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; SUS 2.23.)

Copra

Price negotiated between British Ministry of Food and British South Pacific Territories for 1956 was £ Stg.sB/10/- FOB main ports—a reduction of 10% on the 1955 price. Stabilisation funds and other charges reduce the actual prices to pro ducers to those given below, per ton:

Papua - New Guinea:—Hot Air

£ A62/10/-; FMS (Sun-dried) £A6I/15/-; Smoked £AS9.

FlJl:—Plantation £FS7/5/6 for top

grade; FMs £FS7; moister grades £FSS/18/- to £FS4/2/- minimum.

W. SAMOA:—Basic price of £836/14/4, which varies according to distance of producing district from Apia.

E. SAMOA: —Producers receive 5 cents lb. (SUSII2 or £ASO approx, per long ton). Periodic bonus, if average proceeds exceed Govt, buying price and expenses.

SOLOMONS; —Honiara/Gizo: Hot Air

£A6I/10/-; Mixed Ha/Fm £As7; Fm

£AS2/10/-; Yandina: 5/- higher.

NEW HEBRIDES;—Buying price on June 1 fell from 6,400 Pac. francs (£A44/16/-) to 6,000 Pac. francs (£A42) delivered Vila/ Santo: still at that rate early October.

FRENCH OCEANIA:—Sept.: Top grade 10.50 Pac. francs per kilo (£A62/10/- per long ton) f.0.b., Papeete; minimum price for lowest grade 5.35 Pac. francs (£A39 per long ton).

TONGA:—A Grade, £TS2/5/-; B Grade, £ T46/5/-.

COOK IS.: —Local price is based on £NZSB/14/4 (£Stg.sB/10/-) per ton f.0.b., in bulk. Outer islands copra producers receive approx. 3y 4 d N.Z. per lb. equal to £ N.Z.30 per ton.

COCOA: —Islands prices are based on the rate for Accra cocoa which on Oct. 10 was £Stg.2o7/10/-, c.i.f.

P.-N.G.: Good grade, £A235, ex wharf Sydney.

W. SAM.: Sept. 1, £Stg.23o, f.o.b. Apia.

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.: Top grades 6/6 lb. in store, Sydney; Fr. Oceania: 75 francs per kilo, unhusked.

PEANUTS:—P.-N.G.: In shell, large, well cleaned, 1/10 per lb. del. Sydney; kernels, 2/- lb. del. Sydney.

RUBBER:—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Oct. 8, was: No. RSS, spot, 92 Vs Straits cents (32.61 d Aust. approx.) per lb.

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, reports that supplies from the new crop available and quoted at: C.i.f. Sydney, Tahiti White and Yellow label, processed, standard packs, 62/-, Green, 60/- per lb.

RICE (Australian): —Price adjusted May 1 each year. P.-N.G.; Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb. bags, 5 tons and over, £62 per ton, f.0.b.; under 5 tons £62/10/per ton. Vitamized and enriched white, 112 lb. bags, 5 tons and over, £6B/10/per ton f.0.b.; under 5 tons, £69 per ton.

Other Pac. Islands: Dry, brown, etc., £7O per ton, f.o.b. Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Prices between the majority of the Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerdau Co. (USA) for 1956, re

main as for 1955, i.e.; Sound

£A736; D, £A39O; E, £A3Oo; Ee*,

all f.0.b., Australian ports; t quotation by independent pearlers-.

£Ab6O-920; D, £A6Oo-650; E, £A

EE. £A27O-300. Cook Is.: No tram Manihiki: Lagoon closed. Tuamot'J 185 Pac. francs per kilo (£Al,OOO* per long ton) f.o.b. Papeete.

TROCHUS:—One Sydney agent* 11 quoted; New Hebrides. £4B N.G., £530; and 8.5.1.. £530 “au to grade”; another quoted £4B £520: and £520. London: early Sandakan £Stg.s7s per long tot Singapore/Macassar, £555; Mergui

Green Snail:—Quote No. T

Pacific, in store, Sydney, £480,1, to rejects; lower grades £ 400* Quote No. 2: £465-£4BO.

London And U.S. Prices

Copra:—London, Oct. 9: Straits c.i.f., European continent, del.4 Oct.-Nov. £63/10/- buyers. Phii in bulk, Oct.-Nov. SUSI 76 sellers/.

Coconut Oil:—London, Oct. 9-1 in bulk, c.i.f. U.K. and North E ports, Oct.-Nov. £Stg.9s seller. N© Oct. 9: Straits, crude, c.i.f., bulk Oct. £B9 per ton sellers.

Cocoa:—London, Sept. 15: Acc:: in bond (buyers). £Stg.223/10( ton.

Coffee:—London, Sept. 15; Tar (unwashed native robustai f.a.qp Oct. shipment £Stg.249: Nov. £ Dec. £ 5tg.246; Jan. £Stg.24t £ Stg.24o, all per ton W Indonesian robustas (washed and Sept.-Oct. shipment, A.P.I. £Stg.27B c.i.f. Singapore.

Rubber:—London, Oct. 8 Snottj Std. 26 7 / B d.