Land buyers lose in New Hebrides

Joint legislation by the British and French resident commissioners in the New Hebrides to control land speculation by refusing applications for sub-dividing land has been upheld by the French National Court sitting at Vila.

The court rejected an application by Mr Martial Huguet, of Santo, for a declaration that the legislation was invalid. Mr Huguet, who was also re fused damages by the court, bought a block of land at Hog Harbour from the Hong Kong-based company Lokalee Limited. After paying for the land, he found that the title deed would not be registered by the Registrar of Land Titles because the land was part of a section for which sub-division was refused by a decision of the resident commissioners made on January 19 this year.

Mr Huguet agreed on January 30, 1969, to buy the land from Lokalee. The company applied on June 27, 1972, for sub-division approval and this was refused on January 19 this year.

Under the regulations, the Resident Commissioners have rejected applications for six major sub-division schemes involving 5,500 acres at Lokalee, Cape Queiros and Palekula on Espiritu Santo.

Other buyers have indicated that they would challenge the validity of the legislation in the British High Court in London.