Is Lands Produce

, . .. <Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)

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'-vrKA (NOTE: Following are 1952 MOF prices.

MOF contract rates for 1953 not yet officially announced.) Papua-NG.—Copra Marketing Board price: Main ports, Hot-air, £69/5/- per ton- FMS, £69/5/-; Smoked, £6B/5/-.

Sydney crushers pay; Plantation Hot-air, £9l; FMS, £9O/15/-; Smoked, £9O/2/6.

Australia has a 9 years’ UK contract (based on £Stg.s9/15/-, 1952). , T „ , ow . T, lQr , . Fiji.—At Suva and Leyuka, 1952. Plan tation Grade (60 points and )

£F6S/0/6 per ton; FMS (45-57y 2 points), £F64/15/-; Lower Grade £F6I/10/- min.

New Hebrides. —Recent quotation at 81 Metrop. francs kilo, c.i.f. Marseilles, (approx. £AIO4/10/-, long ton).

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

Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on Feb. 4 was £ 5tg.247/10/- (£ A309/7/6) c.i.f. ton, Cont. ports.

N.G. — £ A3OO approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

New Hebrides.—Recent sales in Sydney brought £ A 24- £ A 250 per ton, in store.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in February quoted Samoan cocoa at £ Stg.2so (£ A312/10/-) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.).

COFFEE.—lslands prices ruling in Sydney in February.

Papua-N.G. —Arabica holding firm at the abnormally high price of 7/6 approx, lb. iapprox. £760 per ton), owing to import restrictions affecting trade from else where. However, when market eventually is stabilised, P-N.G. coffee should level off at around 5/- lb. (approx. £5OO per ton).

New Caledonia. —Crop mainly exported to France. Marseilles price recently was equivalent to approximately £A64O per ton, ex wharf.

RUBBER.—Australian Rubber Pool quo tation for February shipment.—Papua- NG: 23-5/16d Stg. per lb., c.i.f. Sydney (approx. 29-7/32d 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), Feb. 9: No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 77V8C. lb., c.i.f. (approx. 31d Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney quotation (by Victor Karp. Tulk & Co.): White Label. 23/9; Yellow, 23/9; Green, 22/- per lb., c.i.f., Sydney.

Rice.—Rice shipped from Sydney to Islands was fixed last year (for the 1952- 1953 season), at £75 per ton, f.0.b.. White, Unpolished, and Brown. (On plantation Papua-NG approx. £100.) New season’s (1953-1954) price expected early May.

Desiccated Coconut. Sydney

agents quote Ceylon, 1/6% lb. spot, de

livered to store, Sydney. New Guinea: 2/5y 2 lb. spot, delivered in store, Sydney.

PEARL SHELL.—Prices hxed between Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdau Co. (USA) for 1952 were: AA/A/B grades 85 cents lb. (£ABSO approx, per long ton); C, 80c. - lb. (£A800); D, 55c. lb (£ASSO); E, 40c. lb. (£A400); EE 30c lb. (£A3oo)—all c.i.f., New York. Cook Is.—American market firm at 35 cents u.S. per lb., f.o.b. Rarotonga. Producers currently receiving 1/8 lb. Aust (approx £lB7 Aust. long ton) TROCHUS SHELL.—There has been little interest in shell in Sydney lately.

Recent quotations are; 8.5.1., £AI3S per ton; New Hebrides, £AIOO approx, per ton; N.G., £AISO per ton GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney agents recently quoted: Ist grade, £AI9S per ton; 2nd grade, £AI4O per ton for 8.5.1. shell.

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London, Dec. 24.

Copra, c.i.f., Continental ports, ton.— New Hebrides . .. 84,500 Metrop. francs’ (£AIO9 per long ton, approx.), Tahiti 89,000 Metrop. francs! (£AII3/10/- approx.) PM Straits, Dec.-Jan .. .. £ Stg. B7/15/3 (£AIO9/13/9 approx.) Ceylon, F.M.S Nominal] Philippines, bulk, Jan.-Feb USs24®! (£AIO6/6/- approx.) Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton.— PM Straits, 3 J / 2 % drums .. .. £Stg.l2l (£AISI/5/- approx.) Ceylon, bulk, resellers £Stg.ll3 (£AI4I/5/- approx.)) Philippines, afloat Nominal] Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f., Nth. Con 4 tinental ports.—Accra, February-March, £Stg. 12/17/6 (£A26O approx, per long ton).