[?]Ands Produce

less otherwise stated, quotations are stralian currency. Aust. £ equals slmately 16/- Stg., NZ, or W. 1; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & ! areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; $U52.25.)

Copra

British Ministry of Food 0-years ict, which governed Copra prices aua and New Guinea, Fiji, Western 1, Solomon Islands, and Gilbert and Colony (and. to some extent, in and Cook Islands) expired on De r 31, 1957; since when each Terrl las made its own arrangements for ion and marketing of copra.

UA - NEW GUINEA:—AII production ivered to Copra Marketing Board, lied by six members, including three rs’ representatives; and the Board 5 distribution and sales, and makes •nts to the producers. Production nainly to (a) Unilever (30,000 tons contract covering 1961), (b) Aus (3o,ooo tons for local consumption), ushing-mill in Rabaul (40,000 tons), d) Japan (300 tons per month or if available). Prices generally ar l in accordance with ruling rate in lines market, with premiums for r dried. a January 1, 1961, P-NG Copra s Tentative Purchase Prices, for delivered main ports: Hot-Air Dried 10/- per ton; FMS, £AS3 per ton; -Dried, £AS2 per ton. : —No Government control—producers here they wish. Bulk of copra goes ishing-mills in Suva. On Jan. 9

Were: Had £Fsi, Fm £F4B/10/-.

STERN SAMOA:—Official Copra takes all production, sells same and payments to producers. In 1961, ,000 tons will go to Abels Ltd., NZ rs, and about 6,000 tons to Unilever, ut of an estimated 15,000 tons pro 1, under this year’s contracts. last year were: Hot-Air Dried, 13/8 per ton, Sun-Dried No. 1, 3/8, Sun-Dried No. 2. £B6l/13/8. ew 1961 prices have not been made yet.

GA: —Sales are under Government 1. Part of production goes to Europe, arrangement with Unilever con by Philippines prices, and part open market DMON IS.:—All production marketed h official BSI Copra Board, at prices on Philippines rates. Of the torate’s 1961 output (about 20,000 14,000 tons will go to Unilever, 1,000 tons to Australian crushers; ie balance sold on the open market, price declared for January: Ist £A6O; 2nd grade, £ASB; 3rd £AS6 per ton, 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.

'6.8 or £A7O/4/6 approx, per long Periodic bonus, if average proceeds Govt buving price and expenses r HEBRIDES:—On Dec. 24 rate d to £37/10/- (7.500 Pac. francs), n delivered Vila/Santo with market ling. French price on Jan. 4, 1961, OV2 heavy francs per metric ton, Marseilles.

K IS.: —Subject to the copra ct provisions between Cook Is. rs and Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, perate the only NZ copra crushing the price paid is average London for previous three months, less ng charges. Price fixed for first r of 1961: £NZS6/0/2 Ist grade,

£NZ 54/15/2 standard grade—both f.0.b., Rarotonga.

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 Jan. 9 had dropped to £ Stg.l77/10/- per ton c.i.f. Sydney.

W. SAMOA:—Nominal price quoted in Sydney on Jan. 10: £SI9O. f.0.b., Apia, grade 1: £SIBS, grade 2.

P.N.G.: Jan. 9 —Quote No. 1: £2lO (best quality). Quote No. 2; £2OO (top grade). Quote No. 3; £l9O (medium quality).

COFFEE.—P.-N.G.: Jan 9, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/1; B grade, 4/-; C grade, 4/- c.i.f., Sydney.

Overseas coffee prices were reported on January 7 as; Tanganyika A £Stg.3so per ton, B £ Stg.34o, Undergradings £ 5tg.265; Kenya A £Stg.3Bo, B £ Stg.34o.

Undergradings £ Stg.3lo; Uganda Robusta £Stg.ls7.

PEANUTS: P.N.G.: Jan 9, 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 Jan. 7 was: No. 1 RSS, spot, 86V2 Straits cents per lb (30.17 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp, Tulk & Co., Sydney, report: White and yellow label, processed, standard packs. 42/9; green label, 41/6, 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 t.0.w.. Sydney or Melbourne PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Aus tralian M.O.P. Shell on Jan. 9 by Sydney independent shell agents were; Sound £ A 825, D £ASSO, E £A3OO, EE £AI9O (in store Sydney). Cook Islands: Penrhyn £NZSOO (approx.), f.0.b., Raro tonga. Manihiki: Lagoon re-opening early 1961.

TROCHUS: Quote No. I—Papua-N.G. £145 per ton, c.i.f., Sydney; 8.5.1. £l6O per ton, c.i.f., Sydney. Quote No. 2: Papua-NG, 8.5.1.—£150 per ton.

Green Snail Shell.—In Short

supply—buyers quoting £465 to £475 per ton.

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

PAPUAN GUM: £BO per ton delivered 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, Jan. 9, Philippines, in bulk, $l6B US per long ton, c.i.f., UK/ Nth. European ports. Malayan, FMS, delivered weights, c.i.f. UK/Nth. European ports, £ Stg.62 per long ton. NEW YORK: Jan. 9, Philippines $155 US per short ton, c.i.f. Pacific Coast ports.

CEYLON: 860 Rupees per ton, c.i.f. (£ 1 Australian is equal to about 2.25 US Dollars; £1 Aust. equals approx. lOV2 Rupees), Coconut Oil: LONDON, Jan. 9, Ceylon, 1%, in bulk, £ Stg.9l per ton, c.i.f., UK/ North European ports. Straits, 3%, £Stg.9s c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON, Jan. 7, c.i.f., RSS No. 1, Spot. 25 7 / 8 d Stg. per lb. RSS Forward: 26V8d Stg. lb.