Exchange Rates

FlJl.— Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of NZ, Bank of Baroda. Sterling dollar on Fiji dollar, buying £Stg.l = $F2.085; selling $2.11.

WESTERN SAMOA.— Through Bank of Western Samoa, controlled from NZ, seller SAI to SWS Tala 1.2470.

Norfolk Is., Papua-New Guinea. Aus

tralian currency used: no exchange payable in transactions with Australia.

FRENCH PACIFIC COLONIES.— Pacific francs CFP) are used in New Caledonia, New Hebrides jointly with Australian dollars), Wallis and c ittuna Islands and Fr. Polynesia. French Bank, Sydney, on Jan. 20, quoted: Selling, Noumea and Papeete, 110 Pac. francs to $ Aust.; approx. 100 Pac. francs to US $; Noumea 18 rdC. irancs to 1 French franc (conversion rate: ’ Par franc equals 0.055 French franc). Paris- London: Buying 13.33 francs to £Stg. Also, t.Stq equals 215.50 Pac. francs.

NEW HEBRIDES:—Copra sold direct by planters to France and Japan. Official market price up to Jan. 18 was $lOO (10,000 Pac. francs). French price was 1,315 francs per metric ton, c.i.f. marseilles.

COOK IS.:—Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, who operates NZ's copra crushing mill. Prices for Jan., Feb. and Mar. were fixed, subject to freight adjustment, at $NZ171.13 Ist grade, hot air dried; $NZ169.04 Ist grade, sun dried, and $NZ167.48 standard grade.

US TRUST TERRITORY;—Copra Stabilisation Board pays $U5112.50 per ton, grade 1; $lOO per ton, deliveries outer islands.

Other Produce

BECHE-DE-MER; Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, quote F2oc (4 in. to 7 in.) to F3oc (9 in. to 11 in.) lb for "Sucuwalu" and "Loaloa" varieties.

Honiara. —Live slugs, over six inches, black six for 10c, other colours—l2 for 10c.

CHILLIES. — Solomons, Honiara, Tabasco, grade one, dried 22c per lb, wet, 6c per lb; long red, grade one, dried, 12c per lb, long red, wet, 3c per lb.

COCOA. —lslands rates are based on Ghana prices. Ghana price on Jan. 21 was £Stg.3ss per ton, c.i.f., UK Spot.

On Jan. 22, Quote No. 1: In store Rabaul, export quality $602 per ton, delivered ex wharf Sydney, $665. Quote No. 2: Best quality ex-wharf Sydney, $670, in store NG ports $6OO (for UK, Continent and USA shipments).

W. Samoa. — Latest price quoted in Sydney in Jan., was Ist grade, £Stg.3so; 2nd grade, £Stg.33o, f.o.b. per ton.

New Hebrides. —beach, Vila, Santo, $3OO per ton.

Solomons. —5 cents a lb delivered to a fermentary, 4 cents a lb at buying points.

COFFEE.— P-NG: On Jan. 22, Quote No. 1, good quality A grade 47c per lb; B grade 44c; C grade 40c; X grade 45c and native X grade 41 Jc (ex-store Sydney).

CROCODILE SKINS. On Jan. 22, Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, Ist grade quality as follows: P-NG —s3.os per in., f.o.b. main ports, small scale (salt water); large scale (fresh water) $2.10 per in. 8.5.1., Honiara: $l.BO to $2.20 per in.; Gizo; $2.10 per in.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL. On Jan. 22 Aus tralian buyers report very little demand from Japan, Europe and the US. Price not quoted: Honiara: 5c to 6c per lb.

PAPUAN GUM: Graded gum $lB5 per ton, f.0.b., NG ports.

PASSIONFRUIT. — Cook Islands, Islands Foods Ltd. pays growers NZ2.5c per lb for good fruit.

PEANUTS. —P-NG; Sydney agents reported Jan. 22, f.0.b., Lae; Kernels—white Spanish 17.25 c lb.

PEARL SHELL.—Torres Strait Pearlshellers' Assn, recently quoted these prices for MOP; AA grade, $A1,260 per ton; A, $1,460; B, $2,060; C, $2,100; D, $1,260; E, $910; EE, $635 and EEE, $375 f.o.b. Thurs. Is.

Solomons. — Honiara, mother of pearl black lip 15c lb, goldlip 20c lb. Cook Islands.— Manihiki, 40c-46c per lb; deliver Rarotonga, consignment 50c-56c per lb. French Polynesia. —Tuamotu, Gambler shells, up to $l,OOO per ton, Papeete.

PYRETHRUM —NG growers 17c lb, flowers.

RICE (Aust.); Prices, until Mar. 31, 1970 are— P-NG: Dried brown rice, $136.00 per ton, f.o.w. Sydney. Vitamin-enriched white rice,

$150.50 per ton. Other Pacific Islands; Polished white (56 lb bags) or dried brown rice (112 lb bags), $l6l per ton, f.o.w.

RUBBER. —P-NG price is based on Singapore rates which on Jan. 21 were: Prompt nominal shipment 67| Malayan cents per lb; Feb., M6Ba cents per lb and Mar., M69£ cents per lb (all about 23 Aust. cents per lb).

SANDALWOOD.—New Hebrides, landed on the beach, Vila and Santo, $250 a ton.

SHARK FINS; Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, offers F4sc per lb for well-dried fins of commercial quality.

TROCHUS.—A Sydney buyer indicated the following prices: Jan. 22 —Papua—$160-$l7O per ton —Honiara—$150-$l6O per ton, f.o.b.

Islands port—direct shipment overseas—NC— sl3o-$135 per ton. European demand.

TURTLE SHELL. —BSI: First grade unmarked 60c to $1.50 a lb at Gizo.

VANILLA BEANS. -Victor Karp Tulk & Co., Sydney, buy mainly from Tahiti for Sydney and Melbourne essence makers. Prices on Jan. 22 were: White and yellow label processed standard packs, $5.95; green label $5.85, c.i.f., Sydney. Tonga.—sT4.2o, f.0.b., Nukua lofa; $14.50, Melbourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

COPRA: LONCTON, Jan. 15, Philippines, in bulk, SUS23S per long ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth.

European ports; US Pacific coast SUS 222 per short ton.

Coconut Oil; London, Jan. 15, Ceylon,

1% in bulk, £Stg.l62 per ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth.

European ports.

RUBBER: LONDON, Jan. 21, Spot 23d Stg. lb; Feb. 231 d Stg. lb; Mar. 24d Stg. lb.