Exchange Rates

FlJl,—Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of NZ, Bank of Baroda. Sterling £ on Fiji $, buying £1 = $F2.085; selling £1 = $2.11. Aust. $ on Fiji $, buying $A1.0288 = SFI, selling $A1.0177 = SFI.

WESTERN SAMOA —Through Bank of Western Samoa, controlled from NZ, seller $A1.2470 to SWS Tala 1.

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 May 25, quoted: Selling, Noumea and Papeete, 109 Pac. francs to $ Aust.; approx. 97 Pac. francs to US $; Noumea 100 Pac. francs equal 5.5 French francs. Paris- London: Buying 13.365 francs to £. Also £ equals 243.70 Pac. francs.

mill. Prices for April 1 to June 30 were fixed, subject to freight adjustment, at $NZ179.25 Ist grade, hot air dried; $NZ177.18 Ist grade, sun dried, and $NZ175.60 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 F3sc (4 in. to 7 in.) to F4oc (9 in. to 11 in.) lb depending on quality.

Honiara.—Live slugs, over six inches, black —six for 10c, other colours —12 for 10c.

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

COCOA.—lslands rates are based on Ghana prices. Ghana price on May 24 (June/July shipment) was spot £204.50 ton, c.i.f., UK Continent Spot.

May 25, Quote No. 1: In store Rabaul, export quality $360 per ton, delivered ex wharf Sydney $420. Quote No. 2: Best quality ex-wharf Sydney $440, in store NG ports $378 (for immediate UK, Continent and USA ship ments).

W. Samoa. —Nominal quotation for May 25 was Ist grade, £Stg.3lo; 2nd grade, £Stg.29o, f.o.b. per ton.

Solomons. —4 cents a lb delivered to a fermentary, 3 cents a lb at buying points.

COFFEE: P-NG: May 25, good quality, A grade 4l£c-42c per lb; B grade 40c; C grade 37c; X grade 40c and native X grade 37£c (ex-store Sydney).

W. Samoa.—Recently, WSTEC ground and dried beans, 49 sene per lb (wholesale).

CROCODILE SKINS. Recent Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, Ist grade quality as follows; 8.5.1., Honiara —$1.80 to $2.20 per in.; Gizo: $2.10 per in.

Green Snail Shell.—S3So A Ton F.O.B.

(nomnai).

PAPUAN GUM.—Graded gum $215 per ton, f.o.b.

PA SSI ON FRUIT.— Cook Islands, Islands Foods Ltd. pays growers NZ2.5c per lb for good fruit PAPAW. —Cook Islands, Island Foods Ltd. pays growers NZ2c per lb for good fruit.

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

PEARL SHELL.—Torres Strait Pearlshellers' Assn, has no recent quotes. Solomons. — Honiara, mother of pearl blacklip 15c lb, gold lip 20c lb. Cook Islands. —Penrhyn, 20-25 c per lb, del. Rarotonga 33-35 c per lb. French Poly nesia.—Tuamotu, Gambier shells, to $l,OOO per ton, Papeete.

PYRETHRUM —NG growers 17c lb, flowers RICE (Aust.): Prices till March 31, 1972, are —P-NG: Dried brown, 112 lb bags, $124 a ton, 40 lb bags, $134 a ton; vitamin enriched white, 56 lb bags, $137.50 a ton; all f.o.w.

Sydney/Melbourne. Pacific Islands: White pol ished, 56 lb bags, $156 a ton, f.o.w. Sydney/ Melbourne.

RUBBER—P-NG price is based on Singapore rates which on May 25 were: No. RSS prompt shipment (Malayan cents a kilo) b 114.75, s 115.57; July, b 118 c, s 118.25.

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

SHARK FINS: Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva offers 55c per lb for well-dried fins of commercial quality.

TROCHUS.—BSIP and NG.—slso-$l7O a ton (nominal).

TURTLE SHELL— BSI: First grade unmarked 60c to $1.50 a 1b at Gizo.

VANILLA BEANS. Prices recently were; White and yellow label processed standard packs, $7.50; green label $7.40, c.i.f., Sydney Tonga.—sT4.2o, f.0.b., Nukualofa; $14.50, Mel bourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

COPRA—LONDON, May 21, Philippines, in bulk, SUSI 92 (June reseller) per long ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports; US Pacific coast, b

Susisb, S Susi6O.

Coconut Oil.—London, May 21, £Stg.L43.

Rubber.—London, May 25, No. 1 Rss

Spot (per kilo), b 16.10 new pence (June ship ment).