October 1
p. 89 · Read in the full issue
Ellice goes it alone on October 1
The constitutional separation of he Gilbert Islands from the Ellice slands will take place on October when the Ellice people will change he name of their new state to Tu alu. There will be two separate louses of Assembly with the Ellice jgislature meeting at Funafuti, /hich has been made the capital.
These decisions were reached fter a conference at Bairiki in late larch under the chairmanship of ie GEIC Governor, Mr John Smith.
The British Government was by Mr E. W. Bullock, ead of the Pacific Dependent Terri fies Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and his de uty, Mr R. G. Pettitt, and the Ellice eople were represented by the lembers of the Ellice Separation Committee, who are members for the llice constituencies in the present louse of Assembly.
After October 1 they, together ith some ex-officio members, will )rm the Tuvalu House of Assembly, lections will follow within two jars of the coming into force of le constitutional order for the sepa ttion. There will be three ministers, nly, including the Chief Minister, ho will be elected. The administra on of both territories will remain i at present with existing ministries itil the year-end.
Ellice hopes that Britain would t up a Tuvalu Reserve Fund be mse the Ellice people will not get share of the present colony’s re rve fund were dashed. The British degation rejected the idea, saying at as Tuvalu will be grant-aided, e British Government would be luctant to give the Tuvalu Govern ent money for such a fund.
The Ellice people were assured at Britain would not leave the new ition in the lurch, the British presentatives saying that, while ey were not in a position to make m commitments about future lancial aid, finance would be pro- Jed for capital projects as well as r the recurrent costs of govern jnt.
On the question of the rights of lice people who had established smselves permanently in the Gil rts, GEIC’s Chief Minister, Mr aboua Ratieta, said that Ellice °ple applying for “belonger” itus in the Gilberts would be :ated as Gilbertese.