Forgers Wont Have It Easy

The French Administration has issued a stern warning to any one trying to take New Caledonian banknotes into the New Hebrides or trying to falsify the notes by illegally overprinting the words “Nouvelles Hebrides.” Anyone attempting such smuggling or forgery could be faced with “hard labour for life”.

The same currency is used throughout French Pacific territories, the only distinction being the overprinting of “Noumea”, “Nouvelles Hebrides”, etc., in each territory.

Under the present tight foreign exchange restrictions imposed by France, the recent cautions are seen as a move to stop illegal conversion of Caledonian francs into Australian dollars in the New Hebrides.

Caledonian tourists are at present limited to taking no more than SA27O out of the territory each year in foreign currency.