OF TINIAN. FURTHERMORE, THE U.S. MILITARY HAS ALREADY LEASE TWO-THIRDS AS THE STABILITY OF U.S. FORCES IN THE PHILIPPINES BECOMES QUESTIONABLE FOR THE FUTURE, WE IN THE NORTHERN MARIANAS STAND READY TO DO OUR PART FOR OUR MUTUAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY. WE, THEREFORE, WELCOME ANY DECISION BY THE MILITARY TO EXERCISE ITS LAND USE OPTION UNDER THE TERMS OF THE COVENANT AGREEMENT IN THIS REGARD. THE ISLAND OF ROTA IS NOT BLESSED WITH A NATURAL HARBOR LIKE SAIPAN AND TINIAN. ROTA IS PRACTICALLY SURROUNDED BY A REEF WITH A FEW NARROW CHANNEL ENTRANCES. LARGE SHIPS CANNOT EVEN ENTER THE PORT AREA. COMMERCE IS HAMPERED BY UNRELIABLE SHIPPING SERVICE, AND THE COST OF CONSUMABLE ITEMS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES IS ABOUT 30% HIGHER IN ROTA THAN NEIGHBORING ISLANDS DUE TO HIGH FREIGHT RATES AND RELATED TRANSSHIPMENT COSTS. ROTA'S MAIN PORT AT WEST HARBOR WAS BUILT BY THE JAPANESE BEFORE WORLD WAR TWO TO AUGMENT THE ISLAND'S SUGAR INDUSTRY AND RELATED AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES. SUGAR AND OTHER RAW MATERIALS WERE LOADED ONTO LARGE VESSELS ANCHORED OFFSHORE SINCE THE HARBOR WAS TOO SMALL FOR MOST SHIPS TO ENTER. NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE AFTER THE WAR, OR DURING THE 40 YEAR TRUSTEESHIP, DESPITE NUMEROUS PUBLIC OUTCRIES. FINALLY, IN 1984, IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS UNDER ITS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING AUTHORITY WHICH WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY LOCAL CNMI FUNDING. EVEN WITH THESE IMPROVEMENTS, HOWEVER, LARGE OCEAN-GOING VESSELS STILL CANNOT BE ACCOMMODATED. FUTURE PLANS FOR THE ROTA HARBOR INCLUDE WIDENING THE ENTRANCE CHANNEL, CONSTRUCTION OF A BREAKWATER, DREDGING THE TURNING BASIN, EXPANDING THE PIER, AND OTHER RELATED FACILITIES. THIS FUNDING REQUIREMENT AMOUNTS TO ABOUT $4,000,000, WILL MAKE THE HARBOR NAVIGABLE FOR LARGER VESSELS, AND GREATLY IMPROVE COMMERCE BETWEEN THE ISLANDS. SUCH A REDUCTION IS THE PRESENT HIGH COST OF ESSENTIAL GOODS AND MATERIALS WILL GREATLY BENEFIT OUR PEOPLE, WHO NOW PAY THE HIGHEST CONSUMER PRICES IN THE COMMONWEALTH, AND FROM A LOWER PER CAPITA INCOME BASE. WAR CLAIMS THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTHERN MARIANAS WERE CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO ARMIES DURING WORLD WAR TWO. MANY SUFFERED AND DIED FROM ALL FOOD CROPS AND BOMBARDMENT, HUNGER, AND MALNUTRITION. RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR LOSSES AND SUFFERING. FINALLY, IN 1971, AFTER NUMEROUS PETITIONS TO THE U.S. CONGRESS AND UNITED NATIONS, THE MICRONESIAN WAR CLAIMS COMMISSION WAS CREATED. OVER $34,300,000 WAS ADJUDICATED FOR THE ENTIRE TRUST TERRITORY UNDER TITLE I, AND $32,600,000 FOR TITLE II CLAIMS. WHILE PART OF THESE CLAIMS WERE PAID BY THE UNITED ΤΟ STATES, SOME $24,000,000 OF TITLE STILL REMAINS UNPAID, ALTHOUGH ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS TO DISTRIBUTE THESE FUNDS. DOI IS NOW IN THEIR HEIRS. MR. CHAIRMAN, 1988 MARKS THE 44TH MEMORIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF SAIPAN BY U.S. FORCES. MANY OF OUR PEOPLE WITH LEGITIMATE CLAIMS HAVE ALREADY DIED; THOSE WHO REMAIN HAVE ONLY A SHORT LIFETIME STILL REMAINING. THE LONG OVERDUE WAR CLAIMS COMPENSATION SET FORTH UNDER U.S. PUBLIC LAW 95-134 DESERVES YOUR MOST SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION. LAND GRAND ENDOWMENT THE NORTHERN MARIANAS COLLEGE HAS EXPERIENCED IMPRESSIVE GROWTH IN RECENT YEARS. LAST YEAR OUR FORMER HOSPITAL WAS CONVERTED INTO A COLLEGE CAMPUS AND AWARDED LAND GRANT STATUS WHICH OPENS THE DOOR TO ORGANIZED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. WE ARE STILL WAITING, HOWEVER, FOR CONGRESS TO APPROPRIATE THE LONG-AWAITED $3,000,000 FOR THIS EDUCATIONAL EFFORT. IF APPROVED, OUR COLLEGE WILL SOON BE ABLE TO DIRECTLY ASSIST IN THE EXPANSION OF OUR AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, AND HELP MEET THE DEMAND FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FOR OUR FAST GROWING VISITORS INDUSTRY AND LOCAL MARKET. BROOKS AMENDMENT OUR COMMONWEALTH ISLANDS ARE ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., AS CAIRO, EGYPT. BECAUSE OF THIS GREAT DISTANCE, LOGISTICAL COMPLICATIONS AND RELATED TRANSPORTATION COSTS, WE ARE VERY CONCERNED INDEED ABOUT THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE IMPACT OF THE BROOKS AMENDMENT'S "BUY AMERICAN" REQUIREMENT. IF APPLIED TO OUR ISLANDS, THE COST OF URGENTLY NEEDED CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WOULD SKYROCKET AND HAVE A DRASTIC IMPACT ON PENDING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. HOWEVER, SINCE SUCH FUNDING UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH COVENANT IS CONSIDERED "LOCAL REVENUES", WE FEEL AN EXEMPTION SHOULD BE MADE FORM THE BROOKS AMENDMENT FOR THE CNMI. MELON FY ERADICATION OUR ISLANDS ARE FERTILE AND ARABLE, AND IF DEVELOPED CAN PROVIDE US WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND FOOD CROPS FOR OUR RESIDENTIAL AND TOURIST POPULATION. BUT THIS POTENTIAL IS THREATENED BY THE SERIOUS INFESTATION OF THE HARMFUL MELON RECOMMENDATIONS WERE MADE. ON ROTA, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY FOUND THE EXPORTS FIVE YEAR AGO, WHICH, NEEDLESS TO SAY, HAS HAD A MOST THEY USDA EXPERTS SAY THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM IS TO ATTACH THE MELON FLY SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH. HAVE RECOMMENDED SEVERAL ERADICATION METHODS AND ESTIMATED OVER A YEAR AGO THAT MORE THAN $4,000,000 WILL BE NEEDED TO ACCOMPLISH THIS EFFORT IN A TWO TO THREE YEAR PERIOD. HOWEVER, AS LONG AS THE MELON FLY EXISTS ON NEARBY GUAM, IT WILL ALWAYS BE A THREAT TO ISLANDS TO THE NORTH. FOR THESE REASONS, THEREFORE, WE WISH TO ASK YOUR SUBCOMMITTEE TO PROVIDE AN OVERCEILING APPROPRIATION FOR A SIMULTANEOUS ERADICATION PROJECT FOR NOT ONLY THE CNMI BUT GUAM AS WELL. IN THIS MANNER, WE CAN BEGIN TO REBUILD OUR AGRICULTURE, AND AGAIN MAKE IT A VIABLE INDUSTRY FOR OUR PEOPLE. AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK ALL THE COURAGEOUS AMERICAN SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AND MARINES WHO FOUGHT SO VALIANTLY, AND THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE FOR FREEDOM DURING THE LIBERATION OF SAIPAN DESERVE OUR PRAISE AND HONOR. AS A CONSTANT REMINDER TO ALL OF US, U.S. PUBLIC LAW 95-348 AUTHORIZED $3,000,000 TO BE APPROPRIATED FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK. MANY YEARS AGO, JAPAN, KOREA, AND OKINAWA BUILT SUITABLE |