Air excursions

Exchange Rates

FIJI. —Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, ank of NZ, Bank of Baroda, First National iity Bank. Sterling £ on Fiji $, buying £1 = F 2.085; selling £1 = $2.11. Aust. $ on Fiji , buying $A1.0117 = SFI, selling $A1.0288 WESTERN SAMOA.—Through Bank of Western amoa, controlled from NZ, seller $A1.2470 to WS Tala 1.

Norfolk Is., Papua New Gulnea.—Aus

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

FRENCH PACIFIC COLONIES.—Pacific francs SFP) are used in New Caledonia, New Hebrides Jointly with Australian dollars), Wallis and utuna Is., and Fr. Polynesia. French Bank, lydney, on Apr. 20, quoted: Selling, Noumea md Papeete, Pac francs to the sAust., 108.47 commercial —export and import transactions), 05.30 (financial —nearly all other transactions). > aris-London: Buying, 13.1400 francs to the £ commercial); 12.7275 francs to the £ (finan :ial). Also £ equals 238.9090 (buying), 238.7272 selling) Pac. francs; 5.50 CFP to 1 metropoli an franc.

Bank? should be approached for daily quotes.

NEW HEBRIDES: Copra sold direct by planters to Prance and Japan. Official market price on March 15 was $3O. Marseilles 67.25 French francs (per 100 kilos) April 12.

COOK IS.: —Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, who operates NZ's copra crushing mill. Prices for April to June, packed, shipping weights f.0.b.. were fixed at 5NZ103.52 Ist grade, hot air dried, $NZ101.45. Ist grade, sun dried, and $NZ99.88 standard grade.

Us Trust Territory: $102.50 (Grade 1),

$92.50 (grade 2), $85.50 (grade 3), delivered district centres; $9O (grade 1), $BO (grade 2), $7O (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. —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 Apr. 20 (Jan./Mar. shipment) was spot £stg2l9 ton, c.i.f.; UK, Continent.

Apr. 20, Quote No 1: In store Rabaul, export quality, $370 per ton, delivered ex wharf Sydney, $445. Quote No. 2: Best quality in store NG ports, $390 (May/June shipment).

Solomons. —4 cents a lb delivered to o fermentary, 3 cents a lb at buying points COFFEE.—PNG: Apr. 20, good quality, A grade, 36c per lb; B grade, 33£c; C grade, 31c; Y grade, 30£c (ex-store Sydney).

W. Samoa.—Recently, WSTEC ground and dried beans, 49 sene oer 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. pavs 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 fob., Lae; Kernels—white Spanish 17.25 c lb PEARL SHELL.—Torres Strait Pearlshellers' Assn, has no recent quotes. Solomons.— Honiara, mother of pearl blacklip 14c-16c lb, goldlip 18c lb. Cook Islands.—Penrhyn, 20-25 c per lb, del. Rarotonga 33-35 c per lb. French Polynesia.—Tuamotu, Gambier shells, to $l,OOO oer ton, Papeete.

PYRETHRUM —NG growers 17c lb, flowers RICE (Aust.);—PNG: Dried brown, 112 lb bags, $ll5 a ton, 40 lb bags, $125 a ton; vitamin enriched white, 56 lb bags, $127 a ton; all f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne. Pacific Is lands: Calrose med. grain, white, 56 lb bags, SAI2B-SAI33 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 are based on Singapore rates which on Mar. 30 were: No. 1 RSS (Malayan cents a kilo fob), Apr. 85.50-86.25; May, 86.75-87.25; June, 87.25-88.

SANDALWOOD —New Hebrides, landed on th* 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.

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 oacks, $7.50; green label $7.40, c.i.f., Sydney.

Tonga.—ST4.2o, f.o.b. Nukualofa; 5T4.50, Mel bourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

RUBBER.—London, No. 1 RSS spot (per kilo).

Mar. 30, prompt shipment, 13.44 p (c. and f.) COPRA.—LONDON, Apr. 13, Philippines, in bulk, SUSI 37 (May reseller) per long ton.

c.i.f., UK/North European ports; US Pacific coast, b SUSI2O, s SUSI 29.

Coconut Oil (Ceylon)—London, Apr. 18,

£stglol£ (May/June).

Air excursions

An excursion tare from Fiji to London and back is now being offered by BOAC (subject to govern ment approval) for SA7I4, travelling by BO AC’s VC 10s over the Pacific to Honolulu and Los Angeles and then across America to New York and on to London. One stopover is permitted at an additional cost of 5A32.00. In the peak period (May to July) the cost is $A764.

The fares from Fiji can be combined with fares to and from Tonga, Samoa, Nauru, Cook Islands, Gilbert and Ellice Islands and British Solomon Islands. Passengers must have a passport or statutory declaration of residence for six months in any of the above territories or Australia or New Zealand. • Fiji Industries Ltd., operator of the cement factory at Lami outside Suva, had a 35 per cent, jump in sales for the half-year ended in December. This has lifted profit by 5 per cent. An interim dividend of 7 per cent, will be paid on May 31, indicating an unchanged total of 16 per cent.