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; 168 Pac. Francs; SUS 2.23.)

Copra

Price negotiated between British Ministry of Food and British South Pacific Terri tories for 1057 was £Stg.s4 FOB main ports—a drop of 7*/a per cent, on the 1956 price. Stabilisation and other charges re duce actual producer price.

PAPUA - NEW GUINEA:—Hot A i r £ A57/15/-; FMS (sun dried) £AS7; Smoked, £AS4/5/-.

FlJl:—Plantation grade £PS2/5/6; FMS £FS2.

W. SAMOA:—Sellers: 22/6-23/6 per 100 lbs. Exporters; £S4I and £847 f.o.b.

Apia, for two grades.

E. SAMOA:—Producers receive 4 cents lb. (SUSB9.6 or £A4O approx, per long ton).

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

SOLOMONS:—Honiara/Qizo Yandina: Ist grade, £57/10/-; 2nd, £AS3/10/-; 3rd, £ A4B/10/-.

New Hebrides:—Sept. 9: 6,350 Pac.

francs (about £A37/2/6) delivered Vila/ Santo. European price, August 30, 72,000 Met. francs (about £A7S) c.i.f. per short ton.

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

COOK ISLANDS: —Local price is based on £ Stg.s4 (£NZS4/4/l) per ton, f.0.b., with premium of 30/- (NZ) for top grade kiln dried. Shipping, handling, shrinkage and storage charges reduce the outer island price to about £NZ3O per ton, basic rate.

COCOA:—lslands prices are based on the rate for Accra cocoa which on Sept. 7 was £Stg.27o per ton, c.i.f. London.

P.-N.G.;—Sept. 9: Good grade £A265 ex wharf, Sydney.

W. SAMOA:—Sept. 9: £ 5tg.265 f.o.b.

Apia.

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.: Sept. 9: Quote No. 1 —-Top grade 5/3 per lb; Quote No. 2 Nil.

PEANUTS:—P.-N.G., Sept. 9: Kernels 1/10; Virginia bunch, in shell, large, well cleaned, 1/4-1/5 per lb. del. Sydney; other 1/2-1/3 del. Sydney.

RUBBER:—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Sept. 6 was: No. 1 RSS, spot, 87*/8 Straits cents (31*/sd Aust. approx.) per lb.

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported on Sept. 9: Be cause of devaluation of the Pacific franc, prices are unsteady. The export levy has been increased from 7*/ 2 per cent, to 18 per cent. No firm quotations are available at present.

RICE (Australian): —Price from May 1, 1957 —P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressed,

112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £6l p» ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons £6l/10/- pu ton. Vitamised and enriched white, 1 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £67/10/ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons, £6B per to( Other Pac. Islands: Dry, brown, etc., £.' per ton, f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Sept. 8, 1957, quotatio by independent pearlers; Sound, £AB6E D, £ A 650; E, £A4SO; EE, £A2! (includes cost of getting shell fra source to Sydney, and loss in Sydm weights). Cook Is.-Manihiki: Aug. 8: Expc price, £Stg.69o f.o.b. Rarotonga (mark; weakening).

Trochus:—Quote No. 1, Ng, £A33£

£A34O; BSI, £350; New Hebrides, £A3Z Quote No. 2, NG, £A3IO. Prices are le rejects and based on Sydney weight Each agent reported “very limited but ness”.

Green Snail:—Quote No. 1 N»

£A2BO-£ A 290. This agent, and anoth who could not quote a price, report!

“very limited business”.

London And U.S. Prices

Copra:—London, Sept. 10: Philippine in bulk, Sept./Oct. $174 (nominal Straits/Borneo, fair, merchantable, di weights c.i.f. UK-North European pon Oct./Nov. £ Stg.62/10/- (buyer), £Stg,: (seller). New York, Sept. 10: Philippim c.i.f., US Pacific Coast ports, $165 (askeo Coconut Oil:—London, Sept. 10: Ceylo in bulk, fair, UK-North European por Sept./Oct. £ Stg.99 (seller); Straits, crut c.i.f., bulk, Sept./Oct. £ Stg.92/5/- 0 seller).

Cocoa: —London, Sept. 2: Accra Nov./Js shipment £ Stg.27o, c.i.f. Liverpool. Lo don, Sept. 9: Accra £ 5tg.272, c. and London. Continental ports, Sept. 9: Acc:: Oct./Dec. shipment £Stg.2ss-£Stg.2£ Nov./Jan. shipment, £Stg.2s7*/2-£Stg.2£ Dec./Feb. shipment, £ Stg.2sB/15/-; Jau Mar. shipment, £ Stg.2sB/15/-, Mar./M shipment, £ 5tg.256/5/-, all c.i.f. Co tinental ports prices are for metric to (2,200 lb).

Rubber:—London, Sept. 6: Spot buys 27*/sd lb c.i.f. Dec., 26d; Sept., 1958, 25*a j