N. Hebrides Land

Does Australia Own Large Areas?

BACK before the turn of the century, before the New Hebrides Condomi nium functioned, there was operat ing in the New Hebrides a company called the Australasian New Hebrides Co. It acquired very extensive land and trading rights throughout the Group.

Somewhere about 1900 it got into diffi culties and was taken over by Bums Philp & Co., Ltd. It was carried on for some time by BP and then it was washed up. Its assets included titles to tens of thousands of acres of virgin land, much of it water-front, in most of the Islands of the group. Its titles were not very good, perhaps—but they were quite as good as any other titles then extant.

Sir James Burns was an ardent patriot and was eager to see British people settled in that Group. He therefore pre sented to the new Commonwealth of Australia all the Company’s rights and titles in that New Hebrides land. The Australian Government accepted the gift and is believed to be still the nominal owner of those large areas.

For many years—right up until the late 30’s —the Australian Government subsidised an Australian solicitor, who lived in Port Vila and prosecuted the Australian Government’s blaim to legal title before the Condominium Court set up to deal with claims to land titles, and which has been functioning in that res pect ever since the establishment of the Condominium.

On the assumption that the future of the New Hebrides Condominium is un certain, and in view of the present Aus tralian Government’s eager interest in Pacific affairs, it would be interesting to know the position of those Australian Government land interests in the New Hebrides.

Costellos Mines Ltd., No. 9 lease, at Vatukouia, Fiji, known as Aloha Central, has been acquired by the Emperor Mines Ltd., whose lands virtually sur round it. Ore obtained by open-cut mining, is being delivered to Emperor treatment works. The consideration was 14,000 shares in Emperor, paid to 6/-.