Islands Produce

nless otherwise stated, quotations are ustralian currency. Aust. £ equals oximately 16/- Stg.. NZ, or W. >a; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons THC areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; $U52.25.)

Copra

PUA-NEW GUINEA:—AII production elivered to Copra Marketing Board, rolled by six members, including three ters’ representatives; and the Board ts distribution and sales, and makes lents to the producers. Production mainly to (a) Unilever, in UK, (b) ralia for local consumption, (c) ling-mill in Rabaul, and (d) Japan ilus as available). Prices generally with ruling rate in Philippines, with tiums for hot-air dried.

NG Board’s Tentative Purchase ss for copra delivered main ports are: Air Dried, £59/-/- per ton; FMS, /10/- per ton; Smoke-Dried, /10/- per ton.

JI: —No Government control—pro rs sell where they wish. Bulk of i goes to crushing-mills in Suva.

May 27 prices were; HAD 2/-/-, FM £F49/10/- (exclusive of a , delivery bonus of £FI per ton).

EST E R N SAMOA; —Official Copra d takes all production, sells same makes payments to producers. It mainly to Abels Ltd., NZ crushers, to Unilever, UK. Local price re ly was £56/12/6 Samoan, first e. )NGA: —Sales are under Government rol. Part of production goes to pe, under arrangement with Unilever rolled by Philippines prices, and part to open market. )LOMON IS.: —All production marketed ugh official BSI Copra Board, at is based on Philippines rate. Output to Unilever, UK; to Australian hers; and the balance on to the open jet. Local price in May was: ?rade, £52/-/-; 2nd grade, £5O/10/-; grade, £4B/-/- per ton, f.0.b., BSIP s (Honiara, Yandina and Gizo). [LBERT AND ELLICE: —Production seted in Europe through official Copra :d, at prices based on Philippines s less freight, etc. The Government idy to producers is; £7/15/5 per ton Ist grade, and £3/14/7 for 2nd grade.

EW HEBRIDES: —On May 17, the a price was approximately £37/10/- D 0 Pac. francs) per ton delivered /Santo. French price then was 860 cs per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles.

DOK 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 second rter, to June, 1963, is £NZS7/10/5 grade, £NZS6/5/5 standard grade— i f.0.b., Rarotonga.

Other Produce

OCOA:—Islands prices are usually ;d on the rates for Ghana cocoa which May 28 was £Stg. 228/15/- per ton, Sydney. .-N.G.: Sydney buyers on May 28 re ted: Quote No. 1: In store, Rabaul,

export quality £235 per ton, or on wharf Sydney, according to quality: £2OO-£215; quote No. 2: Best quality, on wharf Syd., Melb., £235; in store, N.G. ports, £230 (for UK, Continent and USA ship ments) .

W. SAMOA:—Nominal prices quoted in Sydney, May 24 were: Grade 1, £ Stg.2so; grade 2, £Stg.23o, f.0.b., Apia.

COFFEE.—P.-N.G.: May 27, 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 May 27 as: Kenya A, f.a.q., £ Stg.3so, B £ Stg.34o, U/G £Stg.34o; Bugisu A £ Stg.3ls, B £Stg.3os; Tan ganyika AA £ 5tg.365, B £Stg.3lo, U/G £ 5tg.295; Uganda Robusta £ Stg.22o.

PEANUTS. P.-N.G.: Sydney agents report; No supplies, except Virginia Bunch, because of dry conditions —no quotations available until after July/Aug. shipment received. Lae reports Virginia Bunch kernels 1/8 lb, f.o.b.

RUBBER. —P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on May 24 was: No. 1, RSS, Spot, 75% Straits cents per lb (26.28 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported May 24; White and yellow label processed, standard packs, 34/-, green label 33/-, c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices until May 1. 1964 —P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £5B/10/- per ton, f.o.w. Vitamised and enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £65/-/- f.o.w. Other Pac. Islands: Dry, white or brown, etc. £67/10/- (any quanity), f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Aus tralian M.O.P. Shell in late May by Sydney independent shell agents were: Sound £825, D £5OO, E £3OO, EE £l9O (in store Sydney). Cook Islands: Penrhyn £NZ42S (approx.), f.0.b., Raro tonga.

TROCHUS. —Sydney buyers on May 28 indicated the following quotations to

Islands producers; No. I.—Papua— nominally £95 per ton, f.0.b., Papuan ports; N.G.—£9o, c.i.f., Sydney; 8.5.1. £9O, f.0.b., Honiara. No. 2.—Papua— £lOO per ton; N.G., 8.5.1. — £lOO per ton. green SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney buyers quoted on May 28: No. 1: £295 per ton, f.0.b., Islands port. No. 2: £290 (best quality), on wharf, Sydney; or £295 f.0.b., Islands port.

Crocodile Skins.—On May 28

Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, first grade quality as follows; P.-N.G. — 19/- per in., f.o.b. P-NG ports, small scale (salt water); large scale (fresh water) 13/- per in. 8.5.1.—19/- 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 merchants offer F4/6 per lb for well-dried fins of com mercial quality. Sydney buyers quote 6/to 8/- lb., ex-store Sydney, according to quality.

London and US Quotations

Copra: LONDON, May 24, Philippines, in bulk, $lB2 US (equal to £Stg.6s/-/-) per long ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports. Malayan, FMS, delivered weights, c.i.f. UK/Nth. European ports, £Stg.6s/10/- per long ton. NEW YORK: May 24, Philippines, $166 US per short ton, c.i.f., Pacific Coast ports. CEYLON: 935 Rupees per ton c.i.f.

Coconut Oil: LONDON, May 24, Ceylon, 1% in bulk, £Stg.loo/-/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits, 3%, £Stg.9s/-/- c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON, May 24, c.i.f., RSS No. 1 Spot, 22-11/16d Stg. lb, Aug. ship ment 22-11/16d Stg. lb., June 22-5/16d.

Stg. lb. (£1 Australian is equal to about 2.2 US Dollars or 10 Va Rupees.)