which excessive quantities of arsenic have been found in Australian apples.