Produce

Prices

Unless otherwise shown, stated quotations are in Australian currency. Australian dollar (August 26) equalled: New Zealand, $1.2478 (buying), $1.2434 (selling); Papua New Guinea, K 0.9548 (buying), K 0.9500 (selling); Fiji, $1.1254 (buying), $1.1014 (selling); Western Samoa, tala 1.0035 (buying), tala 0.9895 (selling); Tonga pa'anga 0.8826 (buying), pa'anga 0.8650 (selling); US $1.2480 (buying) $1.2430 (selling), UK £0.7070 (buying), £0.6990 (selling); French Pacific, CFP 113.35 (buying) 111.83 (selling).

Copra

Copra industries are controlled through copra oards in PNG, the Solomons, the Gilberts, both iamoas, Fiji, Tonga, the Cooks and the US Trust erritory, New Hebrides, French Polynesia and New laledoniadonothave boards and copra is either sold idividually by growers to overseas buyers or used >cally.

PNG:— The board, with planters’ reps, directs istribution and sales and pays planters. Shipments re made to UK, European markets and to Australian rid Japan, and coconut oil mills on New Britain.

Latest prices are; Per tonne, delivered main ports, ot-air dried. K 170; FMS, K 167; smoke-dried, K 165 ’rices include K2B bounty).

FIJI:— The board fixes priceson Philippinescopra, king into account freight, taxes, selling costs, irinkage, etc. The price is subsidised, latest prices ere; Fiji 1, $l9O, Fiji 2, $l7l, CAS $7O.

NEW HEBRIDES:— Copra sold direct by planters France and Japan. Burns Philp paying on wharf, la or Santo. Aug. 2 FNH 8,200, London, Aug 13139- 0 met francs 100 kg cif Marseilles.

US TRUST TERRITORY:- Palau; Ist grade, $155, nd grade, $145, 3rd grade, $135, at district centre; uter islands. $l3O, $l2O and $llO for the three rades. Yap: $135, $125 and $ll5 respectively at istrict centre; outer islands. $llO, $lOO and $9O ispectively. Truk, Ponape, Marshalls, Marianas: 130, $l2O and $llO respectively at district centres' lands, $lO5, $95 and $B5.

COOK ISLANDS;— All production is sold to Abels Id, Auckland. Prices are based on average world r ices for the prior three of six months, and remain in 'rce for three months.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: — Copra Board pays, per lb Honiara, Yandina and Gizo. 4'/ 2 4 Ist grade 40 2nd ade, 3Vfe4 3rd grade.

GILBERT ISLANDS:- $134.40 a ton, or 64 a lb.

WESTERN SAMOA;— Ist grade, $W5109.50 2nd ade, $W596.50.

TONGA:— All copra sold to EEC. Ist grade. SP7O id grade SPSB.

NIUE: Standard, $147 a tonne gross.

Other Produce

:OCOA; Island rates are based on Ghana price lana price on Aug 26 was spot £stg. 1,377 ton, cif, C Continent.

Aug 26, in store, Rabaul, export quality, Kl,3ooper nne, delivered ex wharf Sydney $1,790 per tonne.

Solomons. Delivered Honiara prices recently ire 40C per lb Ist grade, 30C 2nd grade.

Western Samoa. Ungraded beans, $23.50 (100 ~HILLIES: — Solomons, Honiara buyers pay for ' tabasco, Ist grade, 354 to 364 per lb. 2nd grade, t per lb. Long Red is 144 per lb. *O pp EE:— PNG Aug 26. Good quality, A Grade H per kg; B Grade 2724, C Grade 2694; Y Grade )4 (ex-store Sydney).

W.Samoa. Recently, WSTEC ground and dried beans. 604 per pound wholesale.

PEANUTS:— PNG; Sydney aents reported recently f.o.b. Lae; Kernels white Spanish 194 lb.

BROOMCORN:— Fiji, Ist grade 16M-4 lb, 2nd grade 14Vfe4 per lb. 3rd grade 44 per lb.

RICE (Aust);— PNG: Dried brown, 25 kilo bags, $298.94 per tonne. Vitamin enriched white, 25 kilo bags, $303.94 pertonne.allf.o.w.Sydney/Melbourne Pacific Islands: Calrose med. grain, white, 25 kilo bags, $320 per tonne. Kulu long grain white, 25 kilo bags, $355 per tonne. All prices c.i.f. Sydney/ Melbourne.

RUBBER:— Singapore, Aug 26, 494-514 per kg.

VANILLA BEANS:— Prices recently were: White and yellow label processing standard packs. $7.50; green label $7.40, c.i.f. Sydney. Tonga $P4.20, f.0.b., Nukualofa. $P4.50 Melbourne.

TROCHUS: — Solomons, Private companies pay 164 per lb for good quality.

BLACK LIP: — Solomons: Private companies pay 104-154 for good quality.

BECHE-DE-MER: — Solomons; Private com panies pay: Istgradesl.4operlb;2ndgradesl perlb; 3rd grade, 80C per lb.

GREEN SNAIL: — Solomons; Private companies pay 25C perlb.

Exchange Rates

FIJI Aug 27; Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of NZ, Bank of Baroda. First National City Bank, Aust $ on F'ji buying SFI =$AO.9O.

COOKE IS., NIUE New Zealand currency is used.

NEW HEBRIDES. - Aug 27; Through Banque Nationale de Paris (Sydney), Indosuez Bank, ANZ Bank, Bank of NSW, National Bank of Aust, Commercial Banking Co of Sydney, Commercial Bank of Aust, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp, Barclays Bank International, SAI FNH 100.52 (buying) 99.18 selling —airmail transfer rate.

WESTERN SAMOA. Through Bank of Western Samoa, controlled from NZ, SWSI (tala) 5A0.97 (buying).

TONGA. Tongan dollar (pa’anga) = $A0.89 (buying).

NOFROLK IS, SOLOMON IS, Gl, NAURU. - Australian currency used; no exchange payable in transactions with Australia.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Aug 27: Through PNG Banking Corp, Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank. Bank of South Pacific. $A = K 0.95.

FRENCH PACIFIC COLONIES. Pacific francs (CFP) are used in New Caledonia, Wallisand Futuna Is. and Fr Polynesia. French Bank Sydney, on Aug 27 quoted: $A = 113.08 CFP (buying). 111.58 CFP (selling), Paris-London: £1 = B.7Bsofrancs (buying), 8.7750 (selling) CFP London: £1 = 159.4545 CFP (buying). 159.2727 (selling). CFP to 1 metropolitan franc 18.43 (buying) 17.94 (selling).

Banks should be approached for daily rates.