[?]Slands Produce

lUnless otherwise stated, quotations are l Australian currency. Aust. £ equals :«roximate!y 16/- Stg.. NZ, or W. raoa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons JWPHC areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; $U52.25.)

Copra

,'APUA-NEW GUINEA:—AII production (delivered to Copra Marketing Board, (trolled by six members, including three raters’ representatives: and the Board sets distribution and sales, and makes 'ments to the producers. Production >s mainly to (a) Unilever, in UK, (b) itralia for local consumption, (c) ishing-mill in Rabaul, and (d) Japan irplus as available). Prices generally ;y with ruling rate in Philippines, with imiums for hot-air dried. ’-NG Board’s Tentative Purchase :ies for copra delivered main ports are: ;-Air Dried, £54/10/- per ton; FMS, 3 per ton; Smoke-Dried, £52 per TJI: —No Government control—pro pers sell where they wish. Bulk of ira goes to crushing-mills in Suva.

November 24 prices were HAD ’49/5/-, FM £F46/15/- (exclusive of a a delivery bonus of £FI per ton).

WESTERN SAMOA;—Official Copra ird takes all production, sells same 1 makes payments to producers. It s mainly to Abels Ltd., NZ crushers. 1 to Unilever, UK. Local price re tly has been £56/12/6 Samoan, first de.

ONGA:—Sales are under Government trol. Part of production goes to ope, under arrangement with Unilever trolled by Philippines prices, and part to open market.

OLOMON IS.:—All production marketed lugh official BSI Copra Board, at :es based on Philippines rates. Output 3 to Unilever, UK; to Australian shers; and the balance on to the open :ket. Local price for November was grade, £4B/-/-; 2nd grade, £46/10/-; grade, £44/-/- per ton, f.0.b., BSIP ts (Honiara, Yandina and Gizo).

TLBERT AND ELLlCE:—Production •keted in Europe through official Copra rd, at prices based on Philippines :s less freight, etc. The Government sidy to producers is: £7/15/5 per ton Ist grade, and £3/14/7 for 2nd grade.

EW HEBRIDES:—On Nov. 28, the fa price was approximately £42/10/- 00 Pac. francs) per ton delivered ,/Santo. French price then was 85 V 2 vy francs per metric ton, c.i.f settles.

OOK IS.; Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., Auckland, who operate the only NZ •a crushing mill. Price paid is average don price for previous three months, handling charges. Price for final rter of 1962 is £NZSO/3/ll Ist ie, £NZ4B/18/11 standard grade—both )., Rarotonga.

Other Produce

OCOA: —lslands prices are usually (d on the rates for Ghana cocoa which Nov. 22 had recovered to 'g-168/10/- per ton, c.i.f., Sydney. -N.G.: Sydney buyers on Nov. 22 re ed: Quote No. 1: In store, Rabaul >rt quality £2OO per ton or on wharf ley, according to quality: £lBO-£200; •e No. 2: Best quality, on wharf Syd ’ 3.. £190; in store, N.G. ports, £l7O £lBO. . SAMOA:—Nominal prices quoted in ley in mid-Nov. were: Grade 1 ;g.220; grade 2, £Stg.2ls, f.0.b., Apia!

COFFEE.—P.-N.G.: Nov. 23, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/- to 4/2; B grade, 3/9 to 4/-; C grade, 2/9 to 3/4, c.i.f., Sydney.

Overseas c.i.f. coffee prices were re ported on Nov. 22 as: Kenya A, f.a.q., £Stg.37s, B £ 5tg.325, C £Stg.3ls; U/G £ Stg.26o; Tanganyika AA £Stg.34o, A £ 5tg.325, B £Stg.3lo; Uganda Robusta £Stg.l74.

PEANUTS: P.-N.G.: Sydney agents quoted Nov. 23:—F.0.b., Lae; 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 Nov. 22 was: No. 1, RSS, Spot, 80 V 2 Straits cents per lb (27.07 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp Tulk & Co. Sydney, reported Nov. 23: White and yellow label processed, standard packs, 38/-, green label 37/-, c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices until April 30, 1963 —P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £59/-/- per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons £59/10/-. Vltamlsed and enriched white, 112 lb bags. 5 tons and over, £65/15'f.0.w.. under 5 tons, £66/5/-. Other Pac. Islands: Dry, white or brown, etc., £67/10/- (any quantity), f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Aus tralian M.O.P. Shell in mid-Nov. by Sydney independent shell agents were: Sound £825, D £550, E £3OO, EE £l9O (in store Sydneyi. Cook Islands: Penrhyn £NZSOO (approx.), f.0.b., Raro tonga.

TROCHUS.—Sydney buyers in late Nov. indicated the following quotations to Islands producers: No. I.—Papua nominally £ll5 per ton, f.0.b., Papuan Ports; N.G. — £95, c.i.f., Sydney: 8.5.1. £ll5, f.0.b., Honiara. No. 2. —Papua—

£lOO per ton; N.G., 8.5.1. — £9O per ton.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney buyers quoted on Nov. 23: No. 1; £3OO-£320 per ton, f.0.b., Islands port. No. 2: £2BO (best quality), on wharf, Sydney; or £290, f.0.b., Islands port.

Crocodile Skins.—On Nov. 23

Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, first grade quality as follows: P.-N.G.— 16/- per in., f.o.b. P-NG ports, small scale (salt water); large scale (fresh water) 10/- per in. 8.5.1.—16/- per in. (small scale) del. Sydney.

PAPUAN GUM: £B2/15/- f.o.b. Islands port.

BECHE-DE-MER: Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, quote F 2- (4 in. to 7 in.) to F3/- (9 in. to 11 in.) lb for well processed commercial varieties.

SHARK FINS: Suva mediants offer F4/6 per lb for well-dried fins of com mercial quality.

London and US Quotations

Copra: LONDON, Nov. 22, Philippines in bulk $176 US per long ton,’ c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports. Malayan, FMS, delivered weights, c.i.f. UK/Nth!

European ports,, not quoted on London market since late Oct. when price was £Stg.6o/10/- per long ton. NEW YORK: Nov. 22, Philippines, $156 US per short ton, c.i.f., Pacific Coast ports. CEYLON; 870 Rupees per ton c.i.f.

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Nov. 22. Ceylon 1% in bulk, £Stg.9s/10/- per ton. c.i.f.!

UK/North European ports. Straits, 3%! not quoted on London market since late Oct. when price was £Stg.9l, c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON. Nov. 22, c.i.f., RSS No. 1 Spot, 24d Stg. lb (nominal l.

Dec. shipment 23-13/16d. Stg. lb. Sept shipment 23*/ 2 d. Stg. lb. (£1 Australian Is equal to about 2.25 US Dollars or 10V 2 Rupees).