Higher Prices

Copra Situation

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The continuing high average price in the UK and Continental markets was a feature of the copra market in August. The average was £Stg.72/10/- per ton—being lowest at the end of the first week in August and highest (£Stg.73/11/l) at the end of that month. (Average jor July was £Stg.7o/2/6).

THE high prices and the buoyancy of the market is attributed to the fact that little or no copra from Indonesia is finding its way to the European market; and at the same time, shipments from the Philippines have also been extremely low.

As a result of the high price for copra, buyers have, however, been turning more to soft oils, such as peanut and soya bean. It is thought that if it had not been for Unilever’s undertaking to accept in 1958, something like 100,000 tons of Pacific copra, the drift to alternative oils would have been even greater than it has.

When supplies from Philippines and Indonesia return to normal it may be difficult for copra to win back the consumers who have turned -o these alternatives.

There is no immediate prospect of an improvement in the Philip pines supply position, and Indonesia remains an unknown quantity, therefore, it is assumed that copra prices will remain relatively high for some months—although some consumers are forecasting a surplus pi oils and fats, and consequent lower prices, next year.

P-NG Production

nv A 3 ve P B weather condition affected production of copra in a large area vLv* p TT a " New Guin ea in the current S; however, in spite of it, it is uniikeiy that production for the full trm r fall by more than 1.000 tons below that of 1957. \iZvL th . e fi^ st eight months de- Bn/vH t 0 the C °P ra Marketing PectPd F’ 100 tons - Tt is ex- L that fo *i the full year they (Total ar ° und 95,000/96,000 tons. 97,743 tons? d UCtlon in 1957 WaS B a aS L d arS"tl„ b B Ull^” d , lSSUed by p - NO

E atin' and Sleepin' Time

In the children's ward of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Suva, life is not all castor oil and tears. A lot of the time it is just eating and sleeping—and the young patients enjoy both, as these attractive Fiji PRO photos by Rob Wright show. The mural was painted by several members of the Fiji Arts Club.