Moment Of

Decision

For Ellice

Prom a Tarawa correspondent The 7,000 Ellice islanders forming “junior” partners in the GEIC will know by early October where they are going—along independence road with the Gilberts or along the colonial road with Britain, which is trying hard to shed its remaining colonies.

The islanders are busy voting on a referendum on their future political status. Voting started in July but so many ballot papers will have to be brought from outlying islands and collected from Ellice men serving on foreign ships that completion and counting has been set as late as October 1.

The choices open to them on the ballot paper are: • The establishment of a separate Ellice Islands Colony; • To remain with the Gilberts as part of the GEIC and what the colony becomes when its status is altered.

The referendum was agreed to by Britain, and by the Gilbertese, after the Ellice people, through their re presentatives, objected to plans to make the colony self-governing. They feared political domination by the Gilbertese, who outnumber them by seven to one.

Britain, however, has left the Ellice people in no doubt of the hard road they’ll have to tread if they opt for separation. At first, they seemed to expect that they would get a generous share of the colony’s pos sessions. This isn’t on, Britain told them, and then listed the conditions for separation.

These are: • The Ellice Islands would be come a separate dependent territory of the United Kingdom; • The Ellice Islands would receive no part of the Revenue Equalisation Reserve Fund of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony; • The Ellice Islands would receive no part of present or future phospate royalties. • The Ellice Islands would have no claim to any of the assets (whether fixed, moveable or in cash) belonging to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony and situated outside the Ellice Islands themselves, except for

one ship which would be transferred from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Development authority; and • An Ellice Islands Colony would be limited to the Ellice Islands Group and would have no right to any other territory of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony.

If the islanders vote for separation and the Gilbertese agree, there will be discussions on the future constitution of the Ellice Islands Colony and other details such as schooling and employment outside the Ellice

Group and the level of British aid to the new colony.

Since Britain made the conditions known, there has been little comment from the Ellice people. So far only several of their leaders have spoken— all but one favouring separation. It will be no surprise if the majority, voting in the referendum, do an about-turn rather than accept the obvious disadvantages associated with separation.

Going it alone is fine if you’ve the strength to stand on your feet!

Sir George and Lady Proud, who are hoping to settle per manently in Fiji where Lady Proud, youngest daughter of Sir Walter Carpenter, was born. Sir George, managing director of Prouds (Fiji) Ltd, owners of Proud's jewellers' shop in Suva, is hoping to expand to branches in Sigatoka, Lautoka and Nadi. They are having a house built at Tamavua.