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 V 2 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 oased on rate for Accra cocoa (W.

Africa i. quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on January 7 was £Stg.3Bs (£A4BI/5/- approx.) c.i.f., ton, Cont. ports.

N.G.— £370 approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in January quoted Samoan cocoa at £Stg.3so ( £ A437/10/- approx.) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samean currency equals Stg.).

COFFEE.—P.-N.G. remains firm at 5/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 Prance. Recent quotation was 398 Metrop. francs per kilo (£ASI3 approx, per long ton).

RUBBER.—This market weakened over the past month. Papua-New Guinea, —price based on Singapore figure which fluctuates from day to day. Quotation on January 9 was 27V 4 d Aust. lb.

Singapore rate January 9 No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 56%c. lb. c.i.f. (approx. 24%d Aust. lb.).

V A N I L L A BEANS.—Sydney nominal quotations (by Victor Karp. Tulk & Co.): Tahiti.—Sydney agents unable to quote.

Entire crop being sent to France at present.

RlCE.—Price for 1954. Papua - N.G.— Dry brown £9O per ton Dressed £96 per ton. Other Pacific Is., except NZ de pendencies, £96 per ton.

Pc-ARL SHmLL.—Prices fixed between Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdau Co. (USA) for 1954; AA/A/B grades, 85c lb. (£ AB5O approx, per long ton); C, 80c lb. (£ ABOO l . D, 55c lb. (£ASSO); E, 40c lb. (£ A 40 0 1; 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.0.b., Rarotonga; producers currently re

ceive 1/9 lb. Aust. (approx. £AI96 lon ton). Tuamotu blacklip.—£Asoo fob New York; divers receive 47 Pac. fram per kilo. (£A336 per long ton) on bead; TROCHUS SHELL.— Market brisk 1 Sydney at present. NG, £2BO per tc ex-wharf less rejects, with mark* resistance due to very high price. Agem feel a sudden fall is imminent. Fiji, £H per ton f.0.b., Suva.

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

PEANUTS.—P.N.G.: Market still ven depressed. Improvement expected shortl owing to scarcity of nuts in Sydne until April. Price on January 11 wa 1/3 per lb.

London Prices

LONDON, November 26.

Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports, ton:- New Hebrides . .. 92,000 Metrop. frano (approx. £ AllB/14/- Tahiti 93,000 Metrop. frano (approx. £ Al2O FM Straits, Nov.-Dec £Stg.B (approx. £ Alll/5/- Philippines, bulk US$24 (approx. £ AlOB/10/- Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton:— FM Straits, 3Vz% drums .. .. £Stg.l2 (approx. £ AI6S Ceylon, bulk, Dec.-Jan £Stg.l3E (approx. £ A163/15/- Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f.. North Cora tinental Ports:— Accra, Jan.-March .. .. £Stg.l4/17A {£ A297/10/- per long ton:

Islands Mining Share:

Fiji

Aug., 1939, Dec. 1 Jan. 4 Emperor . u9/ll bl4/6 bl6/6 Loloma . .

S25/6 b28/s27/6

Papua-Xevv

Gijinea

Bulolo G.D. . bl24/b54/b66/6 Mandated All. b3/8 sl/9 blOd N.G.G. Ltd. . bl/10 bl/10 b2/l Oil Search . .

S3/11 b6/3 b20/9 Oriomo Oil . . bo/b3/blO/6 Papuan Apin. b4/ll b6d b6/- Placer Dev. . b68/6 b260/b310/- Sandy Creek .. bl/5 b3d b3d