Copra

Islands Produce

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are In Australian currency. Aust. £ equals approximately 16/- s *g-» or v y Samoa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & WPHC areas; 140 Pac. Francs; SUS 2.26.)

vw ' . .. .. (1957 MOF price not yet finalised).

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 £PS7; moister grades £FSS/18/- to £FS4/2/- minimum, W. SAMOA:—Sellers: 22/6-23/6 per 100 lbs. Exporters; £S4I and £S47 f.o.b.

Apia, for two grades.

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/Glzo: Hot A ir

£A6I/10/-; Mixed Ha/Fm £As7; Fm

£ A52/10/-. •’

NEW HEBRIDES:—Buying price on Jan. 14 fell from 6,750 Pac. francs (£A47/5/-) to 6,300 Pac. francs (£A44/2/-) delivered Vila/Santo. European price 20,000 Met. francs (£ABB/10/-) 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/-. ' J 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 Feb. 8 was £ Stg.lBs per ton, c.i.f. London.

P.-N.G.: Good grade, £A23O, ex wharf Sydney.

W. SAM.: Jan. 17, £ Stg.2lo, f.o.b. Apia.

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.: Top grade quote No. 1: 6/6-6/9; quote No. 2: 6/9 per lb.

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 Feb. 8, was; No. 1 RSS, spot, 89 Yu Straits cents (33d Aust. approx.) per lb.

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported on February 11: New crop, c.i.f. Sydney, Tahiti White and Yellow label, processed, standard packs, 56/-, Green, 54/- per lb.

RICE (Australian):—Price adjusted May 1 each year. F.-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 gradesr £A736; D, £A39O; E, £A3OO; EE, £A2253£ all f.0.b., Australian ports; Feb. 11, 195"5( quotation by independent pearlerai Sound £ A 925; D, £A69O; E, £A47SV EE, £ A2BO. Cook Is.-Manihiki: Lagoon rear opening Jan, 1, 1957. Tuamotus: 1757 185 Pac. francs per kilo (£AI,OOO-£Al,O©O per long ton) f.o.b. Papeete.

TROCHUS: —One Sydney agent on Fefa r 11 quoted, in store: N. Heb., £A5Od N.G., £AS4O; and 8.5.1., £A545 all f.a.qp. another quoted: N.G., £ASSO; f.a.q.

Green Snail:—Quote No. 1: Sts

Pacific, in store, Sydney, £A4BS, subjeoi to rejects. Quote No. 2: £A49O.

London And U.S. Prices

Copra:—London, February 5; Strait:ii Malaya, c.i.f. European continent, del: weights, Feb./Mar. £Stg.67 (sellers Philippines, in bulk, Feb./Mar. $180.5. ( (seller). New York, Feb. 1: Philippine c.i.f., U.S. Pacific Coast ports, $151: (nominal).

Coconut Oil: —London, Feb. 5: Strait! crude, c.i.f. bulk, Feb./Mar. £Stg.94/5B per ton sellers. Ceylon, in bulk, c.ii.

United Kingdom-North European port': Feb./Mar. £Stg.lo2/10/- (nominal).

Cocoa: —London, Jan. 19: Gold Coase good fermented, Jan./Mar., 175/- Stg. pq 50 kilos (sellers), c.i.f. basis Nth. Coo tinental ports. Accra/Lagos futuriL (May), buyers, £ Stg.l77/10/- long ton. .r Coffee:—London, Jan. 19; Uganda (ujj washed native Robusta) f.a.q. Jan. shitd ment £ Stg.2sl; Feb. £ Stg.2so per tt f.o.b. Mombasa. Santos 530/- Stg. pq 50 kilos in bond London.

Rubber.—London; Feb. 8; Spot buye:e' Stg.26VBd lb. (nominal). July/Sept. 25ys\ r ' Feb. 25 7 / B d.

Trochus: —London, Dec. 19: Singapmoi £ Stg.6Bs long ton, c.i.f.