Micronesia Under American Rule

Annual Report to Trustee Council

Report by United Press of America.

Lake Success, Feb. 11.

THE United States reported to-day that the people of the American Pacific Trust Territory have taken in 1949, a new step ahead on the road towards political advancement, while achieving considerable economic progress.

The information was contained in the annual report of the US Government on administration of the Pacific Trusteeship over the Northern Marianas, Western Carolines, Eastern Carolines and Mar shalls. The United Nations Trusteeship Agreement was signed in 1947. Prior to US military occupation, during World War 11, the islands were administered by Japan under a League of Nations man date until 1933, when Japan annexed them.

The report states that political advance ment for 1949 “is shown by the steps taken by the inhabitants of the Marshalls to establish representative legislative ad visory bodies for the Islands, by the continued activities of the Palau Island (Western Carolines) Congress, and by the establishment of a legislative advisory committee, composed of indigenous re presentatives, to study and make recom mendations regarding legislation and political matters.” The Report described the committee as a “nucleus” from which will evolve an independent territorial legislature.

The administration of the islands, said the report, is based upon the indigenous governmental system of the inhabitants.

The control of the Trust Territory re mains in the hands of Admiral A. W.

Radford, of the United States Navy.

The Trust Administration is responsible for the welfare of 53,917 inhabitants spread over a total of 687 square miles of volcanic and atoll islands which, during the war, were the scene of some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific campaign.

Local municipal governments are en titled to levy, collect and expend local taxes and to make local rules. Each island and/or village has a magistrate and a treasurer, and may have other officials or a Council, if they so wish. In deference to local customs and traditions, the US administration allows clans and families to exercise certain functions of govern ment, The report states that it is “the expressed policy of the Administering Auhtority to establish and foster self governing communities and to give due weight to local customs and traditions in all general ordinances and regulations.”

It points out, however, that “while the islanders perform legislative, judicial, and executive functions within the municip

ality, it has not yet been found feasible to provide for their participation in the wider areas of administration because of their localised loyalties, geographical isolation and lack of experience in ad ministration beyond the confines of the immediate community.”

“Where the inhabitants have been found to be qualified to elect representa tives,” say the report, “regularly consti tuted elections have been held. Truk, the Palaus, Ponape and many satellite islands have held elections for the purpose of choosing their officials. Voting rights have been granted to male and female mem bers of the community equally. The in stitution of democratic expression has been encouraged by the Administering Authority.”

The only forces available on the islands are 251 native constabulary, supervised by six US Marine Corps non-commissioned

officers. No disorder has occurred in the Territory since it became subject to US administration. 1 ECONOMICALLY, the report said, the J advancement of the islands was as sisted by cancellation of all import duties into the Territory and by opening its waters to commercial fishing. Imports of pure and cross-bred cattle to improve local beef strains and of coconut seed are now under way. A staff of agricul

turists is directing the replanting of coconut plantations in war-damaged localities, supplying seed and fertiliser to the islanders. Several experimental stations have been set up in the Territory.

Perhaps the most outstanding work in the Trust Territory has been done in the field of public health. The USS Whitbey, a medical survey ship serving as a floating clinic and laboratory, has been making a general medical survey of the population, and in 1949 it “com pleted the processing of approximately 15,000 people.” Small tubercular sana toria have beer opened and medical training programmes for the natives have been instituted at Guam. The school offers a somewhat limited standard programme of medical education.

A free public school system has been established in the Territory, and a teacher-training school has been opened on the island of Truk.

ACCORDING to the report, which was prepared by the US Navy, budgetary receipts for the 1949 fiscal year amounted to 367,951 dollars from locally derived revenues, compared with 162,537 dollars in 1948. The US allotted 1,125,000 dollars from appropriated funds as against 1,385,000 in 1948. Expenditures, on the other hand, rose from 1,307,216 dollars in 1948 to 1,455,620 dollars in 1949.

The report said that most of the ad ditional expenses went for public educa tion, medical care, public health and sanitation. It estimated local revenue for 1950 at 300,000 dollars and allotments from US funds at 795,000 dollars. The Territory had a “balance on hand” at the end of 1949 of 305,000 dollars.

Anthropological, medical, nutritional, botanical, zoologic, marine life, entomo logical and geographic research in the Territory is conducted by the Scientific Investigation of Micronesia (SIM) while the Co-ordinated Investigation of Micro

nesian Anthropology (CIMA) was set-up m 1948 to further social and scientific ad vancement of the islands.

This is the second report on its ad ministration of the Pacific Trust Terri tory that the United States has submitted to the United Nations. It is regarded as one of the fullest and most exhaustive submitted recently by any of the Ad ministering Powers since several govern ments, including Great Britain, have served notice that they will not submit political information about the Territories under their care.