Low Price for NG Peanuts

Kingaroy Nuts Swamp Market

INSTEAD of rising, as expected, L the price of New Guinea pea nuts in shell had dropped by nid-January to 1/- lb, delivered hto store, Sydney. 4 At the end of the month there yas no sign of a recovery, even hough it was the so-called off season for Kingaroy peanuts when territory nuts could normally be sxpected to bring about 1/8 lb. Top irice in the last twelve months was ,/lli —brought in early 1953.

The main factor in the price fall las been the announcement, by the Queensland Peanut Board, that it las increased the acreage for April £ay harvesting by no less than 300 >er cent. Contributing factors have leen the prejudice of Australian myers against the Territory nuts, md the late release of quantities if Kingaroy nuts which were held iver by the growers from last sea on.

Trebling the current Queensland leanut acreage is expected to yield 2,000 tons. Crops from Darwin and he NSW North Coast will probably ncrease the total yield to 25,000 ons, enough to satisfy Australia’s equirements of nuts in shell for his year. Queensland growers are

already contracting to sell at lOd lb, into store, Brisbane.

If the Australian crop is suc cessful, importers will be hard pressed to find a market for any considerable quantity of the Terri tory nuts in shell. Besides compet ing in a market that will be fully supplied, they will have to overcome

the ingrained prejudice of buyers who have come to expect that about 75 per cent, of Territory nuts will be unattractive and undersized.

Although importers report some improvement in the appearance of nuts coming from the Gazelle Pen insula, New Britain (where almost all the growers are natives), the

bulk of NG nuts is still dirty and unacceptable in a fully-supplied market.

One big importer, Robert Gillespie Pty. Ltd., has stated that the best course open to NG growers is to shell their crops and consign the kernels for which there is always a ready sale for processing. In expensive hand, or power-operated, shelling machines are now avail able, and consignment of the kernels only would mean an appreciable saving in freight which costs £l5 per ton for nuts in shell.

The company said that NG nuts in shell would have to be clean and large to compete on the Australian market.

Less Red Tape For

Importers

Importers have described as a step In the right direction, the new method of obtaining approval for the entry of peanut shipments which operated from January 1. From that date, the Health Department in Sydney was given authority to approve of shipments on the appli cation of the importers. Importers say that the new procedure saves much valuable time.

Previously, they had to obtain approval from Canberra.

IT Mrs. J. N. Hall, together with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Rutger, returned from Hawaii to live in Tahiti in January.

Four new Government Officers from the United Kingdom arrived in Honiara, BSIP, in December.

They are Mr. C. J. Hadley, a new Forestry Officer, who will be posted to Vanikoro; Dr. R. Bevan, a new Medical Officer; and Mr. R. M.

Thompson and Mr. Pudsey-Dawson, Government Geologists, who will assist the Senior Geologist (Mr.

J. C. Grover) in the geological sun vey of the Protectorate which ii now in progress.

H Dr. Andre Tourneux, Papeete surgeon and radiologist, dee parted suddenly on Tahitien in Dee cember, on receiving advice from France that his mother was seri-i ously ill.