Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)

Copra

(The following are based on the MOP contract prices for 1953 in the Territories named.) PAPUA-NEW GUINEA.—Copra Market ing Board rates: Main ports, Hot air, £7O per ton; FMS, £69/5/-; Smoked, £66/10/ —at main ports (except Kokopo, where rates are 17/6 less). Sydney crushers pay: Plantation Hot-air; £9l; PMS, £9O/15/-; Smoked. £9O/2/6.

FIJI.—At Suva and Levuka, 1953: Plantation grade (60 points and over)

£F66/5/6 per ton; FMS (45-57V2 points) £F66; other grades £F64/15/-- £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 MOP 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.

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

Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on October 2 was £ 5tg.275 (£A343/15/- approx.) c.i.f., ton, Cont. ports.

N.G.—£295-£3OO approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in October quoted Samoan cocoa at £Stg.24o (£A3OO approx.) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.) COFFEE.—P-NG, 5/6 per lb. Price is expected to drop owing to overseas com petition now that coffee is no longer a restricted import into Australia.

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.— Market fluctuates from day to day, based on price ruling in Singapore. Quotation on Oct. 2 was SOVid Aust. lb. Singapore rate October 2 No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 64 7 / 8 c lb. c.i.f. (approx. 27V2d Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney nominal quotations (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Cos.): Tahiti: White Label 38/6, Yellow, 38/6 all per lb, c.i.f. Sydney. No Green available at present.

RICE. —New season’s (1953-1954) price: Papua-N.G.— Dry brown £9O per ton; Dressed £96 per ton. Other Pacific Is., except NZ dependencies, £96 per ton.

PEARL SHELL. —Prices fixed between Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdau Cos. (USA) for 1953-1954: AA/A/B grades, 85c lb. (£ABSO approx, per long ton); C, 80c lb. (£ A 800); D, 55c lb. (£ASSO); E, 40c lb. (£ A 400); EE, 30c lb. (£A3OO) all c.i.f., New York. No change from last season. Manihiki blacklip.—American market firm at 35-37 cents U.S. per lb.,

f.o.b., Rarotonga: producers curren ceive 1/9 lb. Aust. (approx. £A1!J ton). Tuamotu blacklip.— £A500( New York; divers receive 47 Pac.. per kilo. (£A336 per long ton) one TROCHUS SHELL.—Market qxu Sydney at present. NG, £220 h ex-wharf, less rejects. Fiji, £165 f.o.b., Suva.

Green Snail Shell.—Little

in Sydney lately. NG., £210 per wharf, less rejects. NH., £205 I f.o.b. BSI, No. 1 grade £170-£1T 2 £80 per ton, both ex-wharf.

PEANUTS.—P-NG, 1/6 per lb. expected to firm shortly, after crop Kingaroy (Qld.) and North Coast i are sold.

London Prices

LONDON, Auguil Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports,, New Hebrides It Tahiti I FM Straits, Sept.-Oct. . .. Stg. £t (£ A96 as Ceylon, PMS It Philippines, bulk, Sept.-Oct. .. ID (£ A89/13/- ffi Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton:— FM Straits 3Vz% drums .. .. £t (£ A146/5/- ffi Ceylon, bulk £Stg.:. (£ A144 ffi Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f.

Continental Ports;— Accra, Nov-Jan £Stif (£267/10/- approx, per loic

Islands Mining Ski

Fiji

Aug., 1939, Sept. 1 00 Emperor . b9/ll bl7/3 b!c Loloma . .

S25/6 b27/bio

Papua-New

Guinea

Bulolo G.D. . bl24/b54/b!o Mandated All. b3/8 b6d s6?

N.G.G. Ltd. . bl/10 b2/3 bo Oil Search . .

S3/11 b5/2 b' Oriomo Oil . . b5/b2/3 bd Papuan Apin. b4/ll bl/3 be Placer Dev. . b68/6 b350/slz Sandy Creek . . bl/5 s3d b.