Islands Produce

<Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)

Copra

The official price paid by the British TVllnlstry of Food for copra produced in British Territories in the South Pacific (Papua, New Guinea, Solomons, Gilbert and Ellice, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands) for the year as from January 1, 1954, is approximately £7O Sterling per ton, f.0.b., chief Territories ports. Each Governmental authority, handling and shipping the copra, makes deductions from the £7O Stg., such charges being ■different in each Territory. The following are the prices now being paid, per ton,

to growers in different Territories;—

Papua And New Guinea

At Main Crushers, Ex-

Fiji

Pltn £F7O 15 6 (60 pts. & over) FMS .. £F7O 10 0 (45-57»/ 2 pts.) W. SAMOA:—No details—producers ex pect about £NZSB in 1954.

SOLOMON IS. AND G. AND E. COLONY: —No details—producers should receive about £ A66/8/- delivered at main ports.

Currency Note: Compared with Sterling, Aust. £ is worth 15/-; Fiji £ is 17/6; NZ £ is 20/-.

COCOA.—lslands prices are usually cased on rate for Accra cocoa (W.

Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on June 3 was £Stg.so2/10/- i £A62B/2/6 approx.) c.i.f., ton, Cont. ports.

N.G. — £550-£560 approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.

Samoa.—Sydney agents in June quoted Samoa cocoa at £S4SO (£A562/6/approx.), f.o.b. per ton, first grade.

COFFEE.—P.-N.G. Overseas market in creases have brought Territories coffee to 6/6-7/- per lb. All supplies assured of quick sale.

PEANUTS.—P.-N.G.:—Owing to the bumper Queensland crop of top grade nuts, little interest is being shown in Sydney for the poorer quality P-NG product. Price: Kernels, 1/5; in shell, nominal, 10d-l/-.

RUBBER.—Papua-New Guinea: Price based on Singapore figure which fluctuates from day to day. Quotation on June 1 was 24V 4 d Aust. lb. Singapore rate May 4 No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 63c. lb. c.i.f. (approx. 20d Aust. lb.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney quotations (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.): Tahiti.— Early season’s stocks now available.

White 75/-. Yellow 75/-, Green 60/-; July shipment.

RICE.—New season’s (1954-1955) price, announced May 4, is: P.-N.G.—Dry brown and dressed £B3 f.o.b. per ton. Other Pacific Islands, including N.Z. dependen cies, £9O.

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. (£A800i: D. 55c lb. (£ASSO); E, 40c lb. (£A400); EE. 30c lb. (£A3OO) all c.i.f., New York. No change from last season. Manihiki.— £NZ3I2 (£A39O approx.) c.i.f., Auckland. Rarotonga.— £NZ23O (£A2B7/10/-) f.0.b., Auckland.

Trochus Shell—N.G.: £245 Per Ton

ex-wharf less rejects. Market quiet.

Fiji, £ Pl7O per ton f.0.b., Suva.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL—Market steady in Sydney at present. N.G., £195 per ton less rejects. N.H., No interest in Sydney. 8.5.1.. No. 1 grade £175-£l9O, Spotted £BO ex-wharf.

London Prices

London, May 21.

Copra, c.i.f., Continental Ports, ton:— New Hebrides . . 72,000 Metrop. francs (£ A92/18/- approx.) Tahiti 72,000 Metrop. francs (£A92/18/- approx.) FM Straits, June-July £Stg.7l (£ ABB/15/- approx.) Philippines, June-July $187.50 (£ AB3/3/- approx.) Coconut Oil, c.i.f., Continental Ports, ton:— FM Straits, bulk, l r \ FFA £Stg.lll ( £ Al3B/15/- approx.) Ceylon, bulk, 3%% FFA .. .. £Stg.loB (£ A 135 approx.) Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f., Nth. Con tinental Ports:— Accra, April-June £Stg.24 (£A6OO approx, per long ton)

Islands Mining Shares

Ports ship Sydney Hot Air .. £ A75 0 0 £A97 0 0 FMS . . . . £ A74 5 0 £ A97 0 0 Smokedried £ A71 10 0 £ A96 0 0

Aug

Fi It

1939, May 1 June 1 Emperor .

Of 11 sl9/6 bl7/3 Loloma . . -=25/6 b27/3 b27/-

Papua

-New

Guinea

Bulolo G.D. . bl24/b70/s68/- Mandated All. b3/8 b6d s2/- N O G. Ltd. . bl/10 1/11 ‘/a bl/8 Oil Search . .

S3/11 b23/lV 2 b22/- Oriomo Oil . . b5/blO/b9/2 Papuan Apin. b4 /II b7/9 b4/4 Placer Dev. . b68/6 b260/10 1 / 2 s282/6 Sandy Creek .. bl/5 b6d b4d