COMPENSATION--LESS OR MORE DEPENDENCE AND DISRUPTION In considering the case for compensation for the people of Rongselap and Utirik, the Committee is aware of a fundamental concern. This Not only would more frequent and more comprehensive examinations Cause more disruption of the island, but more frequent attention may also wet eee wee increased medical attention to the people of Rongelap and Utirik. have a negative effect by making the people worry more about their future health, In a similar fashion, compensation, while it may have its salutory affects, may also have its negative influences. In 1972, Dr. William Peck, then Director of.llealth Services, voiced his concern about the Rongelapese, Dr, Peck had, in 1958, been an observer on Rongelap during a series of nuclear tests. Ile had also visited the island 10 years later in 1968, after the people had received compensation. ST SR ESTere see or i —eee —— concern iS Similar to the one which it entertains with respect to Ile had noted that in 1958 the people still used canoes, and appeared to be pretty much self-sufficient, but in 1968 he saw no more canoes and only broken down outboard engines which apparently the people had purchased with their compensation, While their compensation may have contributed to this decline in self-reliance (and for th: record, the Committee has noted that there are many sailing canoes still in use by the people on Utirik who recetved no compensation)--the same could also be said for many islands in Micronesia during the same ten-year period, It is obvious that the shift from the use of canoes to outboard motors was a general one and it is still taking place. -33- , , 5010592 a ait a ee