(Saipan District)
ROTA
(c)
(Cont'd)
Education,
The primary school has 116 students in grades 1 to 4,
and 4 teachers and was in session at the time of this inspection. The teachers had been trained at Chalan Kanoa school
on Saivan, Instruction appeared adequate, The schoolhouse
was reinforced concrete, open-sided and with a sheet iron
roof, <A P.T.A. has been started, CivAdRep has initiated a
Thanksgiving Day dance and fair, and also a Christmas program,
During the course of the 1948 Christmas program, a Red Cross
representative from Saipan, dressed as Santa Claus, arrived by
Navy plane and was met at the airfield by the school children
who had erected and trimmed a tree in welcome to the visitor.
(a)
Religion.
A temporary lean-to Catholic church is serving the Rota-
nese, the former church having been demolished by a typhoon
in late '46, A new coral and cement church is being built by
the people and was about 70% complete, Father Marcian Pellet
is the local priest, and served graciously as interpreter for
the insvection party during its tour,
(e)
Economic development.
Typhoon damage in 1946 and again in the last quarter of
1948 has retarded copra export possibilities,
Gardens were
observed to be producing exportable melons, cucumbers, corn
and squash.
Export is dependent on the availability of
suitable shipping.
(f)
Rehabilitation is progressing in a satisfactory. manner. Roads
have been cleared of jungle since wartime, The Navy is help~
ing with building materials.
(g)
Services,
(1)
ww
Ror nVvuUULcU PRUM MULUINGS OF
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
t
Large tracts of taro, sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage,
beans and various greens are under cultivation, and other
planned crops hold promise, particularly under the guidance
of CivAdRep who has had extensive training and experience in
agriculture.
Coconut plantings have been started, with the assistance
of the Sainan Agriculture Station,
Land claims are being processed,
There are two locally-owned and operated stores which
were low in stocks, primarily due to inadequacy of shipping.
Transoortation.
Typhoons in the last quarter of 1948 wrecked the two Civ-
~ 98 -