Islands Produce

Cocoa

Official prices for New Hebrides cocoa beans, controlled by the Cocoa, Chocolate and Confec tionery Committee, are as follows: Buying: £4l/10/- per ton, f.o.b. Island port.

Selling: Delivered Sydney, Melbourne or Hobart, £53/5/- per ton.

Accra: £69/10/- (on wharf, Sydney, all charges paid).

New Guinea cocoa beans: No quotations.

Western Samoa: Last sale reported, Ist quality £BO (f.0.b., Apia).

Trochus Shell

No sales have been reported since January when small parcels changed hands at £llO per ton. Nominal quotations obtained in mid-July indicate that the market is unchanged at that figure.

Coffee

No purchases are permitted without the consent of the Tea and Coffee Control Board, 'O whom all offers must first be submitted. .Vominal quotations as follows: New Caledonian: Arabica, £Bl per ton (c.i.f Sydney). Robusta, £63 per ton (c.i.f. Sydney).

New Hebrides: Robusta, £63/10/- per ton ic.Lf. Sydney).

Mysore: £240 (c. & f. Sydney).

New Guinea and Papuan: No firm quotations available.

Java: No quotations.

Vanilla Beans

White Label and Yellow Label, 17/2 per lb c. & f. Sydney.

Kapok

Market for Javanese kapok has been suspended.

Indian kapok is being quoted for Indent at i/6 per lb. c.i.f. stg.

Cotton

Government controlled. Stocks being made available to manufacturers at following rates:— For spinning and weaving yarns, 14V 2 d. per lb • cordage making, ll%d. per lb.; condenser yam’

I2d. per lb.

Ivory Nuts

No firm quotations available.

Rice

No quotations.

Green Snail Shell

F.a.q., £lO3 per ton, in store, Sydney.

Pearl Shell

Government-controlled price:— “B” Class, £2OO per ton. “C” Class £l9O per ton. “D” Class, £135 per ton.

Sept. B.—Not quoted—outbreak of war.

Sept. 15 to 29.—Not quoted.

Oct. 6 . . £ll 15 0 [unquoted] £l2 15 0 Oct. 12.—Fixed price based on £l2/7/6 per ton; c.1.f., London, for plantation hot-air dried.

Jan. 8, 1940, to April 20. 1940 Fixed price for Plantation hot-air dried, £l3/5/- per ton elf London.

April 20, 1940.—Fixed price for plantation hot air dried. £l2/17/6 per ton, c.1.f., London.

On February 18, 1942, Fiji and Tonga copra Ist grade was fixed at £lB per ton (Fijian), f.0.b.; and in July: Plantation Grade. £lB/5/-* Fair Merchantable Sun-dried, £18; and Under grade, £l7/15/-. The values are stated in Fijian currency. To get Australian or New Zealand 1 values, add 12y 2 per cent.; sterling values,

deduct 12 V 2 per cent.

In April, 1942, unofficial quotations in Sydney were around £24 (Aust.) per ton, c.i.f., Sydney.

July, 1943.—N. Guinea and Papuan copra under Aust. Government control. Fixed prices, payable, at port of shipment, or on plantation, where no coastal shipment is involved: Hot-air Dried £l5/10/-; Sun-dried, £l5; Smoke-dried, £l4/10/per ton. These prices subject to circumstantial considerations.

In September, 1943. prices were revised as follows: Hot-air and Sun-dried, £lB/10/-a Smoke-dried, £l7 per ton. Tentative there after.

New prices covering the period October 1, 1943, to June 30, 1944, were declared in September,! 1944, as follows: Hot-air and Sun-dried, £lB/10/-j per ton; Smoked, £l7/10/- per ton.

Prices to operate from July 1, 1944, were ten tatively fixed at: Hot-air and Sun-dried, £19;; Smoked, £lB per ton.

Copra

South Sea, Plantation, Sun-dried Hot-air Dried.

London to London Rabaul Price on— Per ton, C.i.f.

Per ton, c.i.f.

January l 1932 .. £14 0 0 £14 15 0 June 17 . £13 2 6 £13 5 0 December 16 .. .. £14 2 6 £14 5 0 January 6 1933 .. £13 0 0 £13 12 6 June 30 . £10 17 6 £11 0 o December 1 .. .. £8 12 6 £9 0 0 January 5 1934 .. £8 0 0 £8 7 6 June 15 . £8 0 0 £8 12 6 December 28 .. .. £9 0 0 £9 12 6 January 4, , 1935 .. £9 5 0 £10 5 0 June 7 ., £11 15 0 £12 7 e December 6 . . . . £12 17 6 £ 14 0 0 South Sea South Sea Plantation Smoked to Genoa Sun-dried Hot-air Dried London and Marseilles. to London.

Rabaul.

Price on— Per ton, c.i.f.

Per ton, , c.i.f, Per ton, c.i.f.

Jan. 3, ’36 £13 2 6 £13 15 0 £14 0 0 Mar. 6 . . £11 15 0 £12 15 0 £13 0 0 June 5 . £11 10 0 £12 0 0 £12 17 0 Sept. 4 . £13 2 6 £13 10 0 £14 12 6 Dec. 4 . £19 7 6 £19 7 6 £20 7 6 Jan. 8. ’37 £22 12 6 £22 12 6 £22 12 6 Mar. 5 . £19 0 0 £19 5 0 £20 0 0

June 4 . £15 15 0 £15 12 6 £16 12 Sept. 3 £13 5 0 £13 5 0 £14 0 o Dec. 3 . £12 10 0 £12 12 6 £13 7 ( Jan. 7. 38 £12 12 6 £12 15 0 £ 13 12 6 Mar. 4 £10 17 6 £11 0 0 £ 12 0 o June 3 £9 15 0 £9 15 0 £ 10 12 6 Sept. 2 £9 10 0 £9 10 0 £10 10 o Dec. 2 . £9 5 0 £9 5 0 £ 10 2 s Jan. 6, 39 £9 12 6 £9 15 0 £10 10 0 Feb. 3 . £9 10 0 £9 12 6 £10 10 o Mar. 3 . £10 0 0 £10 2 6 £ 11 0 e Apr. 6 . £9 12 6 £9 15 0 £10 12 6 May 5 . £10 0 0 £10 5 0 £11 0 O' June 2 £10 7 6 £10 10 0 £11 7 6 July 7 . £9 2 6 £9 7 6 £10 5 0, Aug. 4 . £9 2 6 £9 5 0 £10 5 0 Sept. 1 £9 10 0 £9 12 6 £10 12 0.