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 will pay. in 1954: Plantatiofi Hot-air; £99, FMS £99 Smoked, £9B; these prices are only tentative as an agreement has not yet been finalised.

FIJI.—At Suva and Levuka, 1954; Plantation grade (60 points and over) £F7O/15/6 per ton; FMS (45-57 */ 2 points) £F7O/10/-.

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 February 10 was £ Stg.4ls (£ASIB/9/- approx.) c.i.f., ton, Cont. ports.

N.G. — £465 approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

Samoa. —Sydney agents in February quoted Samoa cocoa at £Stg.4oo (£ASOO approx.) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.).

COFFEE.—P.-N.G. Overseas market in creases have brought Territories coffee to 6/- per lb. All supplies assured of quick sale.

New Caledonia.—Crop mainly ex ported to France. 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 February 8 was 27-1/6. Aust. lb.

Singapore rate February 8 No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 54 3 / B c. lb. c.i.f. (approx. 24-2/3d Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney nominal quotations (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.): Tahiti. —Crop finished. New season ex pected to commence about July. Nominal price, 62/- c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE. —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.

PEARL SHELL.—Prices fixed between Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdau Co. (USA) for • 1954; AA/A/B grades, 85c lb. (£ABSO approx, per long ton); C, 80c lb. (£ A 800); D, 55c lb. (£ASSO); E, 40c lb. (£A400); EE, 30c lb. (£A3OO) all c.i.f., New York. No change from

last season. Manihikl.— £NZ292 (£A2> c.i.f., Auckland. Rarotonga.— £NS (£ A287/10/-) f.0.b., Auckland.

Trochus Shell.—N.G.: £290 Per

ex-wharf less rejects with few sales owing to heavy sales from Andara Islands and later Singapore. Falls i NG price can be expected. Fiji, £H per ton f.0.b., Suva.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Market fae steady in Sydney at present. N.G., £3t per ton less rejects. N.H., £205 per free ex-wharf. 8.5.1., No. 1 grade £1 £l9O, Spotted £BO both per ton wharf.

PEANUTS.—P.-N.G.: Quality of n still poor. Market depressed at 1/3 lb. (nuts and shell).

London Prices

LONDON, January 2£ Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports, tom New Hebrides . .. 95,000 Metrop. fra* (£ A122/12/- appm Tahiti 96;000 Metrop. fras (£ A123/12/- appm PM Straits, Jan.-Feb. . .. £Stg.94/]\ (£ AllB/2/6 appm Philippines, bulk USs£ (£ AlO9/8/- appm Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton:— FM Straits, 3%% drums . £Stg.l33/:' (£ A166/17/6 appm Ceylon, bulk £Stg.l3s/;\ (£ A169/7/6 appm Copra, per 50 kilos, c.i.f., North O tinental Ports: — Accra, Jan.-March £Stg.l6/!\ (£ A332/10/- approx, per long tod

Islands Mining Sharf

Fiji

Aug., 1939, , Jan. 4 Feb.

Emperor . b9/ll bl6/6 bl7/— Loloma . .

S25/6 S27/6 s26/—

Papua-New

Guinea

Bulolo G.D. . bl24/b66/6 b67/— Mandated All. b3/8 blOd blOd N.G.G. Ltd. . bl/10 b2/l b2/2 1 A I: Oil Search . .

S3/11 b20/9 b21/9C Orlomo Oil . . b5/blO/6 blO/68 Papuan Apin. b4/ll b6/b8/3 Placer Dev. . b68/6 b310/b300/\( Sandy Creek . . bI/5 b3d b3d