Futuna-Wallis

Now Within Fighting France Administration

From Our Own Correspondent

Noumea, Sept. 10.

rE announcement here that Medical Captain Jean Baptiste Mattei, form erly medical officer at Ponerihouen, New Caledonia, has been appointed French Resident Administrator in the Wallis and Futuna group (an isolated Polynesian dependency of New Cale donia, lying between Fiji and Samoa) puts an end to a curious administrative situation, to which reference was made in the “PIM” in recent months.

Captain Mattei will take the place of Dr. Vignaud.

When French Oceania, New Caledonia (including Loyalty Islands) and the French community in the New Hebrides declared overwhelmingly for Free France and the British Alliance, in July and August, 1940, the Futuna-Wallis adminis tration held aloof. The position was not clear; but it was indicated that some of the officials in the little place were pro- Vichy.

Apparently, Futuna-Wallis was too small to be regarded seriously, and so it was left alone. From about the end of 1940 until some time in 1942, there was no communication, except radio, between Futuna-Wallis and the outside world, and no ship called, either to pick up copra or deliver necessary supplies.

But, a few months ago—as indicated recently in the “PIM,” communication with the dependency was restored, and supplies have since been sent there.

Fighting France headquarters, at Nou mea, have made a special budget grant for the help of the Futuna-Wallis groups.