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, £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; FMS (45-57% 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. —Islands prices are usually based on rate for Accra cocoa (W.

Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on December 3 was £ Stg.3oo (£A375 approx.) c.i.f., ton, Cont. ports.

N.G.— £350 approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

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

COFFEE.—P.-N.G. remains firm at 5/3 per lb. Price is expected to ease owing to overseas competition now that coffee is no longer a restricted import into Aus tralia.

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 firmed over the past month. Papua-New Guinea. —price based on Singapore figure which fluctuates from day to day. Quotation on December 4 was 29-4/5d Aust. lb.

Singapore rate December 4 No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 60 7 /sc. lb c.i.f. (approx. 26V 2 d Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney nominal quotations (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.): Tahiti: White Label 49/-. Yellow, 49/-, 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. (USA) for 1953-1954: AA/A/B grades. 85c lb. (£ AB5O 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. No change from

last season. Manihiki blacklip.—America market firm at 35-37 cents U.S. per lb f.0.b., Rarotonga; producers currently re ceive 1/9 lb. Aust. (approx. £AI96 lon ton). Tuamotu blacklip.—£Asoo f.o.b New York; divers receive 47 Pac. frani per kilo. (£A336 per long ton) on beaci TROCHUS SHELL.—Market brisk Sydney at present. NG, £250- £2l! (highest post war price) per ton ei; wharf, less rejects. Fiji, £165 per to f.0.b., Suva.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Little interea in Sydney lately. NG., £2lO per ton e;; wharf, less rejects. NH., £205 per to f.o.b. BSI, No. 1 grade £l7O-£lBO, » 2 £BO per ton, both ex-wharf.

PEANUTS.—P-NG: Owing to inferitj quality of P-NG nuts sales in Sydm. were as low as 1/- per lb on December

London Prices

LONDON, October 22..

Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports, ton:-: New Hebrides . .. 88,000 Metrop. fram (approx. £ AIIJ Tahiti 89,000 Metrop. franr (approx. £ AIIJ FM Straits, Nov.-Dec. . .. £Stg.B7/10C (approx. £AIO9/7/)'' Philippines, bulk, Nov.-Dec. . .. USs2£ (approx. £AIU Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton:— FM Straits, 3V 2 % drums . .. £Stg.U (approx. £ Al6l/5A Ceylon, bulk £Stg.H (approx. £AI6E Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f., North Co:c tinental Ports: — Accra, Nov.-Jan £Stg.l3/100 (£ A 270 approx, per long ton

Islands Mining Share

Fiji

Aug., 1939, , Nov. 1 Dec. 1 Emperor . b9/ll b!7/3 bl4/6 Loloma . .

S25/6 S28/3 b28/-

Papua-New

Guinea

Bulolo G.D. . bl24/- S54/6 b54/- Mandated All. b3/8 s6d sl/9 N.G.G. Ltd. . bl/10 b2/bl/10 Oil Search . .

S3/11 b6/6 b6/3 Oriomo Oil . . b5/s3/b3/- Papuan Apin. b4/ll bl/b6d Placer Dev. . b68/6 s315/b260/- Sandy Creek . . bl/5 bld b3d