Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-03

Of Indians as neighbors. have neverthe-
less recognized and given intelligent evil
dences Of recognizing the fact that the
Indians are a permanent element In the
community, and that It is wiser to try to
direct their energies for the upbullding OF
the country than to dismiss them from
consideration as nuisances. The plan we
have put into operation, therefore, meets
with abundant good will and support from
the local public. Indeed surprise is ex-
pressed on all sides that some definite
effort Of this sort was not made long ago.
Boys in the beet Fields.
when the congress was considering that
item In. the current appropriation act
which provides for the expenses of trans
porting pupils to and from nonreservation
schools, 1 asked for and promptly received
a proviso that a part of this money might
be used for the transportation of pupils
to and from places where they could be
employed at profitable occupations. This
was with an eye to such situations, as
developed, for instance, in the Rocky
Ford district Of Colorado, where there is
constant and growing demand for the
labor Of Indian school boys in the sugar
beet fields. 1t IS simple enough matter
to handle transportation charges for pu-
order to extend the scope Of this enter
prise 1 have wanted to bring some from
rather remote schools in which case the
railroad fares become unduly burden
some. 1t is for such pupils that 1 wish
to be able, when necessary, to draw upon
our school transportation funds for, to
my mind, such work as the boys get In
the Rocky Ford district at fair wages,
teaching them how to measure manual
labor in money units, is worth much
as or more than any form of instruction
they can get in the schools themselves.
1 have therefore, given all possible en-
couragement to the employment of these
young people in the beet fields, where the
work is not such as to tax their strength
unduly, the employers are kindly dis
posed and the governments oversight is
complete. The lads like il, and an ex-
ample of what it has done for them, aside
entirely from their training in industry,
responsibility and regular hours, is fur
nished in report from the superintend-
ent in charge of the Navajo reservation,
that forty-nine school boys and three
adults from there who worked in the Co..
orado beet fields for six weeks this sea-
son returned with S1,672.56 earnings, clear
and above all expenses. The pupils, he
for sheep, and arrangements have been
made so shat their sheep will be cared
for by their relatives while they are at
school. Thus in a single seasons work
these lads have been started in a profitable
calling with capital furnished by their
own labor, and those who have the
strength of character to continue as they
have begun Will be self-supporting when
they have attained their majority.
The sheep industry in the southwest
affords a great deal of employment for
Indians off the reservations. 1t Is a kind
of work which suits their taste and at
which they excel They are in demand
every spring from all the sheep owners,
and during the lambing season are usually
paid from Sl2 to $25 a month, with board.
Many are employed permanently through
the year shepherds and not few have
! fiocks of their own, with which they do
very we'll Mining, which is one of the
prominent industries of this region, does
not appeal strongly to Indians as a rule
and no special pains are taken to encour-
! age them to go into it, because they have
| a special love of out-of-door life and
thrive best at callings which keep them
| in the open air. Here is where mining
proves unattractive, and for a people as
subject as they are to disease of the lungs
| it is of doubtful wholesomeness. They dc
| find good deal Of employment around the
mines, however, in surface work which
brings them good Wages" i -
II