Islands Produce

less otherwise stated, quotations are stralian currency. Aust. £ equals ilmately 16/- Stg., NZ, or W i; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & ! areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; 5U52.25.)

Copra

British Ministry of Food 9-years ict, which governed copra prices qG Fiji, W. Samoa, BSI, and Gilbert Ellice Is. (and to some extent, in , and Cook Is.) expired on De r 31, 1957; since when each Terri es made its own arrangements for tion and marketing of copra.

UA-NEW GUINEA:—AII production llvered to Copra Marketing Board, died by six members, including three >rs’ representatives; and the Board s distribution and sales, and makes snts to the producers. Production mainly to (a) Unilever, in UK, (b) alia for local consumption, (c) Ing-mill in Rabaul, and (d) Japan lus as available). Prices generally with ruling rate in Philippines, with urns for hot-air dried.

G Board’s Tentative Purchase i for copra delivered main ports are: ,’ir Dried, £AS4/10/- per ton; FMS. per ton; Smoke-Dried, £AS2 per I:—No Government control —producers rhere they wish. Bulk of copra goes ushing-mills in Suva. On Apr. 2 ; were HAD £F47/12/6, FM /2/6.

IsT E R N SAMOA:—Official Copra . takes all production, sells same and s payments to producers. It goes y to Abels Ltd., NZ crushers, and lilever, UK.

Sales are under Government 31. Part of production goes to Europe, arrangement with Unilever con i by Philippines prices, and part open market. jOMON IS.:—All production marketed gh official BSI Copra Board, at prices on Philippines rates. Output goes oilever, UK; to Australian crushers; the balance on to the open market price for Mar. was: Ist grade, -/-; 2nd grade, £46/10/-; 3rd grade, -/- per ton, f.0.b., BSIP ports. jBERT AND ELLlCE;—Production eted in Europe through official Copra I, at prices based on Philippines less freight, etc. The Govt, pays i/10/- per ton subsidy.

W HEBRIDES:—On Apr. 2, the copra was approximately £A3S/10/- (7,100 francs) per ton delivered Vlla/Santo. :h price then was 79% heavy s per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles.

OK IS.;—Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., uckland, who operate the only NZ k crushing mill. Price paid is average on price for previous three months, handling charges. Price for last ;er of 1961 was £NZS2/13/3 Ist grade, 51/8/3 standard grade—both f.0.b., tonga.

Other Product

»a: —lslands prices are usually based be rates for Ghana cocoa which on 6 had risen to £ Stg.lB9/-/- per c.i.f., Sydney.

SAMOA; —No firm quotes available t nominal prices quoted in Sydney early Apr.; grade 1 £Stg.27s, s 2 £ Stg.26o, f.0.b., Apia.

N.G.; Apr. 2—Quote No. 1: £2OO

(top grade), £l9O (medium), £lBO (low); quote No. 2: £2OO (good quality). £l9O (medium), £lBO (low).

COFFEE. —P.-N.G.: Apr. 2, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/- to 4/2; B grade, 4/-; C grade, 2/6 to 3/-, c.i.f., Sydney.

Overseas c.i.f. coffee prices were reported in early Apr. as Kenya A, f.a.q., £ 5tg.465, B £ Stg.4oo, C £ Stg.34o; Tanganyika AA £ 5tg.375, A £ Stg.36o, B £Stg.33o; Buguishu AA £ Stg.33o; Uganda Robusta £ Stg.l63/-/-.

Peanuts: P.-N.G.: F.0.B., Lae, Apr. 2

Kernels: White Spanish, 1/4 lb; Red Spanish, 1/2; Virginia Bunch, 1/7, in shell 1/1.

RUBBER: —P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Apr. 2 was; No. 1 RSS, Spot, 80% Straits cents per lb (28.08 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp. Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported Apr. 2: White and yellow label, processed, standard packs, 41/-, green label 40/-, 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 Apr. 2 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.

TROCHUS: Quote No. I.—Papua— £l3o per ton, f.0.b., Sydney; N.G.—£l4s

per ton, c.i.f., Sydney: 8.5.1. £l5O per ton, f.0.b., Sydney. Quote No. 2; Papua— £l3s per ton; NG, 8.5.1. £125 per ton.

Green Snail Shell.—Quote No. 1;

£290 per ton; Quote No. 2: £325 (best quality).

CROCODILE SKINS: 12 in. and over, first quality: P.-N.G.—Quote No. 1 15/per in., small scale (salt water), 10/per in. large scale (fresh water), f.0.b., P-NG port; Quote No. 2 16/-; 8.5.1.

Quote No. 1 16/- per in. (small scale) del. Sydney; Quote No. 2 16/- (small scale).

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

BECHE-DE-MER: Chang Sing Loong Co,, Suva, quote F 2- to P 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, Apr. 2, Philippines, in bulk, $l7O 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: Apr. 2, Philippines $152.50 US per short ton, c.i.f. Pa> tie Coast ports CEYLON: 855 Rupees per ton, c.i.f. (£1 Australian is equal to about 2.2 b US Dollars or 10% Rupees).

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Apr. 2, Ceylon, 1%, in bulk, £Stg.94/10/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits, 3%, £Stg.B7/10/-, c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON, Apr. 2, c.i.f., RSS No. 1, Spot, 24d. Stg. lb; July/Sept. ship ment 24d. Stg. lb; Apr. shipment 24%d.

Stg. per lb.