The rrirae Lirister, :.r.3...3andaranaike, broadcasting to on Saturday, said that it was true that their Government party before the Elections had felt that the Public iecurity Ordinance mi.^ht be safely repealed. 3ut what hadhapper.d in recent times had convinced them and alsc,- he was certain - a vast majority of the people that an; Government needed legislation of that type as a safeguard for the people.

The following is the text cf the Prime Linister1s mess.-e to the nation:-

" s certain misunderstandings appear to have arisen in re ;ard to the Jill that has just been passed by the ^ouse of Representatives to amend the Public Security Ordinance, I wioh to take an early opportunity briefly to explain the position to the public.

"I have no doubt at all that the earnest desire of a vast majority of the people of our country is for peace and the preservation of lav; and order, sfhen there Wiis widesoread disorder last I-ay it Secame necessary to enforce the Public -ecurity Ordinance and it will be remembered th^t it was only throu^ch emergency pollers that it was possible once again.to restore order. Unfortunately in many countries today, particularly in .sia, there are conditions where the ordinary law is insufficient to meet certain situa­ tions, e have in our country a democratic form of government. Under such a ,overnment there are various freedoms that individuals enjoy, t the same time there is a responsibility on people to fellow democratic methods in the pursuance of any le;;Ltimate objects they may have, political or otherwise. If certain people are not prepared to follow democratic methods, then it -V becomes necessary for a democratic ~,overnment, in the interests of democracy and the people, to take certain steps to prevent such action. 3efore our government came into rower, many of us were opposed to the then ,*ovemment. \ ..e democratically explained to the people our point of view and enabled them peace filial- by the exercise of their free votes, to decide their wishes at the last general election.

3ome Lay -.dopt Undemocratic Kethods to oeize rower

"Jut after our government came into rower, certain sections, on f various issues, whether they be racial, linguistic, politic?.l or otherwise, seem to have started to think on different lines. ..rparently some of them may feel that ordinary democratic methods will not suffice to enable them to obtain their wishes or overturn the government bgr the only democratic method of doing so, i.e. winning the people's siT^rt at a General ..lection, -jid therefore they may be thinking of resortin.• to other methods of creating chaos in the country and causing untold suffering to the people in the "T nnhi mro thai p /"\K •? c r» + e 2

"The people "will remember the happenings of last llay and June. I am sure no one wants any repetition of such or similar happenin. 3. It there­ fore becomes the duty of any government towards the people to take any reasonable measures necessary to ensure peace and lav/ snd order.

"To deal -with situations of lawlessness which the ordinary lav/ is insufficient to cope with, there existed only the Public security Ordinance, The provisions of this Ordinance can be utilised only when there is a situation of emergency throu hout the country. It is not possible to use it when there is trouble in any limited area that the ordinary law cannot deal with satisfactorily. Nor can ever, such a snail step be taker a? the decla­ ration of curfew in a limited area for even a few days without declaring a State of Emergency throughout the country.

"Last May we had to wait until there was widespread disorder throu/^iout a lar;;e part of the country which could not have been handled by the Police before a otate of-Emergency was declared. The result was that a great deal of damage and suffering was caused which could have been prevented if provisions such as those embodied in the Amending 3LU had been available.

Provisions of ..mending 3ill Explained

"The /.mending Sill provides -

"(l) For the declaration of a Jtate of Emergency, when necessary, in a limited area, without the need to declare the emergency throughout the country, even though only a small area were concerned.

"(2) It provides for a declaration of curfew in any necessary place without the need first of declaring a State of Emergency.

"(3) It provides that on an occasion of emergency, when the Police are unable to handle a situation of disturbance, to call in the Defence Forces to assist the Police.

" It provides also for the declaration of a Service essential to the life of the people as an Essential Service if the need to do so arises. The normal rights of Trade Unions are protected by the exclusion from the operation of this clause of Trade Union action in pursuance o; a trade dispute.

".'.ny of these steps that might be taken will have to be reported within ten days to Parliament, which will have the right to amend or rescind any such order.

Amending 3ill Necessary to Safe.^uard

r Democracy

"I am sure that a lar~e majority of the people of our country who are becoming increasingly alarmed at the growth of lawlessness and the resort to various types of undemocratic action will a,-;ree that the .^mending Sill is necessary for the elementary duty of the government to preserve law and order, and even to safeguard democracy itself.

"It is true that our Government Party before the Elections felt that the Public Security Ordinance may be safely repealed. 3ut what has happened ln_recent times has convinced us and also. I am « va^t m^ng^^^^m 3

•. ecrlc vail be entirely free in the exercise of the democratic right of the vote to express their disapproval at the next General Election.

"The issue before the people is plain. ..re law and order to be preserved and sofe/^iarded or are possibilities of widespread lawlessness and disorder, amounting perhaps even to revolution, to be permitted a free hand? I have no doubt at all what the answer will be that a vast n£t-;ority of the people will ,<*ive."

XXX XXX XXX

FU.01IC 3.CUf-1TX .(-.>^IDr^_MT0 BILL PA33AD

The Second reading of the Public Security (Amendment) Bill was passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday night by 53 votes to 3.

During the Committee Sta^e, the Prime Minister, i.r.S.l-i.R. D. Bandaranaike, moved an amendment to the Bill, exempting a bona fide strike by a trade union from the operation of section 1? of the Bill which dealt with Essential Services.

He said that Section 17 was provided to take action during an extra­ ordinary situation, but in response to representations made, the .eovernment had decided to clarify the provision by the proposed amendment. The amend­ ment ensured that Section 17 could not be used in the case of a bona fide trade dispute.

He added that Section 17 would be used in those extremely rare cases where the strike weapon was employed for some purpose entirely divorced from any kind of industrial dispute. Such a case,he hoped, would never arise in this country. All other cases of industrial disputes would be taken outside that Section.

The Prime Minister then moved the Third Eeading of the Bill which was passed by 47 votes to 3.

Opposition Members Protest Cver Bill

^'-arlier on Thursday ni.-ht twelve 'Opposition Kembers of Parliament were carried out of the Chamber of the House of Representatives after they had been named and suspended for defying the authority of the -peaker, who upheld the motion of closure of the debate moved.by the Prime Kinister

These M.Ps Were Dr.K.M. Perera (leader of the Opposition) Mr, , hr. Anil ::oonasin£he, t.r.J.C.T. Kotelawala, Mr.I.G.Jayasin#ie, Mr.herrill Fernando, i.r.l:,P. Jothipala, Dr.Hector Fernando, I.r.Robert C-unawardene, I'Ir.Leslie Goonewardenej Dr.Colvin R.J. -diva and I-r.C.R, Beligammana.

After these members had been carried out in succession, another twelve Opposition !..P's walked out in protest. They were I:r., Mr. Cholomondely C-oonewardene, iirs.Vivienne Goonewardene, Kr.-H.D.Banda, Major C..-..Dharmapala, Kr.^.A.3. Hurulle, Kr.3..„ Feeris. hr.I.fc.2.A. Iriyagolle, I-lr.S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, Hr.C.Vanniasin^ham, Mr.M.R.Iiajavarothiam and -.r.V.A. .JLe^acone.

P J.."Makes -Statement -

Cn Friday the Prime riinister, in a statement to the press, said that it was- most regrettable that the Opposition had deliberately forced.such'a situation on the Speaker and the Government but apparently they had wished to make a dramatic demonstration. If that was so, their purpose had been served. The speaker's authority, which was so necessary for Parliamentary work, had also been vindicated, he added. /(contd) The following is the text of his statement :-

"I see that Dr.&.i.. Perera, Leader of the Opposition, has made a statement to the papers regarding last ni "Jit's incident in Parliament that is likely to create an utterly wrens impression in the minds of the "cublic. It is, therefore, necessary for me to explain the true position. "Then the Bill to amend the Public Security Ordinance was taken up for its Second Reading week before last, two whole days were devoted to its discussion.. I then asked Dr.rerera how long would be recuired for the completion of the •discussion on the Sill. ~.le informed me that two days at "!"is week's session (i.e. Tuesday and .Wednesday) would be sufficient and that proceedings on the Bill could be concluded by Wednesday this week. In order *o ?ive the fullest sco^e to the Opposition, the Government therefore decided that the only speaker from the Government side should be myself in my reply to the Debate. But this week, to my v..l t er surprise, Dr.Perera informed me that he was sorry the Opposition could not stand by the undertaking he had given me to conclude the proceedings by Wednesday, and that indeed he, could give no assurance when it would be possible to conclude the Debate. On ".Wednesday, therefore, I asked the Speaker whether he would'be prepared to accept a Closure Motion at some point of time that he considered reasonable. Cn .."ednesday itself he indicated to the House that he would be prepared to accept a Closure footion on Thursday evening. --S this would have involved my having to forego ray right of reply, the linister of Finance was asked, as the only speaker on the Government side, to make a short speech answering the points that had been raised by the Opposition.

Government Has Extended Greater Latitude to Opposition _____ than ever before

"It would be seen that the Debate on the Second Reading by Thursday evening would have taken five full days in which, except for one short speech on the Government side, the whole time would have been occupied by the Opposition. Under the Party Parliamentary form of Government it is by no means necessary for a number of speakers belonging to one Party to speak. Sven in the case of the most important Debates, a Party nominates one or two speakers to speak on its be.ialf. Cur Government and the present Speaker have extended greater consideration and latitude to the Opposition than they ever received in the past, but obviously in this case the Opposition who had ample time to discuss the Bill and who could have made necessary arrangement£ amongst themselves for the purpose, were determined to nullify Parliamentary procedure and to carry on the discussion on the Bill indefinitely, not only holding; ue the passage of the 3iii uiu--e<4&onsbi« bul alco holding up the other Government business. On Thursday evening apparently according to a set plan, they were determined to defy the Speaker's order. This left no alternative to the Speaker, if Parliamentary procedure were not to break down altogether both now and for the future, to enforce his authority.

"It i3 most regrettable that the Opposition deliberately forced such a situation on the Speaker and the Government, but apparently they wished to make a dramatic demonstration. If that is so, their purpose has been served. The Speaker's authority, which is so necessary for Parliamen­ tary work, has also been vindicated. Incidents of this kind sometimes happen in Parliaments, but it is a very healthy sign both for Democracy and Parliamentary Government that "Operation Lifting" took place amid general good humour on both sides of the House. .'; sense of humour is very essential to Democracy. This incident should le.nve no bitter feelings behind. :;hen my good friend, the Member for Kotte was being carried out, the lines of Hood (with a slight modification) came to my mind -

'1 Take him up tenderly Lift him with care Fashioned so slenderly Xounf, and so fair

/(contd).... 5

"..s though to echo my very thoughts, the Hember himself murmured to those who were carrying him out, - "Don't scueeze, -on't squeeze",

"I, myself, have a date with my friend the Leader of the Opposition, for a Rural Development .ally at Ruanwella on Sunday, which I certainly intend to keep unless Dr.Ferera wishes otherwise.

"Finally, I wish to express my thanks to all officers of the House of Representatives and the Police, acting under the orders of the Speaker, who carried out their duties with great forbearance, good humour and efficiency,"

XXX XXX XXX

P.M. UELCQfcED BY OPPOSITION LEADER 10 HI3 COKSTIIUBICY.

The Prime Minister, Kr.S.Vi.R.D. Bandaranaike, was warmly welcomed by the Leader of the Opposition, Dr.N.L. Perera, when he arrived in Ruanwella, the latter's constituency, to preside over the tenth anniversary celebrations of the Ruanwella Rural Development Societies last Sunday, The Premier had also lunch with the Opposition Leader,

The Prime Minister, after declaring open the exhibition of handi­ crafts of the rural development societies, proceeded to address a public meeting thot followed it.

During the course of his speech, he said that they should safeguard democracy at any cost. It was democracy that allowed different political parties to exist side by side. He said that on Thursday night some "unfriendly" things happened, but the fact that both he and Dr.Perera were on the same platform that day showed that whatever their political views might be, they could meet and participate in a function of that nature.

XXX XXX XXX

FCCD MINISTER'5 ADDRESS TO THE 5V.0 CONFERENCE 01? RICE

The Kinister of Food and Agriculture, Mr.Philip Gunawardene, in his inaugural address to the conference of the Consultative Sub-Committee of the ?;:C on the economic aspects of rice last honday, expressed the hope that before the F.IO convened its next meeting on rice, the People's of China would have taken her rightful place in the world community of nations. He said: "vie are gathered together here at an International Conference to discuss.rice. But the world's largest producer of rice and the world's largest potential exporter is absent. Surely this is like staging Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. The absurdity and futility of excluding China from the World's Councils can no where be more apparent than in a Conference of this nature,"

Rice Cultivation in Ceylon

Earlier the Food Sinister referring to rice cultivation in Ceylon said:

"ETe in Ceylon produce barely half a million tons of rice a year or less than one-third of one per?WPthe total world production. Insignificant though we are in the world rice picture, our problems in rice-production are typical in man;' ways of the problems of the region as a whole, and I feel therefore that I should outline to you briefly the steps which we have taken and the steps which we intend to take to increase the productivity of our rice-growing industry.

/(contd) 6

"Ir. recounting thp story o.f Ceylon's rice industry in the last few decades, there are three distinct phases to which I would like to refer.

"First, there is the period prior to 1931, the -ear in which Ceylon achieved a measure of internal self-government. Prior to this date - in the period of direct colonial rule - the emphasis in Ceylon agriculture was almost exclusively on the development of the plantation industries, .11 efforts were directed and all energies concentrated on the improvement and expansion of 's tea, rubber and plantations. Paddy culti­ vation during this period was the Cinderalla of our agricultural industries and little progress was made either in increasing the area under paddy culti­ vation or in improving the yields of the lands already under paddy.

"Then came the second phase. In the early Nineteen-thirties, there was a fundamental change in the Island's land policy which was made on the recommendation of the 1929 Land Commission. Under the Government's new land policy, Crown land was no longer alienated to private capitalists for the expansion of plantation agriculture. Crown land was reserved almost exclusively for alienation to small-scale peasant cultivators. This new land policy, which was embodied in statutory form in the Land Development Ordinance of 1935, brought to an almost complete "standstill the expansion of plantation agriculture in Ceylon. The emphasis in agriculture shifted from plantation crops to food crops and an increase in the production of rice became the primary aim of the Government's agricultural policy. But, in this second phase which lasted for nearly ouarter of a century from 1931 to 1955, the Government's efforts to increase rice-production were concen­ trated mainly on increasing the area under paddy cultivation. Vast sums of money were spent on constructing major irrigation works, on clearing thousands of acres of jungle and settling peasant colonists in remote Coloni­ sation Schemes in the so-called Dry Zone of the Island. By comparison, the money and effort expended on improving the yields of the Island's existing paddy fields was negligible. No systematic effort was made to a^ly modem scientific technieues to paddy cultivation and, even more important, no effort at all was made to sweep away the out-moded system of land tenure which acted as a powerful brake on the efforts of peasants to increase production.

"The third phase began in 1956. Grave doubts were by now being expressed on the wisdom of spending enormous sums of money on large-scale irrigation and land-development schemes. Could not this money, or at least a major part of it, be better utilised in increasing the yields of paddy lands already under cultivation? Kould land development in itself ever solve the food problem or the employment problem in this country? Foreign observers of the Ceylon economic scene added their share of doubts on the wisdom of Ceylon's land and agricultural policy, Cambridge Economist >> Professor Kaldor, for instance, has said that "large scale schemes for the development of food production by means of irrigation schemes are bound to be very wasteful; in the long run the employment problem can only be successfully tackled through industrialization and large-scale projects associated with industrial development and not through agricultural coloni­ sation schemes."

Emphasis T:ow on Intensive than on Ixtensive Cultivation

"From 1956 onwards, therefore, while not altogether abandoning our old land policy, we are devoting much more of our time, money and effort to increasing the"yields of our existing paddy land. Here are'some of the steps we have taken to achieve this end:-

(i) "First, I would refer to the Paddy Lands .'.ct of 1958, which introduced important measures of agrarian reform into this country. Under this ..ct, peasant cultivators will at last be able to break away from the semi-feudal system of land- tenure which has for so long kept paddy cultivation in Ceylon in a state of almost complete stagnation. 3y pro­ ducing security of tenure for the tenant-cultivator and ensuring freedom from exploitation and harrassment by the /(contd).... 7

landlord, the ..ct provides cultivators with incentives to adopt modern techniques and thereby improve their yields. The Act also provides an or.-anisation tc foster and coordinate agrarian activities in each village area and prevent the neglect or abuse of tenurial or cultivation rights. This ..ct has already been brought into operation in certain districts of the Island and will soon be extended to cover the entire country. I must emphasise, however, that the steps already taken under the Faddy lands ..ct are only a first measure of land reform. In countries like Ceylon where arable land is limited and land-holdings are measured in fractions of an acre, one of the chief obstacles to efficient production is the smallness of each production unit. The next step therefore is to consider whether paddy production in , Ceylon cannot be more efficiently organised on a co­ operative or collective basis. The Faddy Lands Act provides the necessary machinery for this purpose, if and when the need arises,

(ii) "Next, there are the vigorous steps we are taking to apply the results of modern scientific research to paddy cultivation in Ceylon. Ae are doing all we can to encourage the widespread use of fertilizer on paddy lands, to induce paddy cultivators to use the best available strains of pureline paddy and to popularise the latest methods of weed and pest control. The intensive use of fertilizer undoubtedly provides the best and cuickest method of increasing yields. I therefore attach the greatest importance to this part of the programme, -.e are now subsidising fertilizer used on paddy land to the extent of 50 per cent. 3ut even with this subsidy, Ceylon's paddy industry still uses only one-fifteenth of the fertilizer per acre which is used on our tea lands. Ceylon s tea industry, incidentally, provides an excellent example of the remarkable yield increases which the use of fertilizer can provide. In the last 20 years, Ceylon's production of tea has been increased by nearly 70 per cent - an increase due almost entirely to the more liberal appli­ cation of fertilizer. I am sure that even larger increases are possible in the case of paddy.

(iii) "Measures to increase agricultural production will be of little avail to peasant farmers, unless the problems of rural credit and the marketing of agricultural produce are tackled in a bold and systematic fashion. i:e in Ceylon are trying to tackle these two closely-connected problems through the media of co-operative institutions. The history of the Co-operative Movement in Ceylon has not been altogether a happy one. Ae are now engaged in a radical overhaul of the entire co-operative structure of the country. The varied types of Co-operative Societies in existence are being replaced by a single Multi-purpose Co-operative Society for each village. Through this network of i.ulti-purpose Co-operative Societies vail be made all purchases of paddy from peasant cultivators under the Government's Guaranteed Price Scheme. I should mention, incidentally, that we in Ceylon are paying our producers the highest price for paddy - Rs 12/- a bushel - of any rice-producing country in Asia. Through these Multi­ purpose Co-operatives, too, will be channelled all the rural credit which peasant farmers recuire for their agricultural operations. At the apex of this credit structure vail be a new Co-operative Development 3ank, with very wide powers and functions and strong Government support, which will supervise the operation of the existing District Co-operative Banks and the whole island- wide machinery for providing rural credit. Closely allied to the problem of rural credit is the relief of rural /(contd).... 8

distress resultin^.fron crop- failures, whether'c'aused by the vagaries of the weather'on the-'one hand or crop diseasec on the other. A-e in Ceylon have just introduced, in a few selected areas, a pilot scheme of Crop .Insurance to meet this important problem. It vail not be long before the Scheme is extended to cover the whole of Ceylon." - -

xxx xxx xxx

CAE GIFTS KEDICL LI3R.JSY BOOKS

The Co-operative for .unerican Remittances to Everywhere (CHE) gifted four sets of medical library books to the Ministry of Health on Friday.

Kr.Kilo A. Kamstra, Chief of .the. Care Programme' in Ceylon, hand-over the books'to the Einister of Health, Mrs. Vimala V.ljewardena, at a ceremony at the lanistry .of Health.

• The gift consists of :-

(i) a medical library of 53 books for the Medical Faculty of the University of Ceylon; - • -

(ii) a public health and nurses training library of 52 books for the Central Public Health Nurses School;

(iii) a public health and nurses training library of 52 books for the Nurses Training School at Kalutara;

(iv) a.set of 33 Technical books for.the Ceylon Nurses' ..ssociation. " . ' .

xxx xxx xxx

ATCUC ENERGY TEAK ARRIVES

A "Preliminary ..ssistance" mission of- the International rttomic Ener,?y Agency has arrived in Ceylon on the invitation of the Government.

The team, which consists of experts in the fields of medical and agricultural- applications of radio-isotopes and nuclear research, will make a survey of conditions and possibilities in the use of nuclear energy in Ceylon. • • ...

The Mission had a meeting with the Committee on Atomic Energy of the National Planning Council last Friday and a program of work for the Kission during-its stay in Ceylon was decided on.

It- was agreed that the team split up into a number of working groups , covering fields of special concern to the visiting experts. COLilfBRCE SUPPLEMENT

Issued by • the Department of Commerce, , CEYLON.

"WEEKLY TEA REPORT

Colombo Auctions: 4,626,719 lbs. were' on offer at the cale held on Z 2nd February. The market opened to a very strong denand at dearer rates.

The quantities sold were:

26r;h January, 1939- ' 2nd February, 1359.

High ... 2,401,500 .. 1,841,100 Medium ... 2,243,000 .. 1,491,100 Low ... 1 ,885,800 .. - • 1,185,800 . • TOTAL 6,550,300 4,518,000

Best High Grown Brokens were about 30 to 50 •cents dearer on an average while lesser sorts were about 15 cents dearer, and Fannings were 10 to 20 cents dearer. Medium Growns on an average registered about 5 to 10 cents of an increase.Leafy \ B.O.P. Low Growns were about steady while their respective Fannings grade sold at firm rates. Low Grown O.Ps were, however, 5 to 8 cents dearer.

Average prices were:-

High Medium Low , TOTAL SALE Grown. Grown. Grown. Rs.cts. Rs.cts..' Rs.cts. Rs.cts. 26th January,1959 ..1.91 1.41 1.53 1.60 2nd February,1959 2.02 1.44' 1.53 1.70.

London Market: 16,983 packages of Ceylon tea (1,861,200 lbs.) were sold in the London Auctions from'2nd to'4th February. There was a better general demand and prices for liquoring sorts were often dearer. The poorer quality .teas, especially Uvas were irregular and generally lower in price according to quality.

Ceylon teas on an average realised Rs.2.88 per lb. while prices for other comparable sorts.were, North Indian ' Rs.2.75 per lb; South Indian Rs.2.28 per lb; Pakistan Rs.2.19. per lb; Indonesian Rs.1,97 per lb; and African Rs.1.96 per lb., while the average for all teas sold realised Rs.2.66 per lb.

The stocks in London and Provincial bonded ware­ houses on 30th January were 165,732,156 lbs. while the quantity of : tea about to. be landed during the week was 32,708,448 lbs.

RUBBER MARKET REPORT For the week ending 7th February, 1959* Trading conditions during the past week in London and New York were rather quiet, but the market found sellers reserved and prices hardened accordingly. All markets ended the week on a firm note. On balance London improved 5/Sd. while Singapore gained 1-3/4 Straits dollar cents.

In sympathy with the trend in world markets R.S.S.No.1 improved in the Colombo market from Rs.1/03^ per pound on Monday, to close at Rs.1/06 at the end of the week.

Approximately 675 tons of Crepe and.Scrap Crepes were on offer at the two sales held during the week showing a decrease of about 43 tons over the previous week's total. At the first auction ... prices for "best grades eased about half a cent while lower sorts were one to two cents easier. There was a better demand'at the'-' subsequent sale and prices appreciated two to three cents all round. The quotations for E.M.A. Crepe together with the number of lots and . .' total quantities of all grades offered at the two scles held during the week are given below:- - • • • -

'. .QUOTATIONS . OFFERINGS - Off Lots lbs.. 4r£- No.1X No.2 No.3 Grades Feb. . • . . :— • * 1959 Rs. 1.06/06)6 1.05/05)6 1.03/04)6 Cts.98/1.03 Cts,91/97 478 785,288 6th. Feb, • . • 1959 " 1.08)6/10 1.07/08)6 1.06/07 &.1.02/05 Cts.93/1*01501 725,520 At the opening, sale-Scrap Crepe prices declined by about two cents, but at the subsequent- sale a good recovery was recorded and prices improved approximately four cents all round.

. Scrap rubber prices declined five cents all round at the t-. start of the. week and remained unchanged thereafter to close at

-/65» .-/55 and -/55 cents per pound'for Nos. 1, 2 and 3 respectively.. Well washed earth scrap remained unchanged at -/25 cents-per pound. \

• ' COCONUT PRODUCTS ' • ' Market Report for week ending 7th February, 1959*

The markets.were closed on 4th February, 1959> on account of the public holiday.

Copra; The price of copra at the Sales Room in Colombo increased

sharply from Rs.241/25 a candy on the opening day to Rs.244/T a candy for Estate No.1 quality on the second day of the week. During the rest of the week there was a slight decline in price to Rs.243/- a candy. Total spot sales during the week declined to 6,994 candies. Forward sales were 980 candies. During the week there was increased" „' buying interest from India after an absence for some time as buyers"-;

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil prices in Colombo increased from Rs.1,425/- a ton to Rs.1,450/- a ton at the end of the week. Ceylon oil in London also increased from £.132)6 a ton to £.134 during the week. Malayan oil in London was unchanged at £.132 a ton. A fair European enquiry persisted for early shipments of Ceylon ^ilk oil, but sellers were reserved anticipating higher prices. U.sBs.R. . was also reported to have made enquiries for 2,000 tons of oil for" February/March shipment but no business has so far resulted.

Desiccated Coconut; The price of desiccated coconut in Colombo increased from -/52 to -/53 cts. during the latter part of the week but declined to -/52J4. cts. on the last day. Spot price of desiccated coconut in London was unchanged ^t 121 Sh. a.cwt. Forward prices declined from 120 Sh..to 118)6 sh. a cwt. at the end of the week. The market was dull.

onac (Copra cake): Poonac price in Colombo was steady at Rs.300/- a ton during the week. EXPORT DUTIES - NON VARIABLE Rs. cts Coconut Poonac Per ton 200.00 Copra 185.00 Coconut Oil ... " 155.00 Cardamoms (with shell) Per 100 lbs. 100.00 Cardamoms (without shell) . -ditto- 200.00 Desiccated Coconut Per ton 95*00 Fresh Coconut :•• Per 1000 nuts 65.00 Cocoa ... Per 100.lbs. 25.00 Graphite " Cwt. 2.50 Tea .__ "lb. .70 Rubber ""ii n 720 "

' \ - - MINOR PRODTJCTS' Margin of Prices lor the :Week ending Saturday 7th February,1959.

• Rs .Cardamoms Estate No.1 At Buyers Stores per lb • 6.50 7.75 Cinnamon Quills Fine 0000 -ditto- • 4.00 -ditto- No.2 -ditto- 2.65 Cinnamon Chips ...... per candy Citronella Oil Ex Sellers Stores per lb.. - 225.00 .60 Cocoa Estate No.1 At Buyers Stores per cwt, 1 1.75 •Fibre Coconut Bristle 1 Tie per cwt. 170.00 177- 00 26 ' -ditto- 2. " " 25-00 .00 26,00 28.00 -ditto- '5- " 27 Fibre Coconut Mattress No.1 " " .00 31.00 -ditto- No.2 F.A.Q. per cwt. . 11.50 12.50 - • 11.00

R.