NOUVELLES HEBRIDES 1949 UPU MINT BLOCKS SET YVERT 136-139. SC 79-82. SG F77-F80

Description

NOUVELLES HEBRIDES
NEW HEBRIDES
NOUVELLES HEBRIDES 1949 UPU MINT BLOCKS SET YVERT 136-139. SC 79-82. SG F77-F80
UPU BLOCK STAMPS
BLOCKS OF 6
UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION (UPU) 75TH ANNIVERSARY
UPU COMPLETE SET
MINT NEVER HINGED (MNH)
DENOMINATION: PENCES
Era: GEORGE VI (1936 - 1952)
YVERT: 136-139
SCOTT: 79-82
SG: F77-F80
New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the
New Hebrides Condominium
(French:
Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides
,
lit.
"Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named for the
Hebrides Scottish archipelago
, was the colonial name for the
island group
in the
South Pacific Ocean
that is now
Vanuatu
. Native people had inhabited the islands for three thousand years before the first Europeans arrived in 1606 from a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós
. The islands were colonised by both the British and French in the 18th century, shortly after Captain
James Cook
visited.
The two countries eventually signed an agreement making the islands an Anglo-French
condominium
that divided New Hebrides into two separate communities: one
Anglophone
and one
Francophone
.
[1]
That divide continued even after independence, with schools teaching in either one language or the other, and with different political parties. The condominium lasted from 1906 until 1980, when New Hebrides gained its independence as the
Republic of Vanuatu
.
Politics and economy
[
edit
]
New Hebrides was a rare form of colonial territory in which sovereignty was shared by two powers, Britain and France, instead of being exercised by just one. Under the
Condominium
there were three separate governments – one French, one British, and one joint administration that was partially elected after 1975.
The French and British governments were called residencies, each headed by a resident appointed by the metropolitan government. The residency structure greatly emphasised dualism, with both consisting of an equal number of French and British representatives, bureaucrats and administrators. Every member of one residency always had an exact mirror opposite number on the other side whom they could consult. The symmetry between the two residencies was almost exact.
The joint government consisted of both local and European officials. It had jurisdiction over the postal service, public radio station, public works, infrastructure, and censuses, among other things. The two main cities of Luganville and Port Vila also had city councils, but these did not have a great deal of authority.
[
clarification needed
]
While initial settlers were predominantly British living in Australia, the late 19th century saw an influx of French. Within a few decades, there were twice as many French on the islands as there were British, prompting a multitude of petitions to cede power to either the French or the British. Despite this, the two nations came together to form a condominium, a specialised form of government where both nations would have all of their own administrations and jointly rule the islands. The only place they came together was in the Joint Court. As Mander describes, "The Joint Court was the key to the situation and much was to depend upon it….Three judges–one British, one French, and the third nominated by the King of Spain–were to comprise the court."
[2]
This meant convictions in court were chosen based on either British or French law, depending on the circumstances.
Other than the Joint Court, everything existed in pairs. "Cynics called the Condominium 'the Pandemonium', as the dual administration produced amazing duplication. There were two police forces with their own laws, including road laws, two health services, two education systems, two currencies, and two prison systems."
[3]
Additionally, there were separate British and French governments, which meant two immigration policies, two courts (apart from the Joint Court), and two corporation laws. Inhabitants of the islands were given the choice of which government they wanted to be ruled by. As Miles put it, "The result was an inevitable clash of foreign policy and colonial mentality."
[4]
Local people could choose whether to be tried under the
British common law
or the
French civil law
. Visitors could choose which immigration rules to enter under. Nationals of one country could set up corporations under the laws of the other. In addition to these two legal systems, a third Native Court existed to handle cases involving Melanesian customary law. There was also a Joint Court, composed of British and French judges. The President of the Joint Court was appointed by the
King of Spain
until 1939 when the post was abolished after the retirement of the last President, partly due to the
abolition of the Spanish monarchy
in 1931.
[5]
There were two prison systems to complement the two court systems. The police force was technically unified but consisted of two chiefs and two equal groups of officers wearing two different uniforms. Each group alternated duties and assignments.
Language was a serious barrier to the operation of the naturally inefficient system, as all documents had to be translated once to be understood by one side, then the response translated again to be understood by the other, though
Bislama
creole represented an informal bridge between the British and the French camps.
The Condominium was not beneficial for
Ni-Vanuatu
, as they were "...officially stateless. [For instance,] To travel abroad, they needed an identifying document signed by both the British and the French resident commissioners."
[3]
Inevitably, that led to discontent across the islands, with a multitude of revolutionary groups forming in an attempt to create agency and self-government for themselves.
During the
Second World War
, approximately 10,000 Ni-Vanuatu men served in the
Vanuatu Labor Corps
, a
labor battalion
of the
United States Armed Forces
. They provided logistical support to the Allied war effort during the
Guadalcanal Campaign
. The mass participation of Ni-Vanuatu men in the Labor Corps had a significant effect on the
John Frum
movement, giving it the characteristics of a
cargo cult
.
[6]
Franceville, New Hebrides
Franceville
(present-day
Port Vila
) was a municipality located on
Efate
, or Sandwich Island. It was established in 1889 in order to gain basic legal status, during the period when the
New Hebrides
was a
neutral territory
under the loose jurisdiction of a
joint Anglo-French naval commission
.
In 1878, the
United Kingdom
and
France
declared all of the New Hebrides to be
neutral territory
.
[1]
For the protection of the French and British citizens in New Hebrides, a
joint naval commission
was established under the Convention of 16 October 1887. However, the convention claimed no jurisdiction over internal native affairs.
The lack of a functional government led to rising discontent among the colonists. The French were especially inconvenienced because French law only recognized marriages when contracted under a civil authority (the nearest one being in
New Caledonia
), whereas British law recognized marriages conducted by local clergy.
[2]
[3]
On 9 August 1889, Franceville declared itself an independent commune under the leadership of elected
mayor
/
president
Ferdinand-Albert Chevillard
,
[4]
[5]
[6]
and with its own red, white and blue flag with five stars.
[7]
[8]
This community became one of the first
self-governing
nations in recorded history to practice
universal suffrage
without distinction of sex or race.
[9]
Although the district's population at the time consisted of about 500 natives and fewer than 50 whites, only white males were permitted to hold office. One of its elected presidents was
R. D. Polk
, a native of
Tennessee
and relative of
James K. Polk
.
[10]
[11]
The new government was soon suppressed, and by June 1890, Franceville as a commune was reported to have been "practically broken up."
[12]
An 1891 census reported 29 adult Europeans, making it the largest European settlement in the New Hebrides.
[13]
In 1906, the naval commission was replaced by a more structured British-French
Condominium
.
NOUVELLES HEBRIDES
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