Copra Costs

Revealing Figures By Papuan Coconut Planter

WHERE, in 1939, it cost £6/17/- per ton to produce copra on an estate in Papua and deliver it in Port Moresby, it now costs £3O/13/11 per ton.

The following figures are supplied by a Papuan plantation-owner, and cross checking shows that they are substantially correct. They represent a rise of over 400 per cent, in production costs in recent years; and while a large proportion of the increase is due to the Socialist conditions introduced into Papua by the Australian Government, the figures are of interest to all copra producers in the South Pacific:

Estimated Cost Of Production

Of Copra For Ensuing Twelve

Months (Assuming Full Require

Ments Of Natives Are Available)

Estate Manager’s Salary and Allowances

Equal to £3O/13/11 per ton.

Production of 262 tons represents the average output over the past four years.

In arriving at the above costs, no allowance or provision whatsoever has been made for depreciation on buildings, plant, amortisation reserve to cover life of property, or interest on capital outlay.

The following table compares the 1939 and 1948 costs of plantation commodities.

It is a little startling.

THE following is an analysis of planta tion native labour costs, to show where the enormous rises took place in this essential charge:

£ s. d.

Fares to and from Sydney .. .. 30 7 9 One Month’s leave pay per annum 35 0 0 Fares to and from plantation 7 0 0 Salary for 12 months 420 0 0 Bonus on 262 tons copra at 10/- per ton 131 0 0 Total £623 7 9 Wages £ s. d. 1 half-caste at £10 per month 120 0 0 Bonus on 2,800 bags copra at 3d. per bag 35 0 0 Total i E155 0 0 Expenses of 75 Natives Recruiting 375 0 0 Fares 225 0 0 Wages £9 per annum 675 0 0 Ration Issues 3,483 15 0 Working kit 347 16 3 Hospitalisation 78 15 0 Total £5,185 6 3 Plantation Expenses £ s. d Copra sacks, 262 tons at 38/2 per dozen (15 sacks to ton) .. 624 19 7 Twine at 2/- per hank 26 4 0 Needles (say) 10 0 Stencil ink, brushes, stencils, at 6d. per ton 6 11 0 Axes, knives, sarifs, kerosene, inward freights, passages, inward insurances, etc. (Average 12 months) at £23/16/8 p.m 286 0 0 Total £944 4 7 Various £ s. d.

Insurance on buildings and copra in store on the estate 35 0 0 Freights on 262 tons copra to Port Moresby at 55/- per ton 720 10 0 Marine insurance on 262 tons copra, valued at £35/10/- at £1 % 93 0 0 Government land rents .. 16 8 0 Maintenance of bungalows, buildings, driers, sheds, rail line and trucks 175 0 0 Plantation inspection: Head office expenses, stationery, general expenses 100 0 0 Total cost of producing 262 tons copra and delivering at Port Moresby £8,047 16 7

- Per Per Month Working Kit Annum (of 30 days) £ s. d. £ s. d. 1 blanket ,. .. 1 3 6 1 plate .. .. 1 8 1 pannikin .. 1 4 1 spoon .. .. 1 5 1 box or kit bag (estimated) . 15 0 2 ramies .. .. 6 0 1 rami (every two months) 18 0 1 mosquito net 1 5 10 Total ... 4 12 9 7 8 Wages 12 0 0 1 0 0 Recruiting .. . 5 0 0 8 4 S/O fees .. .. 3 0 3 Fares to and from 3 0 0 5 0 Insurance .. . 10 0 10 Hospitalisation 1 1 0 1 9 Rations: Per Week Rice, 7 lb. .. 3 6 Peas, If lb. . 11 Sharps, 3i lb. 2 4 Meat, 3 lb. 5 6 Sugar, 1 lb. . 7 Tea, 2 oz. 5 Salt 1 Edible fats . 1 6 Soap 2i Tobacco .. . 10 Matches 11 Vegetables . 1 9 Total .. . 17 8i 3 16 8 Plus 3\% loss in weights on rice, peas, sharps and sugar and 1% inedible overall (o n £46/9/-) ... 9 Equal for 12 months to .. £6 1 3 72 15 0

Plus additional 5 days to make 365-days year 5 10 Per unit per annum .. £73 0 10 Cost per day (300 working days per annum) .. .. 4 10:-

Commodity

1939 Price

1948

Price

Tobacco. Trade Wheatmeal. 150 lb. ..

Rice Matches Biscuits, Pilot Sugar Fish, Trade Flour Meats .. .. 8/8 .. .. 100/9 . .. 61/6 ,. .. 10/9 .. .. 54/3 Per lb per sack per 112 lb. per gross per 50 lb. tin . .. 35/11 ,. .. 84/per 70 lb. bag per case per 150 lb. sack 7/1 . .. 16/7 per dozen

Sait

Tea Soap Hessian (for baling rubber) Lamp Kerosene Power Kerosene Benzine Mosquito Nets per sack . .. 12/8 per cwt. 38/8 7 Vi ... 6/3 . .. 2/8Vi ... 3/1 . .. 3/5Vi per lb. per case per yd. 72 in. per gallon per gallon per gallon each 16 in. Knives (English) Copra Sacks Cartridges Axes % Blankets . .. 119/4 • .. 37/10 . .. 33/9 . .. 15/2 . .. 28/10 per dozen per dozen per hundred each each