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; FMS, £9l; Smoked, £9O.

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

£F66/5/6 per ton; PMS (45-571/ 2 points) £F66; other grades £P64/15/-- £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 November 6 was £Stg.3oo (£A375 approx.) c.i.f., ton, Cont. ports.

N.G.— £315 approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in November quoted Samoan cocoa at £Stg.29o ( £A362/10/- approx.) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.).

COFFEE.—P.NG, 5/3 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.—This market has weakened rapidly over the past month. Papua-New Guinea.—Price based on Singapore figure which fluctuates from day to day. Quota tion on November 9 was 25-2/3d Aust. lb. Singapore rate November 9 No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 55-1/Sc. lb cif (approx. 23-l/3d Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS. —Sydney nominal quotations (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co ) • Tahiti; White Label 47/-, Yellow, 47/all per lb, c.i.f. Sydney. No Green available at present.

RlCE.—Price' for 1953 - 1954; 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 Co. I USA) for 1953-1954; AA/A/B grades, 85c lb. ( £ AB5O 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 blackllp —i market firm at 35-37 cents U.S. . f.0.b., Rarotonga; producers currn ceive 1/9 lb. Aust. (approx. £Af ton). Tuamotu blacklip.— £ASOO New York; divers receive 47 Pao. per kilo. (£A336 per long ton) oo

Trochus Shell.—Market U

Sydney at present. NG, £;: (highest post war price) per wharf, less rejects. Fiji, £165 f.0.b., Suva.

Green Snail Shell.—Little ‘

in Sydney lately. NG., £2lO pen wharf, less rejects. NH., £205 f.e.b. BSI, No. 1 grade £l7O- £2 2 £BO per ton, both ex-wharf.

PEANUTS.—P-NG: No sales inx lately owing to competition from Australian and overseas nuts..i recent price 1/6 per lb.

London Prices:

LONDON, Septemtf Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports,b New Hebrides . . . . 84,500 Metros (approx. .

Tahiti 87,500 Metron (approx. £AI.

PM Straits, Oct.-Nov (approx. .

Philippines, bulk (approx. .

Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton:— FM Straits, 3 Vz r /o drums ... * (approx. £AIT Ceylon, bulk, Oct.-Nov i (approx. £AII Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f., , Continental Ports;— Accra, December £Stg; (£ A 267 approx, per 100

Islands Mining Sht

Fiji

Aug., 1939, , Oct. 1 I Emperor . b9/ll bl6/3 If Loloma , .

S25/6 b27/9 s

Papua-New

Guinea

Bulolo G.D. bI24/b53/- S2 Mandated All b3/8 s6d se N.G.G, Ltd. bl/IO b2/l W Oil Search .

S3/11 b4/ll hi Oriomo Oil . b5/b3/- S3 Papuan Apin b4/ll bl/1 bcf Placer Dev. b68/6 s340/- S3 Sandy Creek .. bl/5 b3d w