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

FIJI: —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,

whlck varies according to distance of producing district from Apia.

E. SAMOA;—Producers receive 5 cents lb. (SUSII2 or £ A5O approx, per long ton). Periodic bonus, if average proceeds exceed Govt, buying price and expenses.

SOLOMONS;—Honiara/Gizo: Hot Air

£A6I/10/-; Mixed Ha/Pm £As7; Fm

£ A52/10/-; Yandina; 5/- higher.

NEW HEBRIDES:—Buying price on Dec. 10 rose from 5,900 Pac. francs (£A4I/6/-) to 6,750 Pac. francs (£A43/8/-) delivered Vila/Santo. European price 73,000 Met. francs (£A93/11/3) c.i.f. per short ton.

FRENCH OCEANIA:—Recent prices were; Top grade 10.50 Pac. francs per kilo (£ A62/15/- per long ton) f.0.b., Papeete; minimum for lowest grade 5.35 Pac. francs (£A39 per long ton).

TONGA:—A Grade, £TS2/5/-; B Grade, £ T46/5/-. . w 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. SVid NZ per lb. equal to £ NZ3O per ton.

COCOA:—lslands prices are based on the rate for Accra cocoa which on Dec. 11 was £Stg.2ll/12/- per ton, c.i.f.

P.-N.G.; Good grade, £A24O, ex wharf Sydney.

W. SAM.; Dec. 10, £Stg.23s, f.o.b. Apia.

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.: Top grade 7/2 lb. in store, Sydney; Fr. Oceania: 75 francs per kilo, unhusked.

PEANUTS:—P.-N.G.: Virginia bunch, in shell, large, well cleaned, 1/9 per lb. del.

Sydney; other 1/3-1/4 del. Sydney.

RUBBER;—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Dec. 10, was; No. 1 RSS, spot, 115y 4 Straits cents

(40.79 d Aust. approx.) per lb.

VANILLA BEANS; Victor Karp, Tulk & Co Sydney, reported early in December: New crop, c.i.f. Sydney. Tahiti White and Yellow label, processed, standard packs, 62/-, Green, 60/- per lb. A French Oceania source recently quoted 825 Pac. francs per kilo (42/9 Aust. per lb.) f.o.b.

Papeete.

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

mained as for 1955, i.e.; Sound

£A736; D, £A39O; E. £A3Oo; Ee,

all f.0.b., Australian ports; Dec. 1 quotation by independent pi Sound £AB7S; D, £A625; E, EE, £A2BS. Cook Is.-Manihiki: Lag opening Jan. 1, 1957. Tuamotu 185 Pac. francs per kilo (£AI,OOO-i per long ton) f.o.b. Papeete.

TRO>CHUS:~One Sydney agent < 11 quoted, in store: N. Heb., N.G., £AS4O; and 8.5.1.. £AS4O a] another quoted; N.G., £ASOO; £ A5lO, f.a.q.

Green Snail;—Quote No.

Pacific, in store, Sydney, £A4BS, to rejects. Quote No. 2; £A4BO.

London And U S. Price

Copra:—London, December 10: Malaya c.i.f. European continei weights, £Stg.7o nominal (buyer; York, Dec. 10: Philippines, c.i Pacific Coast ports, $lB6.

Coconut Oil:—London, Nov. 16. 3%, in drums, c.i.f. Rotterdam, I £Stg.9B per ton (sellers). E Ceylon, in bulk, c.i.f., UK-Northei pean ports, £Stg.lo3.

Cocoa:—London, Nov. 16; Gol< good fermented, Nov./Jan., 205/- 50 kilos (sellers), c.i.f. basis N tinental ports. Accra/Lagos (Mar.), buyers, £Stg.2o6 long tor Coffee: —London, Nov. 16: Ugai washed native Robusta) f.a.q., N ment £Stg.2so; Dec. shipment, Jan. shipment £Stg.24o—all per Mombasa. Santos 530/- Stg. per in bond London.

Rubber:—London, Nov. 16: Spo Stg.32d lb. (nominal).

Trochus:—London, Oct. 10: S £ Stg.6oo long ton, c.i.f.; S Macassar, £Stg.sss.

Green Snail:—London, Oct. 11 pore, £ 5tg.595 long ton, c.i.f.