On Citizenship

Wallis, Futuna To Vote

The natives of Wallis and Futuna Islands, a French dependency, received good news from France by telephone in November.

INAUGURATING a new public phone service between France and New Caledonia, Deputy French Premier Jacques Soustelle, at the Paris end of the line, an nounced that, as promised during

his recent visit to Wallis, he had passed on to President de Gaulle the request of the Wallis and Futuna Islanders that they be declared French citizens.

President de Gaulle had decided,

I, that a referendum on the be held, wing this announcement, il rolls are now being pre in readiness for the referen rhich will probably be in De . The natives of the islands asked to answer yes or no r they want to become full citizens, instead of merely

under French protection as

of a dependency admin from Noumea.

Noumea correspondent re in November that New aian natives were not likely fully enthusiastic if full ship is granted to Wallis and aid that although nominally Caledonians were French ; there were still a few rights them —and in any case New mans and the two islands didn’t have a great love for ther. is and Futuna are two sep ?roups 120 miles apart, lying f Samoa and north-east of he Wallis group contains 22 tlus the main island of Uvea, there is the French Admin :, who administers the two as a single unit directly from a.

Long Connection

Futuna or Hoorn group con f the two small islands of , and Alofi. is was first occupied by the in 1842, and Futuna was d in 1888. Both have been id to New Caledonia since t date. local government in the is by native council headed leader of the traditional royal , was an American military uring World War 11. 1 tradition and culture con le people of Wallis with the inhabitants of the Tongan The Futuna natives are sians, and appear originally e come from Samoa.