Territory
p. 133 · Read in the full issue
“Historic In US Trust Territory
i move to give the people of zronesia more say in their own ernment was made recently when headquarters of the United States ist Territory of the Pacific Islands e Caroline, Marshall and Mariana mds) were transferred from Guam Saipan.
MPAN has been designated the provisional capital of the terri y. Guam, the former head irters, although a major island of Marianas, is outside the trustee p area. It is classed as a United tes territory. rhe transfer of headquarters ncided with the transfer of admini ation of the Saipan District from ; US Secretary of the Navy to the :retary of the Interior.
Another change in the administra n of the territory is that the Rota strict has been combined with the ipan District under the name of iriana Islands District.
Fhis means that the number of tricts in the territory has been re zed from seven to six—Mariana
Islands, Palau, Yap, Truk, Ponape and Marshall Islands.
These six districts take in 2,141 islands of which 97 are inhabited.
They are scattered over 3,000,000 square miles of ocean—an area approximately as large as the United States excluding Alaska. The total land area is about 700 square miles, and the total population about 78,000.
The former Saipan District was administered by the US Navy from January 1, 1953, for security reasons.
All other districts were administered by the Interior Department.
The High Commissioner for the
territory, Mr. M. W. Coding, said recently that the historic step trans ferring administrative headquarters to a location within the territory s borders was “in keeping with the desires of the Administration to advance the political development of Micronesia”.
“The designation of a provisional capital within the territory,” he added, “will facilitate the growth of self-government and will allow the people of Micronesia, through the principle of self-determination, to select in the future a seat for their government.”
NG TOUR: Rev. Francis N. Davey, [?]ector of the Society for Promoting ristian Knowledge, the oldest Anglican ssionary society, planned to leave ndon in early October for Suva on the st leg of a 35,000-mile tour to discuss urch projects in a number of countries d to exchange information and ideas th representatives of the Anglican lurch. New Zealand, Australia, Mauritius d South Africa were included in his itinerary.