Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are In Australian currency)

Copra

(The following are based on the MOF contract prices for 1953 in the Territories named.) PAPUA-NEW GUINEA.— Copra Market ing Board rates: 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.

FIJI. —At Suva and Levuka, 1953: Plantation grade (60 points and over) £F66/5/6 per ton; FMS (45-57 V 2 points) £ F 66; other grades from £F64/15/-, down to £ F62/15/-.

W. SAMOA. —MOP contract is £ Stg.6s per ton, f.0.b., Western Samoa; producers receive about £lO less.

BSl.—Prices based on MOF contract of £ Stg.6s, per ton, f.o.b. Rates to pro ducers are: £A62/3/4 per ton, delivered Honiara; £A63/3/4, delivered Tulagi or Yandina; £A62/18/4, delivered Gizo.

NEW HEBRIDES.—March quotations 94 Metrop. francs per kilo (£AI2I/5/10 approx, per long ton).

FRENCH OCEANIA.—Tahiti: 10.25 francs per kilo (£A74/6/- per long ton); Tuamotu 10.80 francs per kilo (£A74/6/per long ton).

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

Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on April 2 was £ 5tg.252/10/- ( £ A315/12/6) c.i.f. ton, Cont. ports.

N.G.— £A2BO approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

New Hebrides.—Sales to France in March brought; 250-255 Metrep. kilo ( £ A322/11/7-£ A 329 approx, per long ton) for Superior grades; average grades, 240 Metrop. francs per kilo. (£A3O9 approx, per long ton).

Samoa. —Sydney agents in April quoted Samoan cocoa at £ Stg.24o (£A3OO) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.).

COFFEE.—lslands prices ruling in April were: Papua-N.G.—No shipments received in Sydney lately. Last price was at 7/6 approx, per lb. (approx. £B4O per ton), which was abnormally high. Price is ex pected to level off at about 5/- per lb. (approx. £560 per ton).

New Caledonia.—Crop mainly ex ported to France. Recent quotation was 398 Metrop. francs per kilo (£ASI3 approx, per long ton).

RUBBER. Papua-New Guinea.—Because of the agreement made in March between the Commonwealth Government and the Papuan planters, P-NG rubber will now be sold to Australian mills at the Aust. equivalent of the ruling price in Singapore on the day of sale, plus 10 per cent, (primage allowance). This means that the market will fluctuate from day to day.

Quotation on April 9 was: 28-2/3d Aust.

Singapore rate (used by Australian firms as basis for buying Papuan rubber). April 9: No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 65V 4 c lb. c.i.f. (approx. 26-1/6 Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney quotation (by

Victor Karp. Tulk & Co.): White Label 25/6 per lb.; Yellow, 25/6; Green, 24/1 c.i.f., Sydney.

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

Desiccated Coconut. — Sydnd

agents quote Ceylon, 1/7-1/16 Stg. per lb spot, delivered to store, Sydney (1/11-13/1 Aust. per lb.). New Guinea: 2/5Vi lb spot, delivered in store, Sydney.

PEARL SHELL.—Prices fixed betweej Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdai Co. (USA) for 1952-53: AA/A/B gradd 85 cents lb. (£A850 approx, per lonj ton); C. 80c. lb. (£A800); D. 55c. lb (£ A550); E, 40c. lb. (£A400); EE, 30c lb. (£A300)—all c.i.f., New York. Cool Is.—American market firm at 35 cenl U.S. per lb., f.o.b. Rarotonga. Produce! currently receive 1/8 lb. Aust. (appro! £187 Aust. long ton).

TROCHUS SHELL.—There has beq little interest in shell in Sydney latel] Recent quotations are; B.S.I., £A135 pe ton; New Hebrides, £A100 approx, pe ton; N.G., £A150 per ton.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney agen® recently quoted; 1st grade, £A200 pe ton; 2nd grade, £A140 per ton for B.SJ shell.

London Prices

LONDON, March 27J Copra, c.i.f,. Continental ports, ton:-!

New Hebrides . .. 86,000 Metrop. framj (£ A110/18/- approx!

Tahiti 90.000 Metrop. frand (£ A116 approx] FM Straits . .. £Stg.ffl (£ A117/10/- approxj Ceylon, FMS Nomina Philippines, Mar.-Apr US$281

(£ A129 approx.!

Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton: — FM Straits, 3%'/ drums .. .. £Stg.l3

(£A163/15/- approx]

Ceylon, Mar.-Apr £ Stg.13 (£ A167/10/- approxj Philippines, afloat Nomina Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f.. Nth. Coni tinental Ports.—Accra, May-June, £Stg.B (£A300 approx, per long ton).