Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are In Australian currency)

Cocoa

ISLANDS cocoa prices are usually based on the ruling rate for Accra cocoa (West Africa), quotation for which early in April was £325/10/- Stg., c.i.f. (equivalent to £406/15/- Aust.). Quotation supplied by Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney. x Pacific cocoa beans were quoted nominally on the Sydney market in April at; — New Guinea: Approximately £350 Aust. per ton. ex wharf. , , „ , New Hebrides: No supplies available in Sydney at present—exports mainly going to France.

W. Samoa; Sydney agents reported in April that Samoan cocoa prices had risen to £3lO

Samoan (£A3B7/10/-) per ton. (Samoan cur rency equals Sterling.)

Trochus Shell

Nominal Sydney quotations in April were; Thursday Is., £220 per ton, f.0.b.; New Guinea. £235 per ton, c.i.f., Sydney: Solomon Is., £255; Fiji, £F9O (£AIOI/14/- per long ton on the beach at Suva; New Caledonia, approxi mately 14,000 francs per ton, Noumea.

Coffee

Nominal quotations are:— New Caledonia: Production exported to France at above normal rates (equivalent to £A4SO per ton for Arabica. £A4OO for Robusta).

New Guinea and Papua: Nominally £375 to £425 per ton (c.i.f.), according to quality.

Vanilla Beans

Papeete merchants recently quoted 325 francs per kilo for French Oceania vanilla beans.

Rice

Price of rice shipped from Sydney to Islands ports is fixed at: £5O per ton White and £54 per ton Brown. (On plantation in New Guinea. £70.)

Green Snail Shell

A nominal quotation in Sydney in April was at £l5O per ton, c.i.f., for f.a.q. shell.

Pearl Shell

By a term contract between the Otto Gerdau Company (USA) and the majority of Torres Strait pearlers, TI shell prices were fixed in 1949 (for three years) at: Sound grades £A325 per ton. f.0.b., TI; “D” grade, £A225; “E” grade, £Al2s—all plus bonuses.

Purchase price for the independent pearlers 1950-51 output, after negotiation with overseas buyers, was set at around £ASBO per ton for Sound grades; £A465, “D” grades; £A34O, “E grades.

Copra

Papua - New Guinea. Production .Control Board’s fixed price, delivered to ship’s slings or ANGPCB warehouses, as from March, 1951: At main ports. Hot-air Dried, £54/5/- per ton (at Kokopo. £52/17/6): Smoked, £53/12/6 (at Kokopo, £52/5/-). Official price (as from March, 1951) for Papua-New Guinea copra sold in Sydney to crushers: Hot-air Dried, £74/10/-, Smoked, £73/17/6. Australia has a 9 years’ con tract with Britain for the disposal of all Terri tories’ copra surplus to her own needs, and the above prices are based on the British MOP rate of £53/15/- Stg. per ton.

Fiji.—From January 1, 1951: £53/15/- Stg. (£55/5/- Fijian to planters) per ton, PMS. Fiji has a 9 years’ contract with UK Food Ministry.

New Hebrides.—Price at Vila and Santo is £95 Aust. per ton.

Western Samoa.—Producers receive £45/11/- Samoan (par with Sterling) per ton, f.0.b., Apia based on an MOF rate of £53/19/- Stg. per ton, less £5/7/11 Samoan Export Duty and £3/0/1 Copra Stabilisation Fund.

Solomon Is.: Producers receive £ASI per ton, f.0.b., for copra shipped from Honiara or Yan dina ports (based on £53/15/- Stg. MOF price).

Fr. Oceania.— Papeete merchants recently have paid 9,350 Pacific francs per 1,000 kilos for Tahiti copra (about £7O Aust. per ton).

Rubber

Sydney firms use London and Singapore quo tations as a basis to buy Papuan rubber. The market has weakened markedly in recent weeks; Rates on April 10: No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) Spot 59d. Stg. per lb., c.i.f., London (equivalent to 75%d. Aust. per lb.); Singapore, RSS No. 3 (sellers) 204 Va cents per lb., f.o.b.