Copra Is Not King

In the Cook Is

From a Special Correspondent THE Cook Islands Group is one Pacific territory that has not got rich because of the post-war copra boom. There the industry is un

organised and languishing. Producers

in other Groups who receive around £75 per ton for their copra will find this state of affairs difficult to under stand.

That dealing in Cook Islands copra is a gamble is the opinion generally held by local traders. One firm lost £3,000 in three years o copra dealing; another acts now only as an agent for buyers prefer ing to keep out of the tricky busi ness of buying and selling.

This attitude may seem hard to understand, when local growers get around £3O per ton and the Auck land millers paying cut about £<o per ton.

There is always a loss per ton to buyers through copra being of poor quality, or because it has been badly dried, or has become wet and mu dewed during shipment from the outer islands to Rarotonga.

The standard set by Abels, in NZ, who have the buying monopoly

through the UK Ministry of Food, is high, and much copra is rejected by the local inspectors after its purchase by the traders.

One private shipowner and trader says that he now ships only a ton or two from Atiu, which formerly provided 20 tons. He says the Atiuans are indignant that so much copra was rejected, and that it is no longer worth their time ai?d trouble to produce it. The same can be said of Rarotonga where very little, if any, copra is now made.

Many people thus favour a return to the free-market where they sa\ they will have no trouble selling their copra.

Prices paid by C.I. traders tc growers vary with the quality of th( copra, and range from 34d to 4d pei lb, which works out at £3O/6 8 t< £37/6/8 per ton. The Rarotongs merchants then have to pay out th following expenses, some of whicl fluctuate greatly with costs of loca labour, lighterage, and shippin costs:

These costs do not include loss of veight during the storage period of ip to three months.

Prom the above figures it can be ;een that the profit margin is not arge, and the buyer’s time has yet o be deducted from that. Obviously nany of these figures will vary reatly. The biggest variable item s the quality of the copra bought.

L buying agent has neither the ime nor opportunity to check the ontents of each sack; the time be ween buying at Rarotonga and elling in Auckland affects loss by r eight and storage charges.

In addition, freights from the forthern group are higher than *om the Lower. Local shipping ser ices are irregular and there is no uarantee that cargo space is avail ble. Weather conditions affect time f unloading and the risk of the )pra being spoiled by rain. Light 'age costs in the outer islands vary ith each individual boatowner. The 'ss by weight of poorly dried )pra can run as high as 20 per tnt. —which in three months means loss of £l4 per ton to the buyer.

Matters could be greatly improved T the installation of proper kiln ‘iers throughout the group. At ast one firm would be prepared to ly £5 per ton extra for copra that mid pass the inspectors without il; but under present conditions e profits of one shipment are too ible to be swallowed up by the sses of the next. rhe Rev. Father John Rausch, io was a Roman Catholic ssionary in Bougainville before 2 ™ st War ’ recently celebrated s 50th anniversary of his ordina ry in Sydney. He spent nine irs in New Guinea, and has since m associated with the Aus trian headquarters of the Marist ssion of Oceania.

Buying Agent’s 5 per cent, commission on £70 per ton Per ton £3 10 0 Bagging, screening and weighing at outer islands 1 15 0 Lighterage 3 10 0 Carriage 0 6 0 Freight from Lower Group to Rarotonga . 4 16 0

Minimum handling

charges Rarotonga 0 10 0 Storage per week at Rarotonga 0 12 6 Screening, rebagging, reweighing at Rarotonga 2 0 0 Transport to wharf .. 0 17 0 Freight, etc., from Rarotonga to Auckland .. 5 19 6 Export tax at 5 per cent, of Auckland value ., 3 10 0 Petal Expenses 27 6 0 Plus original buying price, at say, 3id per lb .. .. 32 13 4 Fotal cost to merchants .. £59 19 4