Exchange Rates

FIJI. —Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, ank of NZ, Bank of Baroda. Sterling dollar n Fiji dollar, buying £Stg.l = $F2.085; ell ing $2.11. Aust. dollar on Fiji dollar, uying $A1.0117 = SFI; selling $A1.0288

= Sfi.

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

Norfolk Is., Papua-New Guinea. Aus

ralian currency used: no exchange payable in ransactions with Australia.

FRENCH PACIFIC COLONIES.— Pacific francs IFP) are used in New Caledonia, New Hebrides ointly with Australian dollars), Wallis and utuna Islands and Fr. Polynesia. French Bank, ydney, on Mar. 24, quoted: Selling, Noumea md Papeete, 150 Pac. francs to $ Aust.; ipprox. 100 Pac. francs to US $; Noumea 18 ’ac. francs to 1 French franc (conversion rate: Pac. franc equals 0.055 French franc). Paris ondon: Buying 13.33 francs to £Stg. Also, iStg. equals 215.50 Pac. francs.

GILBERT AND ELLICE:—Board pays growers $78.40 per ton and receives $143.05 per ton overseas; 2nd grade price 3£c per Ib.

NEW HEBRIDES:—Copra sold direct by planters to France and Japan. Official market price in Feb. was $9O (9,000 Pac. francs).

COOK IS.: —Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, who operates NZ's copra crushing mill. Prices for Apr., May and June were fixed, subject to freight adjustment, at $NZ189.27 Ist grade, hot air dried; $NZ187.20 Ist grade, sun dried, and $NZ185.63 standard grade.

US TRUST TERRITORY:—Board pays $U5112.50 per ton, grade 1; $lOO per ton, 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.) Ib 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 Ib, wet, 6c per Ib; long red, grade one, dried, 12c per Ib, long red, wet, 3c per Ib.

COCOA. —Islands rates are based on Ghana prices. Ghana price on Mar. 25 was £Stg.322/10/- per ton, c.i.f., UK Spot.

On Mar. 25, Quote No. 1: In store Rabaul, export quality $530 per ton, delivered ex wharf Sydney $595. Quote No. 2: Best quality ex-wharf Sydney $5BO, in store NG ports $520 (for UK, Continent and USA shipments).

W. Samoa. — Latest price quoted in Sydney in Mar. was Ist grade, £Stg.3oo ; 2nd grade, £Stg.2Bo, f.o.b. per ton, and firming.

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

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

COFFEE.— P-NG: On Mar. 25, Quote No. 1, good quality A grade 52c per Ib; B grade 48£c; C grade 46c; X grade 48£c and native X grade 45c (ex-store Sydney).

CROCODILE SKINS. On Mar. 25, 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. Very little demand from Japan, Europe and the US. Price not quoted: Honiara: 5c to 6c per Ib.

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

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

PEANUTS. P-NG: Sydney agents reported Mar. 25, f.0.b., Lae; Kernels —white Spanish 17.25 c Ib.

PEARL SHELL. — Thurs. Is. out of season, production to resume July.

Solomons. Honiara, mother of pearl black lip 15c Ib, goldlip 20 Ib. Cook Islands. — Manihiki, 40c-46c per Ib: delivered Rarotonga, 50c-56c per Ib. French Polynesia. —Tuamotu, Gambier shells, to $l,OO per ton, Papeete.

PYRETHRUM.—NG growers 17c Ib, flowers.

RICE (Aust.): Prices, until Mar. 31, 1971, are— P-NG: Dried brown rice, $132 per ton, f.o.w. Sydney. Vitamin-enriched white rice, $146.50 per ton. Other Pacific Islands: Polished white (56 Ib bags) or dried brown rice (112 Ib bags), $156 per ton, f.o.w.

RUBBER. —P-NG price is based on Singapore rates which on Mar. 25 were: Prompt nominal shipment 60| Malayan cents per lb; Apr., 61 i cents per lb and May, M6l£ cents per lb (all about 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: Mar. 24—Papua—$160-$l7O per ton— Honiara— slso-$l6O per ton, f.o.b.

Islands port—direct shipment overseas—NG— sl3o-$!35 per ton. European demand.

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

VANILLA BEANS. —Victor Karp Tulk & Co., Sydney, buy mainly from Tahiti for Sydney and Melbourne essence makers. Prices on Mar. 25 were: White and yellow label processed standard packs, $5.95; green label $5.85, c.i.f., Sydney. Tonga.— sl4.2o, f.0.b., Nukua lofa; $T4.50, Melbourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

COPRA: LONDON, Mar. 23, Philippines, in bulk, SUS 244 per long ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth.

European ports; US Pacific coast SUS2OS, buyer, SUS2SO, seller.

Coconut Oil: London, Mar. 23, Ceylon,

1% in bulk, about £Stg.l6o per ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports.

RUBBER: LONDON, Mar. 25, Spot 21£d Stg. lb; Apr. 214 d Stg. lb; June Stg. Ib.