(Ponape
District
PONAPE
Ponape Island, one of the "high" islands in the Trust Territory, was
inspected 15 January, after arrival by U.S.S. ROQUE (AG 137) from Mokil.
Inspection included Ponape village and environs where the Civil Adminis—
tration Unit for Ponape District is located. The inspection party depart-
ed Ponape aboard U.S.S. LST-611, accompanied by the Civil Administrator,
the DepHiComTerPacIs Staff Agriculturist (Professor Burton), the CivAd
staff native affairs (Field Trip) officer, one CivAd staff medical officer,
civilian dental officer and two interpreters.
A.
Administrative programe
(a)
Self-government.
The native population on Ponape Island numbers 5943, and
lives in five districts, each of which has its own chief,
council and community court. The line of succession of chiefs
runs within their own clanse Knowledge of representative
government by elections is growing and may eventually lead to
a change in the present traditional system of successions The
community court native justices have attended a night school
conducted by the CivAaz legal officer, and these sessions were
open to and attended by other Ponapeans.e A native constabulary
is well~drilled and instructed by a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant..
Liaison between native and CivAd officials appeared to be sat~
isfactory, and is fostered by monthly meetings of all mative
officials and CivAd officials at which exchanges of information and discussions of governmental problems take place.
Health and sanitation.
Major medical facilities for Ponape are supplied by the
CivAd Medical Department Staff of the main dispensary at
CivAd headquarters. This staff consists of two U.S. Navy
Medical Officers, one U-S. civilian dentist, one U.S. Navy
Medical Service Corps Officer, and five naval enlisted
Hospital Corps personnel, assisted by nine locally-trained
native health aides and six locally-trained nurses' aides.
A native health aide serves at each of the sub-dispensaries
in two Ponapean districts, and a nurse's aide at a minor sub=
dispensary in a third district. The present main dispensary,
housed in wooden and quonset buildings, is being replaced by
a new dispensary and annex of permanent construction. Medical
records were well-kept, and supplies were adequate.
nutrition of the population appeared to be good.
General
Tuberculo-
sis is estimated to be present on Ponape in approximately
5% of the population.
NN
REPRODUCED FROM HOLDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
(b)
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