Prices

Produce

Unless otherwise shown, stated quota tions are In Australian currency. Australian dollar (October 28) equalled; New Zealand, $1.2928 (buying), $1.2866 (selling); Papua New Guinea, K 0.9548 (buying), K 0.9500 (selling); FIJI, $1.1509 (buying), $1.1269 (selling); Western Samoa, tala 1.0432 (buying), tala 1.0246 (selling); Tonga, pa’anga, $0.9493 (buying), pa’anga $0.9268 (selling); US, $1.2285 (buying), $1.2235 (selling); UK, £0.7795 (buying), £0.7705 (selling); French Pacific, CFP 113.26 (buying), CFP 111.25 (selling).

Copra

Copra industries are controlled through copra boards in PNG, the Solomons, the Gilberts, both Samoas, Fiji, Tonga, the Cooke and the US Trust Territory, New Hebrides, French Polynesia and New Caledonia do not lave boards and copra is either sold ndividually by growers to overseas buyersor jsed locally.

PNG:— The board, with planters’ reps, jirects distribution and sales and pays Dlanters. Shipments are made to UK, European markets and to Australia and lapan, and coconut oil mills in New Britain.

Latest prices are: Per tonne, delivered main >orts, hot air dried. K 182; FMS, K 179; smoke dried, |177 (prices include Kl 6 bounty).

FIJI:— the board fixes prices on Philippines copra, taking into account reight, taxes, selling costs, shrinkage, etc. .atest prices were. Fiji 1, $197.25, Fiji 2,

!185.25, Cas $7O.

NEW HEBRIDES:— Copra sold direct by ►lanters to France and Japan, Burns Philp »aylng on wharf, Vila or Santo, Sept 14 FNH 0,000; London, October 11,158 met francs OOkgclf Marseilles.

Us Trust Territory:- Palau; Ist

I rade, slBo,2nd grade, $170,3rd g rade, $l6O, it district centre; outer islands $155, sl4sand 1135 for the three grades. Yap; $l6O, slsoand 1140 respectively at district centre; outer stands, $135, $125 and $ll5 respectively, "ruk, Ponape, Kusaie, Marshalls and Jorthern Marianas: $l5O, $l4O and $l3O espectively at district centre; outer islands, 1125, sllsand $lO5.

COOK ISLANDS:— All production is sold o Abels Ltd, Auckland. Prices are based on verage world prices for the prior three or six lonths, and remain inforceforthreemonths.

SOLOMON ISLANDS:- Copra Board ays, per lb at Honiara, Yandina and Gizo. ■V&4 Ist grade, 44 2nd grade, 3M-4 3rd grade.

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

WESTERN SAMOA:— Ist grade, MP8117.10, 2nd grade $W5174.00 TONGA:— all copra sold to EEC, Istgrade, P7O, 2nd Grade, SPSB.

NIUE:— Standard, $147 a tonne gross.

Other Produce

COCOA:— Island rates are based on lhana prlca. Ghana price on Oct 29 was •tgl ,962 ton, cif, UK continent Oct 29, fob Rabaul, export quality K 2.090 er tonne; delivered ex wharf Sydney $2 290 er tonne.

Solomons:— Delivered Honiara prices icently were 404 per lb Ist grade. 304 2nd

grade.

Western Samoa:— Ungraded beans, $23.50 (100 lb).

CHILLIES:— Solomons, Honiara buyers pay for dry tabasco, Ist grade, 354 to 364 per lb, 2nd grade, 254 per lb. Long Red is 144 per lb.

COFFEE;— PNG Oct 28. Good quality, A Grade 3264 per kg; B Grade 3224, C Grade 3194, Y Grade 319 C (ex-store Sydney).

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

PEANUTS:— PNG: Sydney agents re ported recently FOB. Lae; Kernels white Spanish 194 lb.

BROOMCORN;— Fiji, Ist grade 16Vfe4 lb, 2nd grade 14 1 /2<f 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 per tonne, all f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne. Pacific Islands; Calrose med, grain, white, 25 kilo bags, $320 pertonne. Kulu long grainwhite,2skilobags, $335 per tonne. All prices c.i.f. Sydney/ Melbourne.

RUBBER:— Singapore, Oct 27, 59.504 - 61.50<f per kg.

VANILLA BEANS:— Prices recently were: White and yellow label processing standard packs, $7.50; green labels7.4o.c.i.r Sydney. Tonga $P4.20, f.0.b,, Nukualofa. $P4.50 Melbourne.

TROCHUS:— Solomons; Private com panies pay 164 per lb for good quality.

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

BECHE-DE-MER:— Solomons: Private companies pay: Ist grade $1.40 per lb; 2nd grade $1 per lb; 3rd grade, 804 per lb.

GREEN SNAIL:— Solomons: Private com panies pay 254 per lb.

SHARK FINS:— Gilbert Is Co-op Federation pays per lb: $1.32 Ist Grade, $1 2nd Grade, 804 3rd Grade.

Exchange Rates

FIJI Oct 29: Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of NZ, Bank of Baroda, First National City Bany, Aust $ on Fiji buying

$Fl=$Ao.B5.

COOK IS., NIUE New Zealand currency is used.

NEW HEBRIDES - Oct 29. Through Banque Nationale de Paris (Sydney), Indoseuz 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 100.44 (buying) 99.77 (selling) airmail transfer rate.

WESTERN SAMOA - Through Bank of Western Samoa, controlled from NZ, SWSI (tala) $A0.96 (air mail buying).

TONGA Tongan dollar (pa’anga)

=$Ao.B9.

Norfolk Is', Solomon Is, Gl, Nauru

Australian currency used; no exchange payable in transactions with Australia.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA— Oct 29: Through PNG Banking Corp, Bankof NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of South Pacific. $A = K 0.95.

French Pacific Colonies Pacific

francs (CFP) are used in New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Is, and Fr Polynesia.

French Bank, Sydney. On Oct 29, quoted $A = 111.91 CFP (buying), 110.61 CFP (selling).

Paris-London: £1 = 7.958 francs (buying), 7.762 francs (selling). CFP-London, £1 = 144.70 CFP (buying). 141.13 CFP (selling).

CFP to 1 met franc 18.43 (buying), 17 94 (selling).

Banks should be approached for daily rates.