Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)

Copra

Papua-NG.—Production Control Board price; Main ports. Hot-air, £69/5/- per ton; FMS, £6B/5/-; Smoked. £67/17/6.

Sydney crushers pay: Plantation Hot-air, £9O; FMS, £88; Smoked, £BB/7/6. Aus tralia has 9 years’ contract with UK (based on £ Stg.s9/15/-, 1952).

Fiji.—At Suva and Levuka, 1952: Plan tation Grade (60 points and over) £F6S/0/6 per ton; FMS (45-57 V 2 points), £F64/15/-; Lower Grades (to 35 points), £F63/10/-.

Samoa.—MOP contract is at £65 Stg. per ton Western Samoa; producers re ceive about £lO less.

BSl.—Growers are now receiving £ A63/15/- per ton, f.0.b., Honiara or Yandina under the UK’s MOF contract.

New Hebrides.—Marseilles quotation, April 1; NH shipment brought 64,000 Metrop. francs per metric ton (2,215 lb.); market weakening.

Tahiti.—Effective Dec. 23, 1951, prices paid in Papeete to producers for two grades are: “Local,” 7.10 Pac. fr. per kilo.; “Very Dried,” 7.50 Pac. fr. per kilo. (Equivalent to £AS3/10/- and £AS3/15/6 per long ton respectively.) COCOA.—lslands prices are usually based on rate for Accra cocoa (W.

Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on April 7 was £ Stg.3ls (£ A 394) c.i.f. Cont. ports.

Pacific cocoa was quoted on Sydney market in April at:— New Guinea.— £A3IO-£320 per ton, ex wharf.

New Hebrides.—Marseilles on April 1 paid 320-325 Metrop. francs per kilo (equal to £A4I3-£420 per long ton) delivered to store, Marseilles.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in April quoted Samoan cocoa at £S2BO (£A3SO) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.). No recent business in Aus tralia.

COFFEE.—lslands prices are based on Uganda Robusta, currently £A456/17/6 per ton c.i.f. Australian ports.

New* Caledonia.—Crop mainly exported to Prance. Currently offering to Aus tralia at £A4B7/10/-. Marseilles quoted, April 1, 375 Metrop. francs per metric ton (2,215 lb.)—equal to £A4B7/10/approx. per long ton.

RUBBER.—Sydney firms use London and Singapore rates as basis to buy Papuan rubber. April 3; No. 1 grade, RSS (sellers), spot, 32V2d. Stg. lb., c.i.f., London (40%d. Aust. lb.); Singapore, RSS No. 1, lll 1 /a-112 1 /2d. lb. spot, f.o.b.

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney quotation (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.): White Label, 18/6, Yellow, 18/6; Green, 16/9 per lb., c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE. —Rice shipped from Sydney to Islands was fixed in October at £75 per ton, f.0.b., White. Unpolished and Brown. (On plantation Papua-NG approx. £100.) DESICCATED COCONUT.—Sydney agents quote Ceylon l/2%d. spot, l/2ysd. June-

July shipment, delivered to store, Sydney market weakening. New Guinea: Cease< production. (See elsewhere.) PEARL SHELL.—Prices fixed betweei Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdai Co. (USA) for 1952 are: AA/A/B grade; 85 cents lb. (£ABSO approx, per lon( ton); C, 80c. lb. (£A800); D, 55c. lb (£ A 550); E, 40c. lb. (£A400); EE, 30c lb. (£A3oo)—all c.i.f.. New York.

TROCHUS SHELL.—Sydney market fo Western Pacific trochus is dull. Mos agents will quote only upon inspection with overseas buyers showing little or m interest. Recent New Hebrides sales t France were at approx. 2,400 Pac. francs Torres Strait: Reported Japan recentl; offered £AI3O. No Australian quotatioi available.

Green Snail Shell—Nominal!

£165-£l7O per ton, on wharf, Sydney.