Islands Produ[?]
pp. 176-177 · Read in the full issue
(Unless otherwise stated, quotations In Australian currency. Aust. £ eq approximately 16/- Stg., NZ, or Samoa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomon WPHC areas; 188 Pac. Frs.; SUS 2.20-2.
Copra
The British Ministry of Food 9-yi Contract, which governed Copra pr in Papua and New Guinea, Fiji, Wesl Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Gilbert Ellice Colony (and. to some extent, Tonga and Cook Islands) expired on
)er 31, 1957; since when each Terrl has made its own arrangements for ctlon and marketing of copra.
PUA-NEW GUINEA; —All production elivered to Copra Marketing Board, rolled by six members, including three ters’ representatives; and the Board ts distribution and sales, and makes lents to the producers. Production mainly to (a) Unilever (under con covering 1959), (b) Australia (for consumption) and (c) crushing-mill labaul. Prices generally arranged in rdance with ruling rate in Philippines ;et, with premiums for hot-air dried.
Tentative” Price For New Guinea »m January 1, 1959, P-NG Copra 1 announces “Tentative Prices”, for i delivered main ports: Hot-Air Dried, i per ton; FMS, £AS4 per ton; ;e-Dried £AS3/7/6 11; —No Government control —producers where they wish. Bulk of copra goes rushing-mill in Suva, whose price harf, Suva, is announced each week.
February 2, prices were, HAD,
:/7/6; Fmi, £Fb3; Fm2, £Bl/15/-.
ISTERN SAMOA: —Official Copra i receives all production, and sells and makes payments to producers. 5 proportion goes to Unilever, at ppines FM grade rates, plus pre is up to £Stg.3 per ton for hot iried Prices announced December, to operate till further notice: Hot- Iried £S.6I/10/6 per ton; sun-dried 1, £8.59/0/6; sun-dried, No. 2, 5/10/6.
NGA: —Sales are under Government 01. Part of production goes to Europe, r arrangement with Unilever con d by Philippines prices, and part ) open market.
LOMONS: —All production marketed [gh official Copra Board, at prices on Philippines market. Price de i February: Ist grade, £A7O; 2nd , £ A6B; 3rd grade, £A64 per ton, BSIP ports.
LiBERT AND ELLlCE;—Production eted in Europe through official Copra 1, at prices based on Philippines , less “stabilisation fund” charges, SAMOA: —Producers receive 4 cents lb. 19.6 or £A4O approx, per long ton), lie bonus, if average proceeds exceed buying price and expenses. (V HEBRIDES:—On January 30 price £A6S per ton, delivered Vila/Santo. ame date, price was 125,000 Metrop. s per metric ton, c.i.f. Marseilles.
DK ISLANDS:—Price fixed for first )f 1959, approx. £NZ69 per ton f.0.b., onga, plus allowance 25/- for top ; sun dried and £1 for bags. Charges ;ht, storage, etc.) greatly reduce price in outer islands.
Other Produce
Islands prices are based on the for Ghana cocoa which, on Feb. 6, £ 5tg.272/10/- per ton, c.i.f., London, ge W. African crops is expected this a and prices may ease further.
SAMOA:—Nominal price quoted in ;y early February £S2BO, f.0.b., Apia.
ST.G.: February 6, £A335 ex-wharf, jy- FFEE; —P.-N.G.: February 6,4/- per if. Sydney, was generally quoted, les continue plentiful, e January quotes for Kenya coffee, ton, c.i.f. Sydney, were; A grade, .434; B grade. £Stg.37o; C grade, .325; undergradings, £Stg.27o.
LNUTS:—P.-N.G.: Feb. 6: Kernels 1/8 '9 into store; virtually no sale In ;y at present for nuts in shell.
BBER; —P.-N.G. price is based on pore rate, which on Feb. 6. was: No.
S, spot, SBVs Straits cents per lb i Aust.).
VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported on Feb. 6: New crop, c.i.f., Sydney, Tahiti White and Yellow label, processed standard packs 72/-, Green 70/-.
BICE (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. Vitamlsed 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.—February quotations by independent pearlers for: Sound. £A7SO; D, £ASSO; E, £A225: EE, £AISO (in store Sydney). Manihlki lagoon still closed; Penrhyn, £Stg.4ls, f.0.b., Raro tonga, nominal.
TROCHUS:—Supplies now plentiful but no demand; nominal £A325, ex-wharf, Sydney.
GREEN SNAlL:—Supplies light and could be increased to meet demand. £A3SO per ton, ex-wharf quoted.
London) and US Quotations
Copra: London, February 6, Philippines in bulk, $260 per ton c.i.f.. UK/North European ports. Straits/Borneo FMS, del. weights, c.i.f., UK/North European ports £ Stg.93. New York: February 6, Philip pines, $252 per ton c.i.f. Pacific coast ports. (£1 Australian is about equal to 2.25 US Dollars.) Coconut Oil: London, February 6, Ceylon in bulk, £ Stg.l3l per ton, c.i.f. UK/North European ports. Straits/Borneo, £ Stg.l32 per ton c.i.f.
Rubber: London, Feb. 6, RSS No, 1, spot, 25 J /sd Stg. per lb; April-June, 25%d Stg. per lb; Dec., ’59, 25y 8 d Stg. per lb.