The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-01-11

spectOr for Indian territory Tor the
fiscal year ending juno 80, 1905, has
Just been received in book form and
IS most interesting document u
embraces the annual reports of the
United States Indian agent TO The five
civilized tribes and the report OF the
superintendent OF schools for Indian
Territory for the same period. These
reports are especially interesting This
year to persons outside Of Indian Ter
ritory because they -ct forth clearly
in tabulated form the development
that has been made IN the year and
comparative tables showing the de
velopmcnt In preceding years.
Inspector J. George Wright IN his
foreword to the report, states that the
population Of Indian Territory is 700,
900. This estimate will be accepted
as authority by the government. The
census Of 1905 gave Indian Territory
a population of 1892 900 The growth of
nearly 100 per cent in 1--WE years is
most remarkable and has been here.
tofore regarded as but the estimate Of
the townsita boomer and the land
man.
One Of the most interesting fea.
lures fthe report Is the showing that
is made on the coal lands that are
being operated under leases approved
by the government These royalties.
together with the payments OF money
received from the sale Of town lots
are the principal sources Of revenue
for the Indians The coal and asphalt
lands are In the Choctaw and Chick
asaw nations The report shows that
there are 1O9 leases being operated |
and they cover total acreage Of
101 400 acres There are ten asphalt
leases covering a total acreage OF G.
$50 acres. During the year there was
mined at these coal mines 2,S59.5tG
tons Of coal. The total amount Of roy
atty collected and turned into the
Choctaw and Chickasaw treasury
from the coal mined Is $245, ,S5S.5G.
The royalty from the asphalt mines
amounted to $2,5G9.S0. These figures
show the vast quantity Of coal that
are being mined There is trine
over 100, 900 acres under lease by these
operators which is a little more than
one-fourth Of the total coal segrega-
tion Of the two nations. The remainder
of this coal land has been offered for
sale by the secretary Of interior, but
under such conditions that not a sin
gle tract has been sold The amount
OF coal that would be produced annual
ly II this entire segregation could be
put on such a basis that mine opera
tors would develop It can be estimat
ed from that which is under develop,
ment
The money received from townsite
payments Is far in excess Of that
received by these two nations for coal
royalties. but the townsitc lots will
all be paid out In three years, and
this source Of revenue will cease,
while that Of the coal lands will In.
crease indefinitely as more Of the
land Is mined The government plat
ted and sold for The benefit Of the
tribes 500 tCwnsitos. These towusltcs
have a total acreage of 1879 acres.
Money received IN payment on town
lots for the year I'm the various ma
tions was as follows: Crock nation.
$105575; Cherokee nation, sl39,3S9;
Choctaw and Chickasaw nations joint
ly $5i1,7i9. The total amount collect
cd IN payment for town lots IN all the
nations since the towusi.o payments
began three years ago ls S21S5,5ol
Probably half Of The money that will
be paid for town lots has been paid
In
The only taxes that are collected I'm
Indian Territory are tho cattle tax
and the permit tax In the Choctaw
and Chickasaw nations last year was
collected SG0,1l2 cattle tax. In the
Creek nation $121iG cattle tax was
collected and $4,000 permit tax. This
permit was The famous tribal tax over
which such q furor was raised This
does not include the heavy collections
that were made last summer after the
order to collect had been made eff
fectlve by the secretary Of the int.
rior. The cattle tax in the Cherokee
nation amounted to $2,99i
The superintendent Of schools for
the territory, John d. Benedict, in his
report, gives the following number Of
schools In operation during the fiscal
year ending June 80. 1905. Many 9th
ers have since been established: Thir-
ty.three Indian boarding schools, 10G
separate indian day schools, 445 day