Growing Wiser!

New Guinea Cocoa-Planters Are Growing Wiser!

NOT being satisfied that the price paid by Sydney buyers represented the true value of some New Guinea cocoa beans, Mr. Hore-Lacy (a well-known New Guinea planter) sent two trial shipments of Garua beans to other markets; half a ton to London, and half a ton to San Francisco (says the “Rabaul Times” of September 29).

Advice has just been received to the effect that the London consignment was valued at £35 stg. per ton (in August).

This is equivalent to almost £A44. and is slightly above average Trinidad.

All that Sydney buyers have been pay ing is £A2S for N.G. beans, when Accra was £l9 stg., equivalent to nearly £A2B c.i.f. & e. Sydney. So that Sydney has been paying less than Accra prices when London values the same bean at more than Trinidad.

This proves the point that New Guinea cocoa producers have for many years been fighting for; i.e., that the bounty paid by a benevolent government t 9 en courage the cocoa industry has simply been diverted to benefit the big manu facturing firms.

San Francisco quoted £A3S when sterl ing was at par: this will now be higher, since sterling has depreciated.

Mr. G. Napier, of the butchery depart ment of W. R. Carpenter and Co.’s Rabaul establishment, arrived in Towns ville from New Guinea by air at the end of September.

Rev. 11. L. Hurst, secretary for the London Missionary Society in Australia, and Rev. Norman Goodall, London sec retary for the Mission, left Sydney re cently for Port Moresby, Papua, by plane. They will make a tour of inspec tion of the Mission stations in the Ter ritory.