Market Notes

Latest quotations from the Pacific souvenir market:

Japanese long rifle. . .$100 or 2 quarts hard liquor Japanese short rifle

(newer model) $150, or 3 quarts

Sniper's rifle with telescope sight. .$700-$1,000*

Officer's pistol $500-$700*

Nambu machine gun $300, or 6 quarts

Samurai sword, fancy $800-$1,000*

Samurai sword, plain $500-$700*

P:Japanese flags opened strong, asking as high as $100, steadily declined when sailor-men found some of the souvenirs they had bought were made by marines and soldiers, lettered with Japanese ideographs copied from packing cases, e.g., "handle with care."

P:Souvenir collections (Jap helmet, canteen, gas mask, paper money) are still selling strong in New Britain, asking prices are in fresh eggs, steaks, oranges, canned goods. P:Wristlets and watch bands made from scrap plane duraluminum, stamped "Guadalcanal," "Tarawa," etc., bring $8 to $15, depending on workmanship. Polished cat's-eye shells, strung as necklaces, range from $20 to $50.

P:Stock shares are sold to provide funds for new officers' clubs. One such club--the Hotel du Pacifique in Noumea, with a long bar, slot machines and mess--sold original shares at $25. They are now quoted at $600, have paid handsome dividends in either cash or liquor.

*Not even an admiral could promote its equivalent in liquor.

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