Exchange Rates

FlJl.— Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, ank of NZ, Bank of Baroda. Sterling dollar n Fiji dollar, buying £Stg.l = $F2.085; el ling $2.11. Aust. dollar on Fiji dollar, oiymg $A 1.0117 = SFI; selling $A1.0288 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, Sydney, on May 25, quoted: Selling, Noumea md Papeete, 130 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 13.26 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 3£c per Ib.

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

Marseilles, 1,135 francs. May 15.

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. — SoIomons, 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 May 22 was £Stg.27o per ton, c.i.f., UK Spot.

On May 22, Quote No. 1: In store Rabaul, export quality $470 per ton, delivered ex wharf Sydney $530. Quote No. 2: Best quality ex-wharf Sydney $540, in store NG ports $465 (for UK, Continent and USA shipments).

W. Samoa. —Latest price quoted in Sydney in May was Ist grade, £Stg.26s; 2nd grade, £Stg.2so, 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 May 25, Quote No. 1, good quality A grade 52c per Ib; B grade 48£c; C grade 46c,• X grade and native X grade 45c (ex-store Sydney).

CROCODILE SKINS. On May 25, Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, Ist grade quality as follows: P-NG — $3.05 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 May 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 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 May 24 were: Prompt nominal shipment 57| Malayan cents per lb; June, M 584 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.— May 25—Papua—$180-$ 190 per ton —Honiara—$170-$175 per ton, f.o.b. Islands port—direct shipment overseas—NG —$150-$155 per ton—Hebrides —sloo 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 May 25 were: White and yellow label processed standard packs, $7.10; green label $7, c.i.f., Sydney. Tonga— $14.20, f.0.b., Nukualofa; $14.50, Melbourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

COPRA: LONDON, May 22, Philippines, in bulk, SUS 222 per long ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth.

European ports; US Pacific coast SUSIB4, buyer, SUSIB7, seller.

Coconut Oil: London, May 22, Ceylon,

1% in bulk, £Stg. 148/10/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports.

Rubber: London, May 24, Spot 20-3/16D

Stg. lb; June 20d Stg. lb; Aug. 20-7/16d Stg.