Micronesian Reporter 1957 V05 06

Micronesian Reporter 1957 V05 06. Micronesian Reporter (Report). Hagåtña, Guam: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. November 1957. p. 32.

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Abstract: Beginning in 1951, the Headquarters for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) regularly published a magazine that detailed its work in the region. From 1951 through the first issue of 1956, the magazine was known as the Micronesian Monthly; from the second issue of 1956 through the end of the run in 1980, it was known as the Micronesian Reporter. From 1951 through December 1967, publication cycles varied: For the most part, the magazine was produced monthly, though certain issues cover two or more months. Starting in 1968, the magazine was formally shifted to a quarterly publication cycle, which continued through the first quarter of 1980, when publication ceased.

This issue highlights important steps in local self-government. On Moen in Truk, voters held their first election under the new municipal charter, choosing five congressmen for the First Truk District Congress. The election process was highly structured: candidates needed 25 valid signatures, ballots included both names and pictorial symbols for illiterate voters, and election boards were formed from representatives of each candidate. Despite some inexperience, the system worked effectively and produced representatives from multiple villages. In a parallel development, a delegation from Rota presented a proposed municipal charter to High Commissioner D. H. Nucker, which was later approved.

The magazine devotes considerable space to the Second Annual Micronesian Leaders’ Conference held in Guam in October 1957, attended by eighteen delegates from all seven districts. Key topics included copra production and the Copra Stabilization Board, trochus and fisheries management, transportation, additional cash crops, scrap metal sales, and energy provision. Delegates also pressed for improved health services, including more Micronesian medical training, better transport for public health, and a new hospital at Majuro. Education discussions emphasized vocational training programs in places like Palau, where boat-building courses were launched, and Chuuk, where school agriculture projects flourished. Scholarship opportunities and coordinated student transport were also reviewed.

Broader themes of governance and resource rights were also explored. Delegates debated riparian and underwater land rights, with the administration assuring that reef and underwater resources within the three-mile limit would remain reserved for Micronesians. Land claims, homesteading, and private ownership under past German and Japanese rule were revisited, with calls for more survey teams and advisory boards. The conference overall strengthened ties among district leaders and with the administration, marking a significant step in Micronesia’s political development during the late 1950s. Volume Five, Number Six (1957) Index: Administration 3, 12 Andon 16 – 17 Congress 2, 12, 27 Court 12, 15 – 17 Delegation 1, 12 Education 3, 8, 25 Gagil 12 Guam I, 3, 8, 12 – 16, 19, 24 – 25, 29 Japan 1, 5, 8, 13, 20, 22 Japanese 7, 11 – 12, 14, 20 Kabua 5, 11, 17, 20, 22 Kelulau 12, 17 Mersai 3, 7, 10, 12 Naval 18, 25 – 26 Nucker 4, 10, 16 Palau 3, 6 – 8, 11 – 13, 16 – 17, 29, 31 Ponape (Pohnpei) 3, 5 – 7, 11, 17 – 18, 22, 31 Tmetuchl 7, 10 Truk (Chuuk) 2, 5, 16, 31 Typhoon 13 – 14 Ulochong 3, 28 Yap 3 – 4, 11 – 12, 31 Yokwe 26 – 27