American Samoa. As a result, productive land lies fallow, meat and agricultural imports are nearly $2 million and the inhabitants of these islands live in extreme poverty.

Social Ramifications

Health problems are multiplied by the non-existence of means of transportation available to the Villages. Volunteer Women's Health Committee have been established within villages, but are only able to provide health services slightly beyond first-aid scope. Serious illnesses require messengers to notify the hospital which then sends a boat to pick up a patient-a time consuming and life endangering procedure. In April of 1970, for example, two children lost their lives because of the extended time required to transport them to the hospital.

Regular Public Health care for these outer villages is impossible at the present time. Villagers, due to their lack of social contact, are unaware of preventive medical procedures. Many illnesses go undetected until they reach a point of seriousness that loss of life becomes imminent. Furthermore, inadequate dietary information results in mother malnutrition during pregnancy and infant malnutrion during the child's formative years.

The education system is also affected by poor transportation. The seven north shore villages which do have schools have no adequate land transportation facili ties available to them. Consequently, supplies are delivered by boat which is dependent upon calm seas and adequate landing facilities for the long boats. Boat contact is scheduled weekly, but is impossible over 25% of the time due to rough seas. This requires the Education Department to program five to six weeks in advance so educational information can be printed and distributed to the villages at least three weeks before they are used. Advanced programming with such an extended lead time is undesirable since it does not allow the Department of Education to ascertain and adjust adequately to the students' educational needs on a current basis. Furthermore, students who live in north shore villages without schools have to rise at 3:30 A.M. to hike over rough trails which are often impassable during the rainy season, which extends from November to April.

Outer village social development is regressing because the youngsters more from the parents' homes to those of relatives where they can be close to school. receive better support and ultimately be nearer employment opportunities. Consequently, the outer villages are becoming inhabited largely by old, unproductive people.

Tutuila

PROPOSED PROGRAM

The proposed comprehensive road and water transportation program for the Island of Tutuila will include improved paved secondary laterals from south shore to north shore villages, a primary perimeter road to reach all reasonably accessible villages, a dolphin mooring to reach those villages which cannot be served by the road network.

The secondary laterals will generally follow unimproved roads and trails with some alignment and grade modifications. Drainage will be installed and guard rails will be added at critical points. The construction will provide a minimum of a 25 foot road bed and include two 8 foot lanes. The five year total program will cost $4.5 million of which $600,000 will be spent in FY 1972 for the construction and improvement of 4.6 miles of road. At the end of the five year program, an overall total of 40 miles of improved unpaved secondary roads and 69 miles of paved secondary roads will exist-an increase of 101 miles.

Upon completion of the five year program, the perimeter road will be 45 miles in length and will directly reach eleven of the sixteen north shore villages. Because of their remoteness and impassable terrain, the remaining five villages would be provided indirect access to roads. The road will have a paved surface and will comply with the U.S. Public Road Standards. 4.8 miles will be constructed in FY 1972 in the western end of the island from Poloa to Fagamalo and in the eastern part of the island from Onenoa to Sa'ilele.

Manu'a

The existing road between Faleasao and Fitiuta will be improved by realigning the hairpin curves and reducing excessive grades by cutting and filling in the existing road bed and by installing guardrails at critical locations. This will cost $150,000. In addition, two miles of improved unpaved roadbed to penetrate the central plateau area of Ta'u Island will be constructed at a cost of approximately $50,000.

Dolphin moorings will be installed in the five villages of Afono, Vatia, Aasu, Fagamalo and Aunu'u in 1972 at a cost of $15,000 each. Harbor dredging needed at these villages will be done at a cost of approximately $200,000 so that there may be easy access to each port. These moorings are intended to provide transportation for these areas where no roads will be constructed and interim sea transportation for those villages that will eventually be reached by roads. Within five years it is expected that initial work will begin with Army Corps of Engineers assistance at: Fagasa, on Tutuila; Aunu'u; and Ofu, Olosega and Ta'u in the Manu'a Islands. These harbors will provide limited berthing facilities for small boats.

ALTERNATIVES

1. Road type alternatives are indicated below comparing their cost and effectiveness. The policy will be to pave roads since high erosion factors result in exorbitant maintence costs for unpaved roads.

2. Rather than constructing harbors in villages which cannot be feasibly served by a road network, transportation needs could be satisfied by a helicopter commuter service which would be capable of providing rapid point-to-point service. The advantages of this alternative, however, are considerably outweighed by the disadvantages which are:

(a) The initial equipment cost would be approximately $6,000,000 for four helicopter units, eleven landing areas ($165,000), the maintenance facility at Pago Pago Airport ($75,000), and operating costs in excess of $50 per hour. (b) Helicopters can only be used during favorable weather conditions. (c) High humidity and salt-laden air conditions would require helicopter replacement approximately every four years. Moreover, the specialized mechanic skills and parts for proper vehicle maintenance and repair are not readily available.

(d) The limited number of people that a helicopter could carry would require several trips to be made to each village in order to transport all those interested in going to school or the central market areas. Furthermore, it would be virtually impossible to carry economic quantities of agricultural produce. Thus, agricultural development of isolated areas would remain inhibited.

(e) Local private enterprise could not effectively enter this type of transportation field since initial capital investment would be too high. Private enterprise, can, however, enter the water transport field.

3. The road system could be developed whereby the majority of villages could be reached by utilizing secondary lateral roads. The system which would generally provide individual roads to each village could be completed at a cost of approximately $9 million. These individual villages, though, would only be connected with the south shore since there would be no road system linking them with neighboring villages. This type of system will not provide for the uniform settlement of the island since travel from village to village would not be direct, but over several laterals.

4. All north shore villages could be served by water transportation. Although it would encourage fishing from each village, it would not afford the socio-economic development that a road system could since rough seas would make water transportation impossible about 25 percent of the time.

EXPECTED BENEFITS

By providing a comprehensive transportation system, the total area of American Samoa can be developed to its maximum potential. Population density per square mile would be reduced by more than 50 percent, prime farming lands in excess of 2,300 acres would be opened as well as an additional ten thousand acres for cattle grazing. Abandonment of villages would cease, this would provide healthier socio-economic conditions enabling isolated villagers to share the same advancement and living opportunities of those villagers located in more urbanized areas. The 1972 proposed program will have a potential agriculture

benefit/cost ratio (over a ten year period) of 12.6: 1, while the overall five year plan will have a benefit/cost ratio of 7:1.

Senator JORDAN. Thank you very much.

Mr. WON PAT. Thank you, sir.

(Subsequent to the hearing Mr. Won Pat submitted the following addendum :)

ADDENDUM TO STATEMENT OF ANTONIO B. WON PAT, GUAM'S REPRESENTATIVE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

A proposed Park and Marina plan in Merizo in the southern part of the island, a project estimated to cost over $3,000,000 is very essential to the recreational and economic development of the island-territory, requires not only the approval of the Department of the Interior under the Federal Submerged Land Law but the examination and approval by the Army Corps of Engineers before such a project could be undertaken.

A map of the island with markups indicating the coastal areas having po tential commercial and recreational development is presented as an exhibit. Such a plan presupposes a survey and study by the Army Corps of Engineers