Islands Produo
pp. 168-169 · Read in the full issue
{Unless otherwise stated, quotationsg In Australian currency. Aust. £ eis approximately 16/- Stg., NZ, or i Samoa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomoo WPHC areas: 168 Pac. Frs.; SUS 2.20-2-
Copra
The British Ministry of Food 9-;,- Contract, which governed Copra p? in Papua and New Guinea, Fiji, Weis Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Gilberti- Ellice Colony (and, to some extents Tonga and Cook Islands) expired onn cember 31, 1957; since when each IT tory has made its own arrangements! collection and marketing of copra.
Papua-New Guinea:—Aii Produu
is delivered to Copra Marketing B<a controlled by six members, including t planters’ representatives; and the H directs distribution and sales, and mn payments to the producers. Produxj; goes mainly to (a) Unilever (under i tract covering 1959), (b) Australia x local consumption) and (c) crushinggi in Rabaul. Prices generally arranges: accordance with ruling rate in Phillpiq market, with premiums for hot-air db
“Tentative” Price For New Guinea [from Jan. 1, 1959, P-NG Copra Board ifiounces new ‘‘Tentative Prices”, for nra delivered main ports: Hot-Air Dried, U 55 per ton; FMS, £AS4 per ton; coke-Dried £AS3/7/6. These prices will [>ly to whole period, from January 1. >B, and thereafter. The necessary back yments were made in December, 1958. :*UI:—No Government control—producers t where they wish. Bulk of copra goes : crushing-mill in Suva, whose price wharf, Suva, is announced each week.
January 5, prices were, HAD.
T7B/10/-; Fmi, £F77/5/5; Fm2,
1*75/17/6.
WESTERN SAMOA:—Official Copra ,ird receives all production, and sells ne and makes payments to producers.
Cge proportion goes to Unilever, at Elippines FM grade rates, plus pre urns up to £Stg.3 per ton for hot dried Prices announced December, !8, to operate till further notice; Hot dried £8.61/10/6 per ton; sun-dried 1, £8.59/0/6; sun-dried, No. 2, ..55/10/6. i’ONGA:—Sales are under Government i.trol. Part of production goes to Europe, ier arrangement with Unilever con iled by Philippines prices, and part •to open market.
WDLOMONM: —All production marketed rough official Copra Board, at prices red on Philippines market. Price de red January: Ist grade, £A6B; 2nd rde, £ A 66; 3rd grade, £A62 per ton, b , BSIP ports. 41LBERT AND ELLlCE:—Production irketed in Europe through official Copra ard, at prices based on Philippines :es, less ‘‘stabilisation fund” charges, . SAMOA;—Producers receive 4 cents lb. f 589.6 or £A4O approx, per long ton), ilodic bonus, if average proceeds exceed ft. buying price and expenses. :lEW HEBRIDES:—On December 15 Sore devaluation) prices was 10,200 Pac. ■tics (£AS9/12/11) per ton, delivered a/Santo. lOOK ISLANDS:—LocaI price is based £NZSO per ton, f.0.b.. Rarotonga, ii premium of 50/- (NZ) for top grade i dried. Shipping, handling, shrinkage i storage charges reduce the outer :.nds price to about £NZ3O per ton. ic rate. (Negotiations for price second if of 1958 continuing—but expected to higher).
Other Produce
lOCOA: —lslands prices are based on the ;e for Ghana cocoa which, on Jan. 9, t £Stg.292/16/- per ton, c.i.f., London, large W. African crop is expected this ;son. 7. SAMOA:—Price quoted end of Dec. :315, f.0.b., Apia, but believed to have i£n considerably since, in line with lana. ..-N.G.: January 9: £A34O, £A3SO ex »rf. Sydney, market falling. 40FFEE: —P.N.G.: Jan. 9, 3/8 to 4/2 per •c.i.f. Sydney, was generally quoted, ■plies continue plentiful. t«st quotes for Kenya Arabica were in i November when they were, A grade, q., £Stg.47s; B grade, f.a.q., £Stg.4lo; [grade, f.a q., £Stg.37s; undergradings How as £Stg.32o; all per ton, and c.i.f. stralian ports. These rates were still #rox. correct Jan., 1959.
PEANUTS:— P.-N.G.: Jan. 9: Kernels 1,8 11/9 into store; virtually no sale at went for nuts in shell. iUBBER;—P.-N.G. price is based on (gapore rate, which on Jan. 9. was; * 1 RSS, spot, 86% Straits cents per
>|(30.07d Aust.).
VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported on Jan. 9: New crop, c.l.fSydney, Tahiti White and Yellow label, processed standard packs 70/-, Green 68/-.
RICE (Australian): —Price from May 1, 1958—P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb bags., 5 tons and over, £6l/10/per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons £62 per ton. Vltamlsed and enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £6B per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons, £6B/10/- per ton.
Other Pac. Islands: Dry, brown, etc., £7O per ton, f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.
PEARL SHELL.—January quotation by independent pearlers for: Sound. £A7SO; D, £ASSO; E, £A225; EE, £AISO (in store Sydney). Manihiki, £Stg.soo f.o.b. Rarotonga, nominal.
TROCHUS:—Supplies now plentiful but little demand: nominal £A325, ex-wharf, Sydney.
GREEN SNAIL: —Supplies light and could be increased to meet demand. £A3SO per ton, ex-wharf quoted.
London and US Quotations
Copra: London January 9, Philippines in bulk S2US c.i.f. per ton, Jan.-Feb.
Straits/Borneo, FMS, del. weights, c.i.f..
UK/North European ports, £Stg.93 (Jan.-Feb.). New York: Jan. 9, Philippines $247.5, per ton c.i.f., US Pacific Coast ports. (£1 Australian is about equal to 2.25 US Dollars.) Coconut Oil: London, Jan. 9. Ceylon in bulk, UK/North European ports. £St.l33 per ton c.i.f. Straits/Borneo, £Stg.l34 per ton.
Rubber: London. Jan. 9. RSS No. 1,
spot, 25d Stg. per lb; April-June, 25V2d Stg. per lb; Dec., ’59, 24%d Stg. per lb.