Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations arc in Australian Currency)

Cocoa

Cocoa beans imported into Australia from the Pacific Islands come mainly from New Guinea and the New Hebrides and are purchased almost wholly by the Commonwealth Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturers’ Association. Their buying price is based on the current price of Accra beans, now in short supply. Recent quo tations for sales of Pacific cocoa beans are:— New Guinea: £240 to £246 per ton.

New Hebrides: £240/7/6 per ton.

Western Samoa’s cocoa production goes to USA where its distribution is controlled by the Inter national Emergency Food Council. The price in Apia is around £2OO-210 per ton, f.o.b.

Trochus Shell

Irregular shipments are handled in Sydney by several Pacific Islands trading firms. A parcel of New Guinea trochus shell was sold in Sydney last month at £7O per ton.

Coffee

No coffee trading is permitted in Australia without the consent of the Tea and Coffee Control Board, to which all offers must first be submitted. Nominal quotations as follows: — New Guinea and Papua: £l2O to £l6O per ton (c.i.f.), according to quality.

New Caledonia: Production is being taken by France, at considerably higher than normal rates (equivalent to around £2OO Australian per ton for Arabica and £l6O Aust. for Robusta), Java: No quotations at present.

Mysore (India): £2OO to £250 per ton (c.i.f., Sydney).

Vanilla Beans

No supplies available —traders are not making any firm quotations.

Production of the main Pacific vanilla producer, French Oceania, now goes to USA.

Kapok

Only a small movement in Javanese kapok, with the nominal quotation a$ 2/iy 2 per lb.

Indian kapok is being quoted for indent at 1/6 per lb. c.i.f. stg.

Cotton

All controls on the import and sale of raw cotton have been lifted by the Australian Govern ment. The Australian price for cotton is subject to the fluctuations of the world markets. At present, no cotton is coming to Australia from any of the Pacific Territories.

Ivory Nuts

No firm quotations available—no supplies have been received from the Pacific Islands by Aus tralian firms since the war.

Rice

No free-trading in rice at present. The whole of the Australian rice crop goes to the Govern ment for allocation to countries where rice is a staple of the native peoples. Rice shipped to Pacific Islands ports is fixed at a price of £45 per ton White and £49 per ton Brown.

Green Snail Shell

There have been sales recently on the Sydney market at £lOO per ton, f.a.q., in store.

Pearl Shell

Latest Australian prices were; “B” Class, £2OO per ton, “C” Class, £l9O per ton. “D” Class, £135 per ton.

Overseas transactions are reported, however, at considerably more than double these figures— for instance, American firms are quoting £525 per ton for Torres Strait pearl shell.