Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)

Copra

Papua-NG.—Copra Marketing Board price: Main ports, Hot-air, £70/5/- per ton; FMS, £69/5/-; Smoked, £68/5/-.

Sydney crushers pay: Plantation Hot-air, £91/15/-; FMS. £90/15/-; Smoked, £ 90/2/6. Australia has a 9 years’ UK contract (based on £Stg.59/15/-, 1952).

Fiji.—At Suva and Levuka, 1952: Plan tation Grade (60 points and over) £F65/0/6 per ton; FMS (45-57y 2 points), £F64/15/-; Lower Grade £F61/10/- min.

Samoa.—MOF contract is at £65 Stg. per ton Western Samoa; producers re celve about £10 less.

BSL—Growers receive £A63/10/- per ton, delivered Honiara or £A63/15/-, Yan dina under MOF contract.

Tahiti.—Recent price for Papeete copra: Dry, 7.80 Pac. frs. kilo (£ASS/4/- long ton); Super dry, 8.20 Pac. frs. kilo (£ASB/11/- long ton).

COCOA.—lslands prices are usually based on rate for Accra cocoa (W Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on Sept. 1 was £Stg.2so (£A3I2/10/-) c.i.f. Cont. ports, Pacific cocoa was quoted in September at:— N.G.— £ A2BO approx, per ton, ex wharf, Sydney.

New Hebrides.—Marseilles recently quoted: Superior, 280-285 M. fr. kilo (approx. £A36I/9/6-£A367/15/- long ton); Nominal, 265-270 M. fr. kilo (approx. £A34I/18/9-£A34B/7/9 long ton), in bond.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in September quoted Samoan cocoa at £S27O (£A337/10/-) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.!.

COFFEE,—lslands prices ruling in Sydney in September:— Papua-NG.—lst grade, approx. 7/3 lb. ex-wharf Sydney (£789 per ton).

New Caledonia. —Crop mainly exported to Prance. Marseilles recently quoted: 376-378 M. fr. kilo, ex-store (£A4BS - long ton).

RUBBER.—Australian Rubber Pool quo tation for September shipment.—Papua- NG: 23-11/16d Stg. per lb., c.i.f. Sydney (29-9/16d 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), Sep. 5: No. 1 grade RSS (sellers), spot, 76c. lb., c.i.f. (2Sd Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney quotation (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.); White Label, 19/-, Yellow, 19/-, Green, 18/- per lb., c.i.f., Sydney.

RlCE.—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 September.

Desiccated Coconut. Sydney

agents quote Ceylon, lb. spot, de livered to store, Sydney. New Guinea: 2/5Va lb. spot, delivered in store, Sydney.

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. . (£ A 550); E, 40c. lb. (£A400); EE, lb. (£A3OO) —all c.i.f., New YT Cook Is.—U.S. buyers have offered to I chase 12 months’ output from indivioi shippers at firm guaranteed prices aroo' 35 cents U.S. per lb., c & f, RarotoD, (£A3SO per long ton).

TROCHUS SHELL.—Owing to a pam of shell in Sydney, buyers’ interests trochus livened during August/Septemrr NG/BSl.—Sydney agents quote £A/ £AIIO per ton, as a fair average pic New Hebrides.—Recent sales in Sydney; £ A 95 per ton, delivered.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney ag<;s quote, as a fair average price, £AI6O ( ton, for NG-BSI shell on wharf. I Hebrides.—Recent quotations in 3yd) at: Ist Grade, £AIBO per ton, 2nd Grn £ Al4O per ton.

London Prices

London, July 11

Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports, tore New Hebrides, Metrop. francs .. 700 Tahiti, Metrop. francs 72S FM Straits/DEI £64/5/- !

Ceylon, FMS Nomir Philippines, bulk $146 8 Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton: — PM Straits, bulk £B5 !

Ceylon, 1% bulk, resellers . .. £B7 £ Philippines, July-August $220 0 Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f., Nth. CD tinental Ports, Stg.:— Accra, July/Sept. 307/6; new crop, OC Dec. 280/-. Nov./Jan. 270/-.

London, July 21S

Bank of New Zealand’s Produce 1 partment reports:— Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports, tom Philippines, Aug./Sept $135 FM Straits £6l/10/- 8 Ceylon, FMS £7O 8