[?]Slands Produce

Unless otherwise stated, quotations are Australian currency. Aust. £ equals nproximately 16/- Stg., NZ, or W. i moa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & ,°HC areas; 140 Pac. Francs; SUS 2.23.)

Copra

(1957 MOF price not yet finalised. Most territories have tentatively dropped their prices by 10 per cent.) Price negotiated between British Ministry of Food and British South Pacific Territories for 1956 was £ Stg.sB/10/- FOB main ports. Stabilisation funds and other charges reduce the actual prices to pro ducers.

Papua-New Guinea: Approx;

£56/5/-; £55/11/6; £53/2/0 tentatively FIJI: Tentatively; Plant. gde.

£Fso/5/6; Fms £Fso.

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 4 cents lb. sSUSB9.6 or £A4O approx, per long ton).

Periodic bonus, if average proceeds exceed Govt, buying price and expenses.

SOLOMONS: Honiara/Gizo Yandina: Ist grade, £56; 2nd £52; 3rd £45, HEW HEBRIDES:—Buying price on May 7 was steady at 6,000 Pac. francs (£A42) delivered Vila/Santo. European price, May 3, 67,000 Met. francs (£AB4/5/- approx.) c.i.f. per short ton.

NEW CALEDONIA:—Noumea, Feb. 20: 7,250 Pac. francs (£ASO).

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

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. SVid NZ per lb. equal to £ NZ3O per ton.

COCOA: —Islands prices are based on the rate for Accra cocoa which on May 8 was £Stg.l92/10/-_per ton, c.i.f. London.

P.-N.G.:—Good grade £220-£230 ex wharf, Sydney.

W. SAMOA:—May 8: £Stg.2oo, f.o.b.

COFFEE:—P.-N.G. May 8: Top grade 6/7 per lb.

PEANUTS:—P.-N.G., May 8: Kernels 1/10-2/- lb.; Virginia bunch, in shell, large, well cleaned, 1/8 per lb. del.

Sydney; other 1/5 del. Sydney.

RUBBER:—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on May 7 was; No. 1 RSS, spot, 89y 4 Straits cents (31- 2/3d Aust. approx.) per lb.

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported on May 8: New crop, c.i.f. Sydney, Tahiti White and Yellow label, processed, standard packs, 60/-, Green 58/- per lb.

RICE (Australian): —Price from May 1, 1957—P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £6l per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons £6l/10/- per ton. Vitamised and enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £67/10/- per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons, £6B per ton.

Other Pac. Islands: Dry, brown, etc., £7O per ton, f.0.w., 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 (1957 prices not yet fixed), i.e.; Sound grades £A736; D, £A39O; E, £A3OO; EE, £A225; all f.o.b.

Australian ports; May 7, 1957, quotation by independent pearlers; Sound, £A9OO; D, £ A 670; E. £ A 455; EE, £A26O. Cook Is.-Manihiki; Apr. 1: Loose shell on beach, £ Stg.44B per long ton. Export price, £Stg.Boo-900 f.o.b. Rarotonga. Tuamotus, 175-185 Pac. francs per kilo (£l,OOO - per long ton) f.o.b. Papeete.

TROCHUS;—One Sydney agent 8 quoted, in store: N. Heb., £A47i £ASIS; and BSI, £AS2O, all f.a.q.; quoted: N.G., £A495, ex wharf, Sj

Green Snail:—Quote No. 1

SW Pacific, in store, Sydney, £ A 465, subject to rejects. Quotes £ A 460.

London And U.S. Prices

Copra:—London, May 7: Straits,! fair, merchantable, del. weights United Kingdom-North European: May-June, £ Stg.63/5/- £Stg.63/15/- (seller). New York, Philippines in bulk, U.S. Pacifii ports, SUSI6O (seller).

Coconut Oil:—London, May 7: in bulk, c.i.f., United Kingdom European ports, May/June, (reseller). London, May 6: Straits c.i.f., bulk, May/June £Stg.9l/U seller).

Cocoa:—London, Apr. 20: Accra/T bond (buyers), May, £Stg.2l2/10 ton.

Coffee:—London, Apr. 20: Ul Uganda native robustas f.a.q. Ap shipment £Stg.2s3/10/- (sellers)!

Aug., £Stg.2s4/10/-; Sept., £Stg.: Oct.. £Stg.2s2/10/-, all long to;* Mombasa.

Rubber:—London, May 7: Spot; Stg.26%d lb, c.i.f. Oct./Dec., 26 5 /a 26V 4 d.

Green Snail: —London, Mar. 14 pore, £ 5tg.565, Penang, £Stg.s6o, long ton, c.i.f.

Trochus:—London, Mar. 14: Sa £ Stg.sBs; Singapore, £Stg.6oo; Si: Macassar, £Stg.s7o; Mergui, £Stg per long ton, c.i.f.