Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are In Anstralian currency. Aust. £ equals approximately 16/- Stg., NZ, or W.

Samoa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & WPHC areas; 140 Pac. Francs: SUS2.2S.)

Copra

(Negotiations between MOF and British SP producers for 1956 price not finalised Feb. 10. Fiji and P-NG have announced tentative price based on £Stg.sB/10/-FOB.) Price negotiated between British Ministry of Food and British South Pacific Territories for 1955 is £Stg.6s, FOB main ports—a reduction of 7.14% on the 1954 price. Stabilisation funds and other

charges reduce the actual prices to pro ducers to those given below, per ton:

Papua - New Guinea;—Hot Air

£69/15/-; FM (Sun) £69; Smoked £66/15/-.

FlJl:—Plantation £F63/5/6; FM £F63; moister grades to £FS9/15/- minimum.

W. Samoa:—£S42/6/-, £S4I/18/-, And

£ S4l/12/- for the three gradings in use.

E. SAMOA:—Adjusted with free-market fluctuations. Currently $89.60 (£A4O approx.) per long ton. Periodic bonus if average proceeds exceed Government buy ing price.

SOLOMONS:—Honiara /Gizo: Hot Air

£ A6B/10/-; Mixed Ha/Fm £A64; Fm

£AS9/10/-; Yandina: 5/- higher.

NEW HEBRIDES:—Buying price un changed from Jan. 10, 1956, at 6,450 Pac. francs (£A46/1/-) delivered Vila/Santo.

Continental buyers 69.5 Met. francs per kilo c.i.f. (Jan. 27).

FRENCH OCEANIA:—Jan. 16, top grade 8.36 Pac. francs per kilo (£A6O/12/0 per long ton) in store, Papeete. Minimum price for lowest grade 5.35 P£c. francs (£ A 39 per long ton).

TONGA:— £AS9 and £AS3 per ton for the two gradings in use.

COOK IS.: —Growers receive £Stg.37 to £ Stg.3o depending on quality and freight rates from particular island to Rarotonga.

COCOA: —Islands prices are based on the rate for Accra cocoa which, on Feb. 14, was £Stg.222/6/- f.o.b.

P.-N.G.: £A2BS, delivered Sydney.

W. SAMOA: Feb. 8, £Stg.2so, f.o.b.

Apia.

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.: Top grades bought on sample at 5/6 lb. approx.

PEANUTS:—P.-N.G.: Market only for Virginia Bunch, in shell, large, well cleaned, 1/3 and 1/4 per lb. delivered Sydney. Kernels up to 1/2 del. store, Sydney.

RUBBER:—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore, which quoted Feb. 3, No. 1 RSS, spot 107 cents (37.87 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, quoted Feb. 6 buying price, c.i.f. Sydney, Tahiti White and Yellow

label, processed, standard packs, 4£ Green, 40/- per lb.

RICE (Australian): —Price adjusted Mil each year. P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dre:e £65 per ton, f.o.b. To other Territoo £7B per ton, f.o.b.

PEARL SHELL.—Prices fixed betw? : Torres Strait producers and Otto Gen Co. (USA) for 1955: Sound grades, £A‘i D, £ A 390; E, £A3OO; EE. £A225, f.o.b. Australian port. Prices for 1956 i available in Sydney early February. Mil hiki: Lagoon closed. Last shipment £A c.i.f. Sydney. Divers now working Penn Lagoon. Tuamotu; £A9IO, long ton, raw shell on beach, Mangareva.

TROCHUS:—Feb. 6, in store Sydif subject to rejects, SW Pacific £515 ton. Market temporarily saturated.

New Caledonia: Season closed Oct. .

GREEN SNAIL:—SW Pacific, in se Sydney, to £445, subject to rejects.

London And U.S. Prices

Copra:—London. Feb. 2, Straits, ca £Stg.6s; Philippines, SUSII7, del. weig§ Cocoa:—London, Jan. 21: Gold C£ new season. Jan. del. c.i.f., £Stg.22o I ton; May del. £Stg.232. New York, . 20: March del. 27.40 cents per lb.

Coffee:—London, Jan. 21: Uganda nas f.a.q., Jan.-Feb. £Stg.24B/6/- f.o.b. Ml basa; Santos, £Stg.47l, in bond, Lonu Shell:—London, Nov. 17, Singap trochus, Nov.-Dec. shipments £Stgi c.i.f. Greensnail £Stg.s6s c.i.f.

Rubber:—London, Feb. 3, Spot bu yi Stg.SlVid; Feb. c.i.f., Stg.3ld; July-Se< Stg.29»/ 2 d.