Copra

South Pacific Pool Held Up Pending Clarification of Jap. Position

THERE has been no progress made re cently in the plan, described in November “PIM”, to bring the South Pacific Copra Marketing Pool into opera tion in January.

Discussions were well advanced, as between the Governments chiefly con cerned (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Free France), when the outbreak of war with Japan intervened. The consequent dislocation of all plans based on com munications and transport necessarily causes delay in such a far-reaching plan as the South Pacific Copra Pool.

The New Guinea Copra Pool now is functioning fully; and those connected with it are of opinion that the South Pacific Pool will come into oneration early in 1942, as originally proposed.

Until the war with Japan started, copra prices were fairly firm, with a rising ten dency. Until the Pacific war situation is clarified, prices will remain uncertain.

Generally speaking, the main problem is to shift the accumulations of copra in such places as Gilbert and Ellice, Solo mons and Tonga. In comparative volume, these accumulations are not large, but they are of great economic importance to the territories concerned.

Shipping will be disorganised for a time, so no immediate relief can be expected.

Prices in Fiji Prom Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Nov. 27.

THE negotiations for the Copra Pool drag on. It is rumoured that those parties in the Islands governed from Aus tralia, who were most anxious for the Pool originally, have lost most of their enthusiasm; while the Fiji resident never saw why he should be expected to feel much enthusiasm.

But. apparently, the Minute Papers are still circulating, and presumably we shall be faced one day with a proclamation of the results.

In the meantime, sundried grade is selling in Suva at £5/10/- per ton and plantation grade at £6/10/-, £2 per ton above the minimum to which prices fell.

Supplies are short, partly as a result of hurricanes earlier in the year, but prob ably more as an effect of deterioration of plantations and plantation equipment due to the low prices.

However, the man who can make up a fair quantitv of copra is getting a price which may be held to returp him a little surplus over bare making-up expenses, though not enough, of course, to enable him to spend any money reconditioning his plantation or paying mortgage in terest. and the ultimate prospect is still therefore very black.

The Hon. Mr. Justice J. A. Ferguson, of Sydney, who has joined the Pacific Islands Society, is a well-known Australian bib liophile, and the owner of one of the finest collections of early Polynesian mis sion printings. The Tahitian section called forth the admiration of Mr. Charles B.

Nordhoff, the American novelist, when he was in Sydney. The judge this year pub lished the first volume of his bibliography of Australia, a work upon which he had been engaged for 25 years.

Visitors from Papua include Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Bensted, of Tufi, Cape Nelson, where the former has been ARM for two years. They will remain in Sydney on leave until early next year.