Ands Produce

less otherwise stated, quotations are stralian currency. Aust. £ equals cimately 16/- Stg., NZ, or W. r, 18/- Fiji; 2ft/- Tonga. Solomons & areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; $U52.25.)

Copra

British Ministry of Pood 9-years ict, which governed Copra prices >ua and New Guinea. Fiii. Western . Solomon Islands, and Gilbert and Colony (and to some extent, in and Cook Islands) expired on De r 31. 1957; since when each Terrl as made its own arrangements for ion and marketing of copra.

CTA - NEW GUINEA;—AII production ivered to Copra Marketing Board, lied by six members, including three rs’ representatives: and the Board i distribution and sales, and makes nts to the producers. Production nalnly to (a> Unilever (under con covering 1960), (b) Australia (for consumption) and (c) crushing-mill haul. Prices generally arranged in ance with ruling rate in Philippines t. with premiums for hot-air dried, i July 1, 1960, P-NG Copra s Tentative Purchase Prices, for delivered main ports: Hot-Air Dried, per ton; FMS, £A63/10/- per ton; -Dried, £A62/10/- per ton. :—No Government control—producers here they wish. Bulk of copra goes ishing-mills in Suva. On Sept. 12 were; HAD £FSI/2/6, FM 12/6.

STERN SAMOA;—Official Copra receives all production, and sells and makes payments to producers. proportion goes to Unilever, at pines PM grade rates, plus pre up to £S3 per ton for hnt ied. Prices since March, 1959. have Hot-air dried, £867/13/8 per ton; led No. 1, £865/3/8; sun-dried £B6l/13/8.

FOA;—Sales are under Government l. Part of production goes to Europe, arrangement with Unilever con by Philippines prices, and part open market.

OMONS; —All production marketed :h official Copra Board, at prices on Philippines market. Price de as from Sept. 1: Ist grade. £A6S; rade, £ASB/10/-; 3rd grade, £AS6 n, f.0.b., BSIP ports.

BERT AND ELLlCE:—Production ted in Europe through official Copra , at prices based on Philippines less “stabilisation fund” charges, AMOA; —Producers receive 7 cents lb. 56.8 or £ A7O/4/6 approx, per long Periodic bonus, if average proceeds Govt, buying price and exnenses. / HEBRIDES:—Price on Sept. 9 was (8.000 Pac. francs) per ton de l Vila/Santo. French price on Sept, i 88,750 Metrop. francs per metric .i.f., Marseilles. >K IS. AND NIUE IS : Subject to pra contract provisions between Cook d Niue shippers and Abels. Ltd., of ind, who operate the only NZ copra ng mill, the price paid is average n price for previous month, less ing charges. Actual price paid to cers varies widely from island to , ranging from £NZ3O to £NZSO m.

CELAUS; Price is based on the ?e London price for the month prior pment to Auckland crushers.

Other Produce

COCOA:—lslands prices are based on the rate for Ghana cocoa which on Sept. 14 was £ Stg.2l7/10/- per ton c.i.f. Sydney.

W. SAMOA: —Nominal price quoted in Sydney on Sept. 12; £S2IS, f.0.b., Apia, grade 1; £S2IO, grade 2.

P.-N.G.: Sept. 12.—Quote No. 1; £255- 260 (best quality). Quote No. 2: £250 (medium grade).

COFFEE:—P.-N.G.: Sept. 12, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/2 to 4/3; B grade, 4/1; C grade, 4/- c.i.f., Sydney.

In early September world coffee market reports showed; Tanganyika—no supplies available: Kenya A, £Stg.39o, B. £Stg.3ss; Uganda Robusta, £ Stg.l37; all per ton, c.i.f., Sydney.

PEANUTS: P.-N.G., Sept. 12, Kernels: White Spanish 1/6 lb del. buyer’s store; Red Spanish, 1/4; Virginia Bunch, 1/7.

In Shell, 1/- lb.

RUBBER;—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Sept. 8 was: No. 1 RSS, spot, 99V 2 Straits cents per lb (35.24 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, advised Sept. 12: White and yellow label, processed, standard packs, 43/6; green label, 42/6, c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices as from May 1960 —P.-N.G.; Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £56/10/per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons £57 per ton. Vitamised and enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £63 per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons, £63/10/- per ton.

Other Pac. Islands: Dry, brown, etc., £66 per ton f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Aus tralian White M.O.P. Shell in Sept, by Sydney independent shell agents were: Sound £ AB5O, D £A6OO, E £A3OO, EE £A2OO (in store Sydney). Demand re ported to be falling off. Penrhyn Island: Approx. £ NZSOO, f.0.b., Rarotonga. Mani hiki Island: Lagoon closed.

TROCHUS: Quote No. 1.-Papua-N.G. and 8.5.1. £l7O per ton, c.i.f., Sydney.

Quote No. 2; £175 per ton.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL. —Buyers are offering up to £475 per ton, but supplies are lagging.

CROCODILE SKINS: 12 in. and over, small-scale, first quality No. 1 quote: 12/per in. No. 2 quote; 11/6 per in.

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

BECHE-DE-MER: Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, quote 2/- to 4/- lb for well processed commercial varieties.

SHARK FINS: Suva merchants offer 3/per lb for well-dried fins of commercial quality.

London and US Quotations

Copra: London, Sept. 9, Philippines, in bulk, $177 US per long ton, c.i.f., UK/ Nth. European ports. Straits/Borneo, FMS, delivered weights, c.i.f. UK/Nth. European ports, £Stg.66/10/- per long ton. (£1 Australian is equal to about 2.25 US Dollars.) Coconut Oil: London, Sept. 9, Ceylon, 1%, in bulk, £Stg.loo per ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth.

European ports. Straits, 3%, £Stg.9s c.i.f.

Rubber: London, c.i.f., Sept. 8, RSS No. 1, Spot, SOVsd Stg. per lb. 28 3 / 4 d Stg. lb.

Oct./Nov. 28d Stg. lb. July, 1961, 28y s d Stg. lb.