The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-04-18
SPOKANE RESERVE
INDIAN LANDS WILL PROBABLY
BE OPENED TO ENTRY IN
NEAR FUTURE.
Favorable Report on Piles Bill Has
: Been Authorized by Senate Commit
tee-After AIIotments Are Made
Balance of Lands Are to Be Disposed
Of Under Homestead Laws.


OF Under Homestead Laws.
Washington, April 13-The senate
committee on Indian affairs has au-
thorized favorable report on Senator
Piles bill providing for the sale and
disposition of surplus unallotted agri-
cultural lands of the Spokane Indian
reservation, state of Washington, and
for the placing of the timber lands OF
the reservation in a national forest.
The bill contains the following pro-
visions:
The secretary of the interior is au-
thorized and directed to cause allot'
ments to be made under the provisions
of the allotment laws of the United
States to all persons having tribal
rights or holding tribal relations and
who may rightfully belong on the Spo-
kane Indian reservation and who have
not heretofore received allotments.
Upon the completion of said allot-
ments to said Indians, the secretary OF
the interior and the secretary of agri'
culture shall classify the surplus lands
as agricultural and timber lands, the
agricultural lands to be opened to set
tlement and entry under the provis
ions of the homestead laws by procla
nation of the president.
That the price of the lands classi
fed as agricultural shall be five dol
lars per acre, to be paid as follows:
| One-fifth of the purchase price to be
paid in cash at the time of entry, and
the balance of five equal annual in
stallments to be paid in one, two
three, four and five years, respective
ly, from and after the date of entry.
Nothing in this act shall prevent
homestead settlers from committing
their entries by paying for the land en-
tered the price fixed herein.
All lands classified as agricultural
remaining undisposed of at the ex
piration of four years from the open
| ing of said lands to entry shall be ap
i praised by the secretary of the in
terror from time to time and sold al
public auction or under sealed bids
to the highest bidder for cash at moi
less than the said appraised value
The rights of honorably discharged
Union soldiers and sailors of the late
civil and Spanish wars or the Philip
pine insurrection shall not be abridged
| Sections Is and SO of the lands in
each township shall not be disposed of
but shall be reserved for the use OF
the common schools and paid for by
the United States at one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre, and the
same are hereby granted to the state
of Washington for such purpose, but
any of the lands so granted and which
may be classified as timber lands shall
be subject to the same provisions and
be administered in the same manner
as the other unallotted timber lands on
the reservation, as herein provided.
The secretary of the interior may re.
WI W OuNh 1oAu0 % AO may OOOul
necessary for agency, school and relig.
ious purposes, to remain reserved so
long as needed.
The president is hereby authorized
to set apart and reserve as national
forest all the unallotted part of the
Spokane Indian reservation which
shall be classified as timber lands. The
Indians and the officials and employees
in the Indian service on said reserva-
ton shall, without cost to them, have
the right to cut and take all timber
necessary for fuel or for lumber or
other domestic purposes upon their
allotments. The Indians shall have
the privilege of pasturing on such
part of the national forest, subject to
the grazing regulations of the score
tary of agriculture, except that no
charge shall be made therefor.
All funds received from the sale of
any products or the use of any lands
or resources of said national forest for
a period of twenty-five years from and
after the approval of the schedule of
allotments to the Indians of the Spo-
kane reservation shall be placed in the
treasury of the United States to the
credit of said Indians, to be paid to
said Indians from time to time as the
secretary of the interior may direct:
provided, that there shall be paid to
the state of Washington a share of
all moneys so received proportionate
to the area of the land in said national
forest classified as timber land and
granted to said state by this act.
New Daily for Tacoma.
Tacoma, April 11.-AnnOuncement