Trading Notes

MORE REVENUE; Plantation Holdings jtd. lifted revenue by £4,184 in the half ear ended December 31. 1964, compared nth the corresponding half-year of 1963.

Profits were slightly higher. Extremely ow prices for cocoa were expected to Sect the company’s results for the full inancial year, but there should be some enefit from the high world prices for opra.

COPAL TRIAL: The P-NG Department f Agriculture plans to send a trial ship lent of copal gum, used in the manu acture of paints and vernishes, to New ealand for processing.

Coconut Replanting Scheme:

’onga’s Premier, Prince Tungi, and mem ers of the Tonga Copra Board made an erial survey in May of coconut-growing reas of Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vavau i a chartered Fiji Airways aircraft. The urvey was in connection with a proposed eplanting scheme.

BANANA DISEASE: Black leaf streak, disease affecting bananas, was identi ed in the Vavau Group of Tonga re ently by Dr. Keith Graham, plant athologist with the Fiji Department of griculture. But banana plantations in bngatapu and Ha’apai have not been ffected.

Meanwhile, Western Samoa’s Depart tent of Agriculture has prohibited the aipment of bananas or banana planting laterial to Amercian Samoa to prevent le spread of black leaf streak from restern Samoa.

HOPEFUL REPORT: Pacific Island fines directors report that the Umuna de channel on Misima Island, Papua as been intersected 250 ft below the cisting workings. The ore is oxidised and milar to the loosely consolidated lode .aterials exposed in the company’s 1963 aderground workings. The drill has con ned. the existence of an extended zone ■ oxidation below the mine workings hich is most favourable for the formation high grade gold and silver ore.