r

very unfavorably,
dry land area,

of course,

with the 2.32 square miles of

the 229.40 square miles of lagoon area,

and the

large reef areas of Bikini Atoll.

Kili was purchased by German traders from the local chiefs.
and was operated as a commercial copra plantation by the
“Germans.

The title to the island was transferred to the

Japanese Government when the Japanese seized the Marshalls in
1914,

It was leased to a Japanese company and operated as a

copra plantation until

1940.

There were allegedly not more

than about thirty Marshallese laborers working on the plantation at a time.
thirty miles

Food was brought

to the

to supplement

southeast,

in from Jaluit Atoll,

Chickens and

the imported foodstuffs.

fruit trees were planted and used,

copra plantation,

A

but the

about

swine were raised

small number
island was

of bread-

primarily a

Kili passed into tne hands of the United

States Government following World War II, and the few remaining
plantation workers

|

Kili,

were evacuated,

|

lying as it does in the southern Marshall,

heavy rainfall

and has rich and deep soil,

enjoys a

for the Marshalls,

Most of the island, 198.04 acres have been planted to coconut
palms (191.17 acres).

A taro patch area occupies the center

of the itsland to the extent of 4.25 acres.

There are a number

of bearing breadfrutit trees, some edible pandanus,
banana,

3

as well as

papaya and pumpkin plantings.

A serious breadfriut blignt Has destroyed many of the trees
On Kili and remains unenecked.
<A method of controlling
this menace has

ae

not yet

9004bOI

been found,

Select target paragraph3