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. Aust. dollar on Fiji dollar, buying $A1.0117 = SFI; selling $A1.0288

= Sfi.

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 Futuna Islands and Fr. Polynesia. French Bank, Sydney, on Apr. 22, quoted: Selling, Noumea and Papeete, 130 Pac. francs to $ Aust.; approx. 100 Pac. francs to US $; Noumea 18 Pac. francs to 1 French franc (conversion rate: 1 Pac. franc equals 0.055 French franc). Paris- London: Buying 13.31 francs to £Stg. Also, £Stg. 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 per Ib.

NEW HEBRIDES:—Copra sold direct by planters to France and Japan. Official market price in Apr. 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 —12 for 10c.

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

COCOA. —lslands rates are based on Ghana prices. Ghana price on Apr. 22 was £Stg.322/10/- per ton, c.i.f., UK Spot.

On Apr, 23, 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 $502 (for UK, Continent and USA shipments).

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

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

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

COFFEE.— P-NG: On Apr. 23, 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 Apr. 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. 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 Apr. 23, 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 blacklip 15c Ib, goldlip 20c Ib. Cook Islands. —Manihiki, 40c-46c per Ib; delivered Rarotonga, 50c-56c per Ib. French Polynesia.—Tuamotu, Gambier shells, to $l,OOO 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 Apr. 22 were: Prompt nominal shipment 57£ Malayan cents per lb; May, Ms7| cents per lb and June, MsBj| cents per lb (all about 19i 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.— Apr. 22—Papua—$160-$l7O per ton—Honiara—slso-$! 60 per ton, f.o.b. Islands port—direct shipment overseas—NG —sl3o-$135 per ton —Hebrides—$100 per ton— US Territory —World Trading, Hong Kong, after sellers.

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 Apr. 23 were: White and yellow label processed standard packs, $7.10; green label $7, c.i.f., Sydney. Tonga. —sT4.2o, f.0.b., Nukualofa; $T4.50, Melbourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

COPRA: LONDON, Apr. 22, Philippines, in bulk, SUS 243 per long ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth.

European ports; US Pacific coast SUS2OO, buyer, SUS2IS, seller.

Coconut Oil; London, Apr. 22, Ceylon,

1% in bulk, about £Stg.l69 per ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports.

Rubber; London, Apr. 22, Spot 20-5/16D

Stg. Ib; May 20|d Stg. lb; June 20-l/16d Stg.