JO REACHIPTION
NEW HEFKITES
PARAOLPENI IN CONFIDENCE
:
1. The New Hebrides consists of some 65 inhabited islands
with a land area of about 5,700 square miles and a population: of about 94,000 (including approximately 87,000 Melanesians, 4,000 French citizens and 1,800 British subjects). Under the Anglo-French Protocol of 1914 the New Hebrides is constituted "a region of joint influence, in which the subjects and citizens of the two Signatory Fowers shall enjoy rights of residence, personal protection and trade". Each Power retains sovereignty over its nationals and neither Fower may exercise a separate authority over the Group. The indigenous inhabitants bear no formal allegiance to either Power. By an exchange of notes of 15 September 1977 most legislative powers were conferred on a Representative Assembly. Executive powers in most fields were transferred to a Council
of Hinisters in January 1978.
2. The chain of command whereby the british and French. Governments exercise residual powers is through their High Commissioners, who are resident elsewhere, and through their respective resident Commissioners to whom the High Commissioners delegate their functions either. wholly (as in the Eritish case) or in part (as in the French case). The British High Commissioner is, since 1973, a senior FCC official, resident
in London. the rench High Commissioner is the Governor of
New Caledonia, resident in Loumea.
7.
Independence is scheduled for 1980. Reserve power's are limited to the fields of defence, internal security, external relations, currency and exchange. Probably ineffective powers of veto exist in the fields of justice, inward forcin investments, external communications, lands
and inmigration.
4.