Hands Produce

Unless otherwise stated, quotations are Australian currency. Aust. £ equals roxlmately 16/- Stg., NZ, or W 10a; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & BC areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; 5U52.25.)

Copra

he British Ministry of Food 0-years tract, which governed copra prices »apua and New Guinea, Fiji, Western 10a Solomon Islands, and Gilbert and ;e Colony (and to some extent, in ga and Cook Islands) expired on De ber 31, 1957; since when each Terri has made its own arrangements for sction and marketing of copra.

IPUA - NEW GUINEA:—AII production lelivered to Copra Marketing Board rolled by six members, including three iters’ representatives; and the Board cts distribution and sales, and makes ments to the producers. Production mainly to (a) Unilever (30,000 tons jr contract covering 1961), (b) Aus ia (30,000 tons for local consumption), crushing-mill in Rabaul (40,000 tons), : (d) Japan (300 tons per month or tif available). Prices generally tally I ruling rate in Philippines, with kiums for hot-air dried, om January 1, 1961, P-NG Copra rd’s Tentative Purchase Prices, for a delivered main ports: Hot-Air Dried, 4/10/- per ton; FMS, £AS3 per ton; ke-Dried. £AS2 per ton. ipra Board this month is making a nd (final) price distribution of 10/1 per ton for all copra delivered i 960. This makes 1960 prices: Jan.- ( HAD £Bl per ton, FMS £79/10/-, ke £7B/10/-; July-Dee. HAD £73/10/-, ( £72, Smoke £7l. tJI: —No Government control —producers where they wish. Bulk of copra goes pushing-mills in Suva. On Aug. 7 6s were: HAD £F49/2/6, FM B//12/6.

EST E R N SAMOA:—Official Copra rd takes all production, sells same and cs payments to producers. In 1961. 1-4,000 tons will go to Abels Ltd., NZ hers, and about 6,000 tons to Unilever, out of an estimated 15,000 tons pro lon, under this year’s contracts.

UNGA:—Sales are under Government Tol. Part of production goes to Europe, er arrangement with Uniliver con ed by Philippines prices, and part to open market.

JLOMON IS.:—All production marketed ugh official BSI Copra Board, at prices d on Philippines rates. Of the *ctorate’s 1961 output (about 20,000 i). 14,000 tons will go to Unilever, 4.000 tons to Australian crushers; the balance sold on the open market, d price (which is partly financed from rvesi in Aug.: Ist grade, £ASO/10/-; grade, £A49/-/-; 3rd grade, £A46/10/ton, f.0.b., BSIP ports.

AND ELLlCE;—Production 'keted in Europe through official Copra rd, at prices based on Philippines ls - less “stabilisation fund” charges.

EW HEBRIDES;—On Aug. 1, the copra e was approx. £A3B (7,600 Pac. lcs * per ton delivered Vila/Santo. ach price the same day was 84 heavy ICs per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles.

OOK is.; —Subject to the copra tract provisions between Cook Is. •Pers and Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, 1 operate the only NZ copra crushing • the price paid is average London e for previous three months, less l °hng charges. Price fixed for first Tler of 1961 was £NZS6/0/2 Ist grade,

£ NZS4/15/2 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: —Islands prices are based on the rates for Ghana cocoa which on Aug. 8 was £ Stg.l67/10/- per ton, c.i.f., Sydney W. SAMOA:—Nominal price quoted in Sydney on Aug. 9: grade 1 £S24O, grade 2 £S23O, f.0.b., Apia.

P.N.G.: Aug. 9—Quote No. 1: £2OO (top grade), £l9O (medium), £lBO (low).

Quote No. 2. £2OO (good quality), £lBO (medium).

COFFEE.—P.-N.G.: Aug. 8. good quality A grade, per lb, 4/- to 4/2; B grade, 4/-; C grade, 2/6, c.i.f., Sydney.

End of season—no quotations for Tanganyika or Kenya Arabica; Nairobi market re-opens this month. Uganda Robusta £ Stg.l4s (approx.).

Peanuts: P.-N.G.: F.0.B., Lae, Aug. 9.

Kernels: White Spanish, 1/4 lb; Red Spanish, 1/2; Virginia Bunch, 1/7. In shell, 1/- lb. (del. buyer’s store, Sydney).

RUBBER: —P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Aug. 8 was: No. 1 RSS, Spot, 83Vfe Straits cents per lb (29.12 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp. Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported Aug. 9; WThite and yellow label, processed, standard packs, 45/9; green label, 44/9, c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices as from May, 1961—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. Vitamised and enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £63 f.0.w.; under 5 tons, £63/10/-. Other Pac.

Islands: Dry, brown, etc., 5 tons and over, £64/10/-; under 5 tons, £65 per ton, f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Aus tralian M.O.P. Shell on Aug. 8 by Sydney independent shell agents were: Sound £ A 825, D £ASSO, E £A3OO, EE £ Al9O (in store Sydney). Cook Islands: Penrhyn £NZSOO (approx.), f.0.b., Raro tonga.

TROCHUS: Quote No. I.—Papua-N.G. £l4O per ton, c.1.f., Sydney; 8.5.1. £155 per ton, c.i.f.. Sydney. Quote No. 2; Papua-NG, 8.5.1.—£160 per ton.

Green Snail Shell.—£46S Per Ton;

in short supply.

CROCODILE SKINS: 12 in. and over, small-scale, first quality: P.-N.G. —15/per in.; 8.5.1.—15/- per in.

PAPUAN GUM: £95 per ton delivered buyer’s store, Sydney.

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

SHARK FINS: Suva merchants offer P3/per lb for well-dried fins of commercial quality.

London and US Quotations

Copra: LONDON, Aug. 3, Philippines, in bulk, $173.50 US per long ton, c.i.f., UK/ Nth. European ports. Malayan, FMS, delivered weights, c.i.f. UK/Nth. European ports, £Stg.6l/10/- per long ton. NEW YORK; Aug. 3, Philippines $l5B US pei short ton, c.i.f. Pacific Coast ports.

CEYLON: 775 Rupees per ton, c.i.f. (£ 1 Australian is equal to about 2.25 US Dollars; £1 Aust. equals approx. IOVi Rupees).

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Aug. 3, Ceylon, 1%, in bulk, £Stg.B9/10/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits, 3%, £Stg.B6/10/-, c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON, Aug. 8, c.i.f., RSS No. 1, Spot, 25 5 /sd. Stg. per lb.; RSS Oct./ Dec. 25V8d. Stg. lb.; Aug. shipment 24y 2 d.

Stg. lb.