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COMMERCIALIZATION OF SOME OF THE RENEWABLE RESOURCE PROJECTS HAS BEEN RETARTED BY THE ABSENCE OF VENTURE CAPITAL. AQUACULTURE, FISHERIES, TOURISM, AND AGRICULTURE POTENTIALS DO EXIST, HOWEVER, FUNDS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ARE NEEDED TO CAUSE ACTUALIZATION OF THESE ECONOMIC BENEFITS.

DO SHARES THE GOVERNORS OPTIMISM AND PRIDE OVER OUR PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR BECAUSE SACRIFICES WERE MADE WHEN THEY WERE, NEEDED. THIS ALSO SHOWS THE RESILIENCE OUR PEOPLE "AND THE VIGILANCE OF ITS LEADERS TO FACE REALITY. AS OUR 'GOVERNOR-MENTIONED, SACRIFICES WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE FOR IN DOING SO WE FEEL A SENSE OF PARTICIPATION AND SHARING EQUALLY IN THE PAINS AND TRIBULATIONS OF OUR NATION. OBSER VERS AND CRITICS WHO TRAVERSE THE SAMOAN ISLANDS OFTEN COMMENTING AND EXPRESSING THEIR DISBELIEF AT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND INDEPENDENT WESTERN SAMOA. WHEN THEY SPEAK OF THE FUNDS WE RECEIVE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THEY TERM IT "HANDOUTS". WHEN THEY SPEAK OF FUNDS THAT WESTERN SAMOA RECEIVES FROM THE METROPOLITAN COUNTRIES. INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES, THEY TERM IT FOREIGN AID WE ARE NOT HERE MRCHAIRMAN, FOR HANDOUTS WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS, STRIVING TO ATTAIN THE LEVEL--OF EQUALITY OF LIFE PACIFIC AMERICANS ASPIRE FOR:

SOIFUA,

TUANA'ITAU F. TUIA

Speaker of the House

ASG TOURISM PROSPECTS

Mr. MURTHA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. TUIOLOSEGA. Mr. Chairman, the American Samoan President of the Senate has already submitted a statement, and I just want to touch on one point.

While tourism is large in our islands, we are studying a budget of $350,000 only for two reasons.

Now, the Hawaiian alliance has just made American Samoa the hub of transportation in the South Pacific Islands. Right now they are flying to New Zealand, Australia. They are flying to Tonga, Rarotonga, and they all land in American Samoa. Now, I would like this Committee to look into this particular item for our operating budget because if we have to make Samoa a showcase of the South Pacific, we will have to promote tourism just like all other countries so this may be known. This is the number one industry in Hawaii and the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Western Samoa and Tonga. So, I would ask this Committee to look hard at this operating item of our budget, and we can submit any figures later on if this Committee wishes.

Mr. MURTHA. Thank you very much.

ASG/OTIA GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP

Mr. SUNIA. Mr. Chairman, I am sorry I missed the agency's presentation this morning. In past years Mr. Yates has always shown a great deal of interest in finding out how the agency is treating the territories and how well they are working together. For most of the last 12 months, we have not had an assistant director to run that office. But in his absence, we have had what I would call good working relations with the people who have been running the office, most recently by Mark Hayward and his staff.

I say this because I'm probably the one delegate who makes more criticisms of OTIA during the year than anybody else. However, my own criticisms have been directed at policies and issues rather than the technical part of the operation in which we have had smooth working relations in the past year. And I say that for the record and with deep appreciation for the assistance of the agency to this territory.

Mr. MURTHA. Thank you very much, and thank all of you for coming.

Mr. SUNIA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The statement of Letuli Toloa follows:]

SPEECH

OF THE

HONORABLE LETULI TOLOA

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

LEGISLATURE OF AMERICAN SAMOA

AT THE

F.Y. 1989 CONGRESSIONAL APPROPRIATION HEARINGS

WASHINGTON, .D.C.

APRIL 20, 1989

LETULI TOLOA
President

AMERICAN SAMOA GOVERNMENT

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
LEGISLATURE OF AMERICAN SAMOA

Tel: (684) 633-4565 633-5231

HONORABLE CHAIRMAN, FELLOW COMMITTEE MEMBERS, AND

COLLEAGUES, I WISH TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR
BEFORE YOU AND SHARE MY THOUGHTS ON THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR
BUDGET. MY COMMENTS WILL BE BRIEF IN ORDER TO ALLOW YOU
MORE TIME TO CONSIDER THESE DIFFICULT MATTERS.

THE AMERICAN SAMOA ECONOMY IS IN RELATIVELY GOOD CON-
DITION. DESPITE LOWER LEVELS OF FEDERAL OUTLAYS FOR THE
TERRITORY WE MANAGED TO COPE WITH OUR BUDGET USING MORE
EFFICIENT METHODS OF PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND BETTER PLANNING.
CERTAIN PROJECTS WHICH WERE STARTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO HAVE
BEEN COMPLETED GENERATING NEW SOURCES OF REVENUE FOR THE
GOVERNMENT. OUR LOCAL TAX BASE, THOUGH VERY FRAGILE, PRO-
VIDED A STABLE TAX FLOW DURING F.Y. 1987 AND INTO F.Y. 1988.

HOWEVER, WE ARE

BEFORE THE COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS

THE LEVEL OF FEDERAL OUTLAYS FOR THE TERRITORY. THE MOST
IMPORTANT PART TO REMEMBER IS THAT, FOR ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS,
AMERICAN SAMOA IS STILL DEVELOPING ITS ECONOMIC BASE AND IN-

FRASTRUCTURE.

THIS DOES NOT AT ALL MEAN WE HAVE NOT WORKED

P. O. Box 485, Legislature of American Samoa, Pago Pago, American Samoa

96799

PAGE 2

ON MEETING THESE BASIC NEEDS. IT MEANS ONLY THAT WE ARE STILL

IN A DEVELOPING STAGE.

RELIABLY CLEAN WATER SUPPLY, STEADY

ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION, AND SAFE ROADS
ARE NOT UP TO THE STANDARDS OF OTHER AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.
OF COURSE, THIS IS OUR STANDARD TO JUDGE BY.

THE KEY TO REACHING THESE STANDARDS IS TO CONTINUE THE STEADY PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE WITH CONTINUED FEDERAL SUPPORT. LAST YEAR EVERYONE FACED BUDGET CUTS, INCLUDING US. THOSE CUTS SLOWED OUR PROGRESS AND WERE FELT BY OUR SMALL ECONOMY. FOR THIS YEAR, WE BELIEVE THAT HIGHER LEVELS OF FEDERAL SUPPORT ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT. A HURRICANE LAST YEAR CAUSED US TO DIVERT MANY OF OUR LIMITED RESOURCES FOR MANY PROJECTS AND DELAYED MANY OTHERS. WHILE FUNDING FOR THAT DISASTER WAS LATER RECEIVED, LOST TIME CAN NEVER BE RECOVERED. CUR INFRASTRUCTURE STILL WAITS FOR COMPLETION. FEDERAL SUPPORT

AT THE REQUESTED LEVELS WILL PUT AMERICAN SAMOA BACK ON TRACK TOWARD ITS PLANNED GOALS AND WILL RETURN US TO THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE OF PROGRESS.

GENTLEMEN, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND HOPE MY

BRIEF COMMENTS CAN MEANINGFULLY INCREASE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE TERRITORY'S NEEDS.