Islands Produce

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

Samoa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & WPHC areas; 140 Pac. Francs: 5U52.23.)

Copra

(Negotiations between MOF and British SP producers for 1956 price not finalised Mar. 15. 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 was £ Stg.6s, FOB mam ports —a reduction of 7.147 c 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

£S4I/12/- xor the three gradings in use.

E. SAMOA; —Adjusted with free-raarket 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 Mar. 1. 5.600 Pac. francs (£A39/4/-) delivered Vila/Santo.

FRENCH OCEANIA;—Mar. 1, top grade 8.36 Pac. francs per kilo (£A6O/12/0 per long ton) in store, Papeete. Minimum price for lowest grade 5.35 Pac. francs (£A39 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 Mar. 6, was £Stg.2l3/15/- f.o.b.

P.-N.G.: £A265, delivered Sydney.

W. SAMOA: Feb. 8, £Stg.2so, f.o.b.

Apia. Business dull. No recent quote.

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.; Top grades 5/6 lb. in store, Sydney; Fr. Oceania: 60 francs per kilo, unhusked.

PEANUTS:—P.-N.G.: Market only for Virginia Bunch, in shell, large, well cleaned, 1/4 per lb. delivered Sydney.

RUBBER: —P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore, which quoted Mar. 7, No. 1 RSS, spot 98 cents (34.69 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp. Tulk & Co., Sydney, quoted Mar. 6 buying price, c.i.f. Sydney, Tahiti White and Yellow label, processed, standard packs, 42/-, Green, 40/- per lb.

RICE (Australian):—Price adjusted Majj each year. P.-N.G.; Dry brown and dresss £65 per ton, f.o.b. To other Territorn £7B per ton, f.o.b.

PEARL SHELL.—Prices between Torir Strait producers and Otto Gerdau O • USA) not yet fixed for 1956. ManihiTi Lagoon closed. Last shipment £AB6O c.i.

Sydney. Divers now working Penrhr Lagoon. Tuamotu: £A9IO, long ton, t raw shell on beach, Mangareva.

TROCHUS:—Mar. 6, in store Sydnn subject to rejects, SW Pacific £550 n ton.

New Caledonia: Season closed Oct. I GREEN SNAIL:—SW Pacific, in sto; Sydney, to £445, subject to rejects.

London And U.S. Prices

Copra:—London, Mar. 1, Straits, c.i.i £Stg.64/10/-; Philippines, SUSI 77, c.i.

Pac. Coast, del. weights.

Cocoa: —London, Feb. 18: Gold Coa( Mar.-May del. c.i.f., £Stg.2ls long ton..j Coffee:—London, Feb. 18; Uganda natid f.a.q., Feb.-Mar. £Stg.262 f.o.b. Moic basa; Belg. Congo Kivu Arabica £560, bond, London.

Rubber: —London, Mar. 7, Spot buyee Stg.29y 4 d; Feb. c.i.f., Stg.2B%d; July-Sen Stg.27V 2 d.