Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are 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 (produced mainly in the Gold Coast Colony, West Africa). Latest quotations for sales of Western Pacific cocoa beans are;— New Guinea: £l6l per ton.

New Hebrides; £165 per ton.

Western Samoa’s cocoa production goes mainly to USA, where its distribution is controlled by the International Emergency Food Council. The price in Apia fell in February, 1949, to £lOO Stg. per ton, f.o.b.

Accra (quotation by Colyer, Watson Pty., Ltd., Sydney): £152/10/- Sterling, c.i.f., main ports, Australia. (Equivalent to around £l9O Aust.)

Trochus Shell

Irregular shipments are handled in Sydney- by several Pacific Islands trading firms. Sales dur ing the month were: Thursday Island shell, £7O per ton; New Guinea shell, £65 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 importations at present—prices are too high to interest Australian buyers.

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.

Cotton

All controls on the import and sale of raw cotton having been lifted, the Australian price for cotton is subject now to the fluctuations of

the world markets. At present, ho 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 £72 per ton, f.a.q., in store.

Pearl Shell

Recent Australian prices were: “B” Class, Thursday Island, £460 per ton; “B” Class, New Guinea, £425 per ton.

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