De luxe living

Exchange Rates

n 3 F I JI, T T M r , oug „ h , Bar * of NSW ' ANZ Bank, Bank of NZ Bank of Baroda, First National SF9 V nR^ nk ‘ n- 6r ir ri £ Or V Fi '' bu V in 9 = SF2 085; selling £1 = $2.11. Aust. $ on Fiji - in'" 9 SAIOII7 = * F b selling $A1.0288 WEBERN SAMOA —Through Bank of Western rwT a fa| C a° nt i ro,,ed fr ° m NZ> S6,ler SAI - 2470 t 0

Norfolk Is., Papua New Gulnea.—Aus

tralian currency used; no exchange payable In transactions with Australia.

FRENCH PACIFIC COLONIES.-Pacific francs iT? ) ., are "lt d N ew Caledonia, New Hebrides .with Australian dollars), Wallis and ™/. u „ na ls -' and Fr. Polynesia. French Bank, Sydney, on Jan. 25, quoted: Selling, Noumea and Papeete, 110.77 Pac. francs to the sAust. ; Pans-London: Buying, 13.33 francs to the n 9?®f C i a e * xpo /u a 2 d J mport transactions). 13.3125 francs to the £ (financial—nearly all other transactions). Also £ equals 242.3636 (buying) ' 2 4 2 181 8 ( Se ||ing ) Pac f rancs . 5 50

£ d 7 metropolitan franc.

Banks should be approached for daily quotes

COOK IS.:—Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, who operates NZ's copra crushing mill. Prices for Jan. 1 to Mar. 31, packed shipping weights f.0.b., were fixed at SNZI23 55 Ist grade, hot air dried, $NZ121.48. Ist grade sun dried, and $NZ119.92 standard grade.

Us Ikust Territory: $122.50 (Grade 1),

$112.50 (grade 2), $102.30 (grade 3), delivered district centres; $llO (grade 1), $lOO (grade 2), $9O (grade 3), picked up outer islands.

Other Produce

BECHE-DE-MER: Chang Sing Loong Co Suva, quote 45c (4 in. to 10 in.).

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

CHILLIES.—SoIomons, 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 Jan. 25 (Jan./Mar. shipment) was spot £stg2o2 ton, c.i.f., UK, Continent.

Jan. 25, Quote No. 1: In store Rabaul, export quality, $350 per ton, delivered ex wharf Sydney, $420. Quote No. 2: Best quality ex wharf Sydney $445 (Jan./Mar. shipment); i n store NG ports, $360 (Jan./Mar. shipment).

W. Samoa.—No recent quotes.

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

COFFEE.—PNG: Jan. 25, good quality, A grade, 36c per lb; B grade, 33£c; C grade, 31 c; Y grade, 30£c (ex-store Sydney).

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

CROCODILE SKlNS.—Honiara: $1.89 to $2.25 per sq. in.

Green Snail Shell.—S3So A Ton F.O.B.

(nominal).

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

PASSIONFRUIT.—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, qold hp 20c lb. Cook Islands.—Penrhyn, 20-25 c per lb, del. Rarotonga 33-35 c per lb. French Poly nesia—Tuamotu, Gambier shells, to $1 000 per ton, Papeete.

PYRETHRUM —NG growers 17c lb, flowers RICE (Aust.): —PNG: Dried brown, 112 lb bags, $123 a ton, 40 lb bags, $133 a ton; vitamm enriched white, 56 lb bags, $136.50 a ton; all f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne. Pacific Is »C.a Se T 1 - 9 rain ' white ' 56 'b bags, rz a long ton. Kulu long grain white, 56 lb bags, SAI64-SAI67 a long ton. All prices f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne.

RUBBER.—PNG prices is based on Singapore rates which on Jan. 14 were: No. 1 RSS (Malayan cents a kilo fob), Feb. 90.25-92 25- Mar. 92.50-94.50; Apr./June 97.25-99.75.

SANDALWOOD.—New Hebrides, landed on thf beach, Vila and Santo, no recent quotes.

SHARKS FINS.— Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, offers 75c per lb for Ist quality, 45c for mixed quality.

TROCHUS.—BSIP 4c (uncleaned), 5c (cleaned) per lb (with one buyer offering 7c to 8c).

TURTLE SHELL— BSI: 20c to $1.20 per lb, depending on size and quality. ..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; $T4.50, Mel bourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

COPRA.—LONDON, Jan. 24, Philippines, in bulk, SUSI4S (Feb. reseller) per long ton, c.i.f,. UK/North European ports; US Pacific coast, b SUSI 24, s SUSI 29.

Coconut Oil.—London, Jan. 24, £Stgllb

(Feb./Mar. reseller).

RUBBER.—London, No. 1 RSS spot (per kilo), Jan. 10-14, prompt shipment, 13.86 p (c. and

Lae food school

contract let

D. C. Watkins (Overseas) Ltd. won the contract to build the first stage of the Food and Catering School at Lae Technical College. Stage I will comprise a kitchen mess, kitchen block, service block, lecture room, laundry lecture room, the Cecil Livien Memorial Hall and a pump house.

The first group of students will be enrolled later this year, to be trained as restaurateurs, receptionists and caterers. Stage I is expected to cost about $90,000. Tenders for Stage II —the administration block and a dormitory—will be called later this year.

De luxe living

in the New Hebrides

The Melanesia International Trust Co. Ltd. (Melitco) is planning the most luxurious building in the New Hebrides, a three-storey, all-aircon ditioned block of offices fronting on to the Rue Pasteur in Vila.

Built on a coral base, with total floor area of 16,000 sq ft, the build ing is designed to resist earthquakes and cyclones and will be of sand coloured, reinforced concrete.

The company will occupy about 2,500 sq ft of the first floor and let the rest.