Acific

Rices Of Most

Rducts Are Easing

NCE our last survey in December, 1954, prices for all South Pacific commodities, with

! exception of shell and rubber,

re shown a falling tendency.

[)PRA: Since the beginning of the year, rt from one brief gain, the price of ■a has shown an overall decline of ;g.7/15/-. Here are the London quo ins for Fair Merchantable Straits ■a, delivered to Continental ports, ■ the period: Dec. 30, £ Stg.74/15/-; 6, £76/15/-; Jan. 13, £75; Jan. 20, ;/10/-; Jan. 27. £74/15/-; Feb. 3, £74; 10, £72/15/-; Feb. 17, £7l/10/-; Feb. £69/5/-; Mar. 19, £6B/15/-; and il 1. £67. i the present BMF price to Pacific lucers is equal to about £Stg.77 on a ?ered basis, producers receiving the ract price are currently enjoying a Inct advantage over their free-market hren in the French and American [tones. Only explanation appears to ncreasing supplies reaching the market he present time. )COA: Cocoa, too, has declined by £Stg.9o per ton. Though unsteady, price in London for good fermented 1 Coast was in the vicinity of £Stg.3Bo mid-February. It had dropped to f. 295 by April 1. Early March Western oa was receiving offers as low as 125 f.o.b. Apia, but on April 1 this back at £Stg.36o, which is a loss E Stg.2o on the early January price t. [ELL: Trochus and MOP on the other I have shown a substantial rise in In mid-October London reported less in Singapore trochus at £Stg.46s the market held at around that price ugh November. In mid-January the ’ went to £Stg.sls. In mid-February as £Stg.49s, with business reported nd the £Stg.soo mark since. Pacific ius does not appear to compare with Singapore grade, but the Sydney :et seems to have moved in sympathy, e was business in good quality NG ius early January at £A375, in h at £ A 390, and on April 1 this f was quoted at £A435. Offers of [•0 c.i.f. Auckland were failing to business in MOP shell from the Islands, the producers there rently receiving better bids from the We believe the price on an f.o.b. tonga basis is at present in excess iStg.3so, with business being done, e has been no shipping outlet from hiki. the shell-producing island, for al months, as the inter-island vessels away refitting during the hurricane in.

FFEE: Because of currency readjust s in Brazil and a heavy new-season in that country, prices have fallen antially there and, in sympathy, in producing areas. Brazil producers talking of burning “six or seven

in bags” of the new-season crop to the prices up. There is little coffee ig forward from NG at the present because this is the off-season there, for what was offering quotations to have declined from about 6/- to r 4/- per lb over the past two is. The world market is unsteady most buyers are showing little st. as they appear to have quantities jfh priced coffee from earlier pur ; on hand, which they are finding It to sell due to consumer-resistance, ants are expected to cut their i and allow a drop in the retail in the very near future, probably by ich as 1/6 to 3/- per lb, so as to their accumulated stocks.

London, Uganda native robusta, 1 at £ 5tg.333 per ton in mid ber, was down to £Stg.34B in mid- BEK; Singapore quotations for ribbed smoked sheet have declined the high figure of 103 cents (36d early February, to 88 cents early ril, which is still well above the e of about 65 cents during most t year. The rise is thought to be largely to the US Government icement in February that the rate ktegic stockpiling of natural rubber would be increased by 5i per cent, ilitary services would increase pur from 5,000 tons per month to 7,500 Immediate speculation caused the ry high price.