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, £9l/15/-; FMS, £9O/15/-; Smoked, £9O/2/6. Australia has 9 years’ con tract 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 (45-57Vfe 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 £ A63/10/- per ton. f.0.b., Honiara or £ Ao3/15/-, f.0.b.. Yandina under the UK’s MOF contract.

New Hebrides.—Marseilles quotation, April 22; NH shipment brought 66,500 Metrop. francs per metric ton. market slightly stronger (equal to £AB6/10/- per long ton).

Tahiti.—Effective May 1, 1952, prices paid in Papeete to producers were ex pected to be fixed at between 4.10 and 5.00 Pac. fr. per kilo. (£A29/7/- and £ A35/16/- per long ton).

COCOA.—lslands prices are usually based on rate for Accra cocoa (W.

Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on May 1 was £ Stg.3ls (£ A 394) c.i.f. Cont. ports.

Pacific cocoa was quoted on Sydney market in May at:— New Guinea.—£A3lo-£320 per ton, ex wharf.

New Hebrides.—Marseilles on April 22 paid 290-315 Metrop. francs per kilo (approx. £A374/6/ —£A4O6/10/- per long ton) delivered to store, Marseilles.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in May quoted Samoan cocoa at £S3OO (£A375) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.) Market strengthening.

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

Papua-NG.—lst grade, 5/4 per lb. ex wharf Sydney (£597/10/- per ton).

New Caledonia.—Crop mainly exported to France. Marseilles quoted (April 22) 370 Metrop. francs per metric ton— approx. £A4BO per long tqn (Dutch buyers).

RUBBER.—Australian Rubber Pool quo tation (May 10) for Papua-NG: 31%d stg. per lb., c.i.f., Sydney (39 11/16d Aust.) —Papuan rubber is allowed in primage free (10 per cent, from elsewhere).

Singapore rate (used by Australian firms as basis for buying Papuan rubber), May 10: No. 1 grade RSS (sellers), spot, 84%c lb., c.i.f. (32V 2 d Aust. lb.).

VANILLA Bjc-ANS.—Sydney quotation (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.): White Label, 18/6, Yellow. 18/6; Green. 17/6 per lb., c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE. —Rice shipped from Sydney to Islands was fixed in October, 1951, at £75 per ton, f.0.b., White, Unpolished and Brown. (On plantation Papua-NG approx.

£100).. New price expected late in May.

Desiccated Coconut. Sydney

agents quote Ceylon, l/3d. spot, delivered to store, Sydney. New Guinea: Production ceased (see April PIM).

PEARL SHELL.—Prices fixed between Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdau Co. (USA) for 1952 are: AA/A/B grades 85 cents lb. (£ABSO approx, per long ton); C, 80c. ib. (£A800); D, 55c. lb. (£ A 550); E, 40c. lb. (£A400); EE, 30c. lb. (£A3oo)—all c.i.f., New York.

TROCHUS SHELL.—Sydney market for Western Pacific trochus is dull; most agents will quote only upon inspection.

New Hebrides: Recent sales to France at approx. 2,400 Pac. francs per ton. BSI: Recent business xor a well-graded parcel at approx. £l4O (a large accumulation of BSI and NG trochus lies in Sydney stores).

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Nominally £165-£l7O per ton, on wharf, Sydney.

London Prices

London, Mar. 27.

Copra, c.i.f., Continental ports, ton;— New Hebrides, Apr./May, Metrop. frs 63,000 i Tahiti, Apr./May, Metrop. frs. .. 65,000* FM Straits/DEI £6l/10/- Stg., Ceylon, FMS £62 Stg., Philippines, (bulk) $135 US Coconut Oil, c.i.f.. ton:— FM Straits (bulk) nominal..

Ceylon (bulk) Apr./May .. .. £7B Stg..

Philippines, afloat $lBO US* Cocoa, Stg.;— Accra, 325/- (sellers), 317/- (buyers),i, March; 311/6 —311/-, May—per 50 kilos,, c.i.f., Cont. ports.