Islands Produce

Coffee

THE following quotations were obtained in Sydney in mid-May:— Robusta, f.a.q., imported from Java on firm conversion of exchange, c.i.f., prompt shipment, Sydney: Quote No. 1; 27/- per cwt.; quote No. 2: 19/3 per cwt.

Kenya, f.a.q., immediate shipment, c.i.f., Syd ney, per cwt. —No. 1 quotations; (New season prompt shipment)—Grade “A”, 58/-; grade “B”, 55/6; grade “C”, 53/-; Triage, 38/-. No. 2 quotations: Grade “A”: New season’s supplies are not yet available. Last quote was 60/-; grade “B”, new season, 56/-; grade “C”, 55/-.

Triage, 37/6 (drought coffee), No. 3 quota tions: Grade “B”, 51/-; grade “C”, 42/-.

Mysore, f.a.q., April shipment, c.i.f., Sydney, per cwt. No. 1 quotations: Grade “A”, 58/6; grade “B”, 49/6. No. 2 quotations: Grade “A”, 61/-; grade “B ”, 56/-; Triage, 48/-.

Arabian (Aden) Hodeidah, f.a.q., immediate shipment, c.i.f., Sydney—No. quotation, 66/per cwt. No. 2 quotation, 72/- per cwt.

Note: Importers of coffee from Java, etc., pay the following additional charges: Exchange, duty (4d. lb.), primage (10 per cent.), landing costs (1/- per cwt.). Coffee from Papua and New Guinea escapes most of these charges.

Kapok

Based on firm conversion of exchange, the c.i.f. official prices for kapok quoted in Sydney in mid-May were; Average Java, 7 27-32 d. per lb., and Prime Japara, 7 7-16 d. per lb.

Cocoa

Quote No. 1: New Guinea cocoa £26-28 per ton. 1 Quote No. 2: Accra, good fermented, £25/ 10/- per ton, c.i.f., Sydney.

Quote No. 3: No sales for some months, last quote was £3l per ton.

Cotton

London c.i.f. cotton prices during the month were: April 14, 4.61 d. lb., May shipment; April 21, 4.60 d. lb., May shipment; April 28, 4.51 d. lb., June shipment; May 5,4.66 d. lb., June ship ment.

Ivory Nuts

No. 1 quotation: £6 per ton, f.o.b.

No. 2 quotation: £7 per ton, f.0.b., Sydney.

Quotations nominal.

Rice

Rangoon rice: packed in 100 lb. bags, £l2/ 15/- per ton; 200 lb. sacks, £l2/10/- per ton, f.0.b., Sydney.

Australian table rice, packed in 56 lb. bags, £lB per ton.

Trochus Shell

Owing to Japan’s restrictions on overseas credits, there have been no sales for some time.

Quotations are nominal. (a) Trochus shell, No. 1 grade £7l Trochus shell, No. 2 grade £6l Trochus shell, No. 3 grade £49 (b) Trochus shell, No. 1 grade £72 Trochus shell, No. 2 grade £6l Trochus shell, No. 3 grade £4B All quotes are f.0.b., and on the Australian £.

Mother of Pearl Shell

At -the sales of Mother of Pearl Shell, held in London in March, a small supply of Torres Strait shell came forward, but was mostly withdrawn being limited above buyers’ ideas of prices. Some 76 packages of fair defective pickings were sold at 77/6 (sterling) per cwt. There was no New Guinea or Cook Islands shell offered. Nearly 100 packages of Tahitian and Fijian Black Edged were put up, 20 being sold at 55/- for fair to good colour to 27/6 for small and medium.

Green Snail Shell

Green snail shell, good quality, was quoted nominally by Sydney buyers in mid-May at: Quote No. 1, £5O per ton. Quote No. 2, £45 per ton.