French Give Up Hebridean Land
p. 45 · Read in the full issue
A French company has undertaken to make large tracts of land avail able for redistribution by the French Government to groups or private indi viduals, in the New Hebrides.
The Societe Francaise des Nouvelles Hebrides (SFNH), one-time largest property owners in the condominium, will begin this year by giving back the first portions which include 50,000 acres on Malekula and 6,000 acres on Santo, which will be allocated to Melanesian villages.
At the end of the redistribution, to extend over three years, the SFNH will retain barely more than four large cattle properties.
This follows the move by the Australian Government (PIM, July, p 9) to transfer 25,000 acres of land held by Australia to the New Hebrideans through a land trust board set up by the British Resident Commissioner.