50 Years Of NH
p. 21 · Read in the full issue
Condominium
AS October 19, 1956, will be th 50th anniversary of the signin of the Franco-British Conven tion under which the New Hebrides became a Condominium, and as the South Pacific Commission meet tor its 16th Session in Noume;. close to the New Hebrides, on October 20, efforts are being mad to arrange a visit to this area o ’ some distinguished people, so thai, the New Hebrides Jubilee may be fittingly celebrated.
Invitations have been issued to the Australian Minister for Externa I Affairs (Mr. Casey) and the Aus tralian Minister for Territories (Mr.
Hasluck), to visit New Hebrides and New Caledonia in October, and there is a plan to issue invitations also to some distinguished French men and Britishers.
So far, the only definite arrange ment to mark the jubilee is a new issue of Condominium postage stamps. (See elsewhere).
The New Hebrides is one of the richest, but least developed, of the big archipelagoes of the Southwest Pacific.
It could sustain a population of millions; but at present there are only 1,500 Frenchmen, 500 British, 50,000 Melanesians, and a significant, growing community of 2,000 Tonk inese.
There are three separate admin istrative organisations—the French, the British and the Condominium.
Probably, per capita, this is the most elaborate and expensive government in the South Pacific.