Produce Prices

nless otherwise stated, all quotations in Australian currency. Exchange i are omitted this month because of usion over the devaluation of sterling.

Copra

PUA-NEW GUINEA:—AII production elivered to Copra Marketing Board, rolled by six members, including three :ers’ representatives. The board directs Ibution and sales, and makes pay ;s to the producers. Production goes ly to (a) Unilever, in UK, (b) Aus x for local consumption, (c) crushing in Rabaul, and (d) Japan (surplus vailable). Prices generally tally with g rate in Philippines with premiums lot-air dried.

NG Board’s purchase prices for copra sred main ports in November were lir dried, $126 per ton; FMS, $123 per smoke-dried, $l2l per ton.

II: —The Fiji Coconut Industry Board the prices to be paid for Fiji t on a formula based on that for ppines copra, and taking into account it, taxes, selling costs, shrinkage, The copra must be graded at centres ava, Levuka, Lautoka, Savusavu and uni. Prices in Suva to Dec. 10 were: e one, £F72/5/-; grade two, 7/7/6 and grade three, £FS9/10/-. A of deductions has been established copra delivered to grading centres than Suva.

SSTERN SAMOA:—AII production is to the Copra Board of Western a at fixed prices. The Board makes ents to producers through its agents local firms—and sells the copra on ipen market with a portion to Abels NZ. Last prices in October were 6 for grade one, SWS9I for grade un dried, and SWSB3 for grade two.

NGA: All copra is sold to the Tonga i Board which sends it to Europe the open market. November prices ■owers were STIO9 first grade and second grade.

LOMON IS.; All production marketed gh official BSI Copra Board, at ; based on Philippines rate. Output to Unilever, UK; to Australian ers; and the balance on to the open ;t. Prices on Nov. 17 were: Ist , $120; 2nd grade, $116; 3rd grade, per ton, BSIP ports (Honiara, ina and Gizo). jBERT AND ELLlCE:—Production “ted in Europe through official Copra I, at prices based on Philippines less freight, etc. The Copra Board iises the price at $67.20 per ton for grade.

W HEBRIDES: —Copra sold direct by ers to France and Venezuela. Official on Nov. 24 was $9O (9,000 Pac. :s). French price on Nov. 17 was francs per metric ton, c.i.f., ulles.

DK IS.: —Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., uckland, who operate the only NZ crushing mill. Price paid is average )n price for previous three months, landling charges. Prices for October, nber and December, have been fixed, :t to freight adjustment, at 32.93 first grade, hot air dried; 50.97 first grade, sun dried and 29.51 standard grade, all per ton d f.o.b.

Other Produce

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.

COCOA: —Islands prices are usually On Nov. 23 there were app. £ Stg.2B2/10/per ton, c.i.f., UK (Dec. to Mar. ship ment) .

On Nov. 17, Quote No. 1: In store Rabaul, export quality $520 per ton, ex wharf Sydney, $5lO, and declining. Quote No. 2: Best quality, ex-wharf Sydney, $562, in store NG ports $5Ol (for UK, Continent and USA shipments).

W. Samoa.—Latest prices quoted in Sydney, on Nov. 15, were: Grade 1, £ 5tg.245; grade 2, £Stg.22o per ton, f.0.b., Apia.

COFFEE. —P-NG: Nov. 24, Quote No. 1, good quality A grade 37c to 40c per lb; B grade 36c to 38c; C grade 35c to 36c; X grade 36c to 39c and native X grade 33.5 c to 34c.

Crocodile Skins. On Nov. 24

Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, first grade quality as follows: P.-N.G.— $2.90 per in., f.o.b. P-NG ports, small scale (salt water); large scale (fresh water) $l.BO per in. 8.5.1., Honiara: $1.89 per in. Gizo: $2.10 per in.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—A Sydney buyer quoted: Nov. 24, No. 1, Ist grade, $5OO, f.o.b. Islands ports, 2nd grade, nom., $240 on wharf, Sydney. Honiara: 16c lb.

PAPUAN GUM; New Guinea graded gum $lB5 per ton, f.0.b., Samarai, un graded gum $174, f.0.b., NG.

PEANUTS.—P.-N.G.; Sydney agents re ported Nov. 24, f.0.b., Lae; Kernels— white Spanish 15c lb.

PEARL SHELL. A Sydney buyer, on Nov. 24, quoted these prices; Sound

$1,650 per ton, D grade $l,lBO, E grade, $650, EE $470 (in store Sydney).

Solomons. —Honiara, mother of pearl blacklip 15c lb, goldlip 20c lb.

Cook Islands. —Penrhyn Island, SNZ7OO (approx.), f.0.b., Rarotonga.

RICE (Aust.): Prices, until Mar. 31, 1968, are—P.-N.G.: Dried brown rice, 112 P bags, $l2B per ton, f.o.w. Sydney or Melbourne. Vitamin enriched white rice, 56 lb bags, $142 per ton, f.o.w. Brown, 40 lb bags $l3B per ton. Other Pacific Islands: Polished white (56 lb bags) or dried brown rice (112 lb bags), $l5O per ton, f.o.w.

RUBBER.—P-NG price is based on Singapore rates, which on Nov. 21 were: Prompt nominal shipment 49 Vs Malayan cents per lb, c.l.f. (14.25 Aust. cents); Dec. M 49 Va (A14.31C) and Jan. M 49 7 /s (A14.46C).

SHARK FINS: Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, offers F4/6 per lb for well-dried fins of commercial quality. ICEP Pty. Ltd., 22 Taylor St., North Curl Curl, Sydney, quote 65c to 85c lb., ex-store Sydney, according to quality.

TROCHUS. —A Sydney buyer indicated the following quotations to Islands pro ducers: Nov. 24 Papua $175-$lB5 per ton; N.G., 8.5.1.—5150-$l6O per ton. f.o.b. Islands ports—direct shipment to overseas markets.

TURTLE SHELL.—BSI: first grade un marked 90c a lb at Gizo.

VANILLA BEANS.—Victor Karp Tulk <fe Co., Sydney, buy mainly from Tahiti for Sydney and Melbourne essence makers.

Prices on Oct. 27 were: white and yellow label processed, standard packs, $6.40, green label, $6.30 c.i.f., Sydney.

Uk, Us, Ceylon Quotes

COPRA, COCONUT OIL: Not available until effects of devaluation are known.

RUBBER: LONDON, Nov. 21, spot 18d Stg. lb; Dec. shipment 16 3 / 4 d Stg. lb; Feb. shipment 17V 2 d Stg. lb. • S. E. Tatham & Co. Pty. Ltd.,

export and shipping agents through

out the Pacific since 1924, has ex tended its business and moved into new offices in Melbourne.

Mr. A. E. Duldig, managing director, said recently that due to more successful trading, the com pany had tripled its staff in the past 15 months and increased its office space four-fold in the new location at Askew House, 364 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. The company had now extended its operations beyond the Pacific. • Mariboi Rub b er Limited, Papuan rubber grower, made a net profit of 539,711 for the year ended June 30, 1967, and will pay a final dividend of H cents (3 per cent.) on 50 cent shares registered with the company on December 11.

Production for the year was

1,232,489 lb, compared with

1,218,329 lb for the same period in

1966. But profit dropped $8,770

because the average rubber price for 1967 was 20.59 cents per lb, against 21.35 cents last year.