Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)

Cocoa

ISLANDS cocoa prices are based on the ruling rate for Accra cocoa (West Africa), mid- June quotation for which was £260 Stg. (£325 Aust.). Quotation supplied by Colyer, Watson Pty., Ltd., Sydney.

Pacific cocoa beans were quoted on the Syd ney market in June, at:— New Guinea: £A255 per ton, ex wharf.

New Hebrides: £A26O per ton, ex wharf.

W. Samoa: £A275 (£220 Samoan) per ton, f.0.b., Apia (Samoan currency equals Sterling).

Trochus Shell

Nominal Sydney quotations are: Thursday Is., £9l per ton, f.0.b.; N. Guinea, £7B per ton, c.i.f., Sydney; Solomon Is. £B5; Fiji, £F6O (£A66/17/6) per long ton on the beach at Suva; N. Caledonia, 14,000 francs per ton in Noumea.

Coffee

Nominal quotations are:— New Caledonia: Production exported to France at above normal rates (equivalent to £A4OO, per ton for Arabica, £A3SO for Robusta).

New Guinea and Papua: Nominally £350 to £370 per ton (c.i.f.), according to quality.

Vanilla Beans

Papeete merchants quote 325 francs per kilo for Fr. Oceania vanilla beans.

Prices for Tahiti beans quoted in Sydney (by J, C. Merrillees Pty., Ltd.) are White Label, 16/6 per lb., Yellow Label, 15/6 per lb., both c.i.f., Sydney.

Rice

Rice shipped from Sydney to Islands ports is price-fixed at £45 per ton White and £49 per ton Brown.

Green Snail Shell

Nominal quotations in Sydney are at £65 per ton, c.i.f., for f.a.q. shell.

Pearl Shell

By a three-years’ contract between the Otto Gerdau Company (USA) and the majority of Torres Strait pearlers, TT shell prices were fixed in 1949 at: Sound grades, £A325 per ton, f.0.b., TI; “D” grade, £A225; “E” grade, £AI2S —all prices to be plus bonuses.

The Torres Strait pearling season re-opened during April. Contracts for the independent pearlers’ output are not yet finalised, but it is reported that buyers have offered £ASBO per ton for Sound grades, £A465 for “D” grades and £A34O for “E” grades.

Copra

Fiji.—From January 1, 1950: £53/14/3 Fijian per ton, PMS (MOP price). Fiji has a 9 years’ contract with the UK Ministry of Food for all copra exported.

New Hebrides.—Price at Vila: £59 Aust. per ton.

Western Samoa. —Producers receive £45 Samoan per ton (£3 held for Stabilisation Fund) under a 10 years’ contract with the UK Food Ministry.

Fr, Oceania.—Papeete merchants are paying 9,350 francs per 1,000 kilos for Tahiti copra.

Papua - New Guinea. Production Control Board’s fixed price, delivered to ship’s slings or ANGPCB warehouses, as from May, 1950: At

main ports, Hot-air Dried, £4B/10/- per ton; Smoked, £47/7/6 (subject to premium up to £ 1/5/- for superior grades). Official price (as from May, 1950) for Papua-New Guinea copra sold in Sydney to crushers; Hot-air Dried, £67/15/-; Smoked, £67/2/6. Australia has a 9 years’ contract with Britain for the disposal of all Territories’ copra surplus to her own needs.

Rubber

Sydney trading firms use the London and Singapore day-to-day quotations as a basis when buying Papuan rubber. An average rate during June for No. 1 grade RSS was; 24%d. Stg. per lb. (82V2 cents Singapore), equivalent to 30 15/16d. Aust. per lb.