Empire sinks

in Gilbert and Ellice

From a Tarawa correspondent Sir Leslie Monson, the commis sioner appointed by Britain to probe the implications of the Ellice Islands’ separatist movement, has been to the GEIC, has seen, heard and has gone back to London. Now the colony waits for London's observations and, probably, a firm decision on whether Britain will agree to “finance” a separate Ellice Islands country. If she does, she’ll have to foot a big bill.

Sir Leslie, who was given a wel come by the Ellice people reserved for the most important VIPs, met them on Vaitupu. It was chosen be cause Funafuti is still a ruin after hurricane Bebe, but the islanders liked to think the choice meant more than that. Vaitupu, as Donald Gilbert Kennedy put it in his book. The Culture of Vaitupu, is the central point of the entire Ellice cultural code.

And the future of their culture under an independent Gilbert and Ellice Government is one of the things worrying them.

Sir Leslie didn’t mince matters.

He laid it on the line for both Gil bertese and the Ellice; told them of the economic and other advantages of sticking together and the world wide tendency of nations to group together for mutual benefit. He put the Gilbertese view to them—that the Gilbertese were willing to go along with them as equals. Then he listened but he didn’t find it easy. The Ellice spokesmen raised hundreds of ques tions, all heavily weighted in favour of separation. They feared political domination by the numerically superior Gilbertese and consequent