Ands Produce

es otherwise stated, quotations are gstralian currency. Aust. £ equals Isdmately 16/- Stg., NZ. or W. 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & HC areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; $U52.25.)

Copra

British Ministry of Food 9-years uict, which governed Copra prices oua and New Guinea, Fiji, Western ~i. Solomon Islands, and Gilbert and Colony (and. to some extent, in and Cook Islands) expired on De ir 31. 1957; since when each Terrl nas made its own arrangements for lion and marketing of copra.

JUA - NEW GUINEA:—AII production i.ivered to Copra Marketing Board.

Hied by six members, including three irs’ representatives; and the Board » distribution and sales, and makes tsnts to the producers. Production rmainly to (a) Unilever (under con covering 1960). (b) Australia (xor ) consumption) and (c) crushing-mill abaul. Prices generally arranged in llance with ruling rate in Philippines (it. with premiums for hot-air dried. m July 1, 1959. P-NG Copra ;’s Tentative Purchase Prices, for delivered main ports: Hot-Air Dried. v lO/- per ton; FMS, £A7I per ton; •-Dried, £A7O per ton.

II:—No Government control—producers /here they wish. Bulk of copra goes rushing-mill in Suva, whose price tiarf, Suva, is announced each week. :pril 4 prices were: HAD, £F67/10/-;

£ F66/2/6; Fm2, £F64/17/6.

;ST E R N SAMOA:—Official Copra I receives all production, and sells and makes payments to producers. proportion goes to Unilever, at ipines FM grade rates, plus pre ss up to £S3 per ton for hot iried. Prices unaltered since March, Hot-air dried, £867/13/8 per ton; iried No. 1, £S6S/3/8; sun-dried £B6l/13/8.

'NGA: —Sales are under Government :01. Part of production goes to Europe, ■ arrangement with Unilever con- II by Philippines prices, and part » open market.

LOMONS; —All production marketed (gh official Copra Board, at prices on Philippines market. Price de li in March: Ist grade, £AB6; 2nd „ £ AB4/10/-: 3rd grade, £AB2 per ton, BSIP ports. .IiBERT AND ELLlCE;—Production feted in Europe through official Copra :d, at prices based on Philippines , less “stabilisation fund’’ charges, SAMOA: —Producers receive 7 cents lb. 156.8 or £ A7O/4/6 approx, per long Periodic bonus, if average proceeds id Govt, buying price and expenses.

W HEBRIDES;—Price was approxi lly £ A5l per ton delivered Vila/ '» on April 7. French price on March tas 108,000 Metrop. francs per metric ic.i.f., Marseilles. )OK IS. AND NIUE IS.; Subject to provisions of the copra contract be ii the Cook Islands and Niue Island oers and Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, operate the only New Zealand copra aing mill, the price paid is the average son price for the previous month, less [ling charges. The actual price paid reducers varies widely from island to

island, currently ranging from £NZ3O to £ NZ6O per ton.

TOKELAUS: Price is based on the average London price for the month prior to shipment to Auckland crushers.

Other Produce

COCOA:—lslands prices are based on the rate for Ghana cocoa which on Apr. 4, was £Stg.2l7/10/- per ton, c.i.f., Sydney.

W. SAMOA:—Nominal price quoted in Sydney early April: £S2IO f.0.b., Apia, grade 1; £S2OS, grade 2.

P.-N.G.: Apr. 5, quote No. 1 £240 ex wharf Sydney; quote No. 2 £245 (top quality).

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.: Apr. 5, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/2; B grade, 4/1; C grade, 4/- c.i.f., Sydney.

In early April, price quoted for Tanga nyika A grade—no supplies offering: B grade £ Stg.3so; Undergradings, £ Stg.26o - all per ton and c.i.f., Sydney.

Uganda Robusta was offering at approx. £ Stg.l6o c.i.f. Sydney.

PEANUTS: P.-N.G., April 5, Kernels: White and Red Spanish 1/6V 2 lb del. buyer’s store; Virginia Bunch, 1/7V 2 . In Shell, 1/- lb.

RUBBER: —P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on April 4 was: No. 1 RSS, spot, 114V 2 Straits cents per lb (42,36 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, advised April 5: White and yellow label, processed, standard packs, 75/-; green label, 73/-, c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Australian): —Price from May 1, 1959—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. Vitamised 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.—Firm quotations for Aus tralian White M.O.P. Shell in April by Sydney independent shell agents were: Sound £ AB5O, D £A6OO, E £A3OO, EE £ A2OO (in store Sydney). Penrhyn £ NZ4OO (nominal), f.0.b.. Rarotonga.

Manihiki: Lagoon still closed until mid -1960 when position will be reviewed by Cl Administration. N.G.: Last reported sales of Black-lip M.O.P. made in Sydney were at £3OO per ton.

TROCHUS.—NominaI price c.i.f. Sydney, April 4—P-N.G.: £225-£230; £240- £245.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—In continued demand. £440 per ton.

CROCODILE SKINS: 12 in. and over, small-scale, first quality, 11/6 per in.

PAPUAN GUM; £BO per ton del. buyer’s store, Sydney.

London and US Quotations

Copra: London, April 8, Philippines, in bulk, $227.50 per long ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits/Borneo, FMS, de livered weights, c.i.f. UK/Nth. European ports, £Stg.B3/10/- per long ton. New York, April 8, Philippines $215 US. per short ton, c.i.f., Pacific coast ports. (£1 Australian is equal to about 2.25 US Dollars.) Coconut Oil: London April 4, Ceylon, in bulk. £ Stg.l27 per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits crude, £Stg.l2s, c.i.f.

Rubber: London, c.i.f., April 4. RSS No. 1, Spot, 34’Ad Stg. per lb; April, 33V 2 d Stg.; July/Sept., 33V 2 d Stg.