Copra Price to NZ Crushers

ABELS LTD., who handle all copra coming into New Zea land from Western Samoa, Niue and the Cook Islands, reported in mid-March that they had been advised by Island Territories De partment that an increase of per cent, on the 1953 price had been accepted for those Territories. The price is thus fixed at £7O Sterling— New Zealand price £7O/5/6. (Editorial Note: Although our correspondent does not specifically say so, presumably the £7O/5/6 NZ is the price that NZ crushers are paying for Islands copra. This is

equal to about £B7/16 - Australian currency, which makes the NZ crushers better off than those in Australia who pay about £97A for copra delivered Sydney. A few years ago, until P-NG planters pro tested, Australian crushers bought NG copra at MOF price. This the planters held to be unfair, as there

was no long-term agreement bet ween P-NG and the Australian crushers.) H Dr. A. H. Conner, of the Uni versity of Hawaii, has recently been studying marine growths in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.