Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-27
WHITE PLAQUE lNcREAolNo TO
ALARMING EXTENT AMONG
RED MEN.
HOUSING CONDITIONS BAD,
SAYS COMMISSIONER SELLS
Traehoma Also Prevalent Among
Tribes-Annual, Report Of Commits.
sionsr Sells Indicates Wards Of Ma.
tion Own Much Property = Total
Land Holdings Cover Huge Area.

second annual report OF the bureau Of
Indian AFFAIRS, covering the period from
July l, 1912. to June 80, 1918, will soc~
be ready for public dis''inution.
This being the first v-port OF Com
missioner Cato Sell. 1t deals princi-
pally with the e-.ivities OF the Indian
bureau .,---..,g the administration of
his predecessors, Commissioners s.n--
having assumed control of the bureau
about one month before the end Of the
fiscal year.
Attention is called to the fact that
the Indian country Under the jurisd;c
ton Of the Indian office has an area
as large az that of all the New Eng
land states and the state OF New York
combined. Z: !. stated that there are
approximately 100000 Indians, whose
combined property Is estimated to be
worth about 5000, 100000.
Commissioner Sells says that the
question of how this property may be
conserved for the benefit Of the Indians
and how they shall be taught to make
the best use thereof and otherwise be-
come properly equipped to take their
place as citizens Of the United States.
are the great problems confronting the
Indian bureau.
Educational Faeilities.
He says that among the details still
to be worked out and which are now
pending he finds that, Notwithstanding
tho fact that since 1879 the govern
ment has provided approximately $780,
100000 for schools. among tho indians.
there are today 10000 Indian children
without any school facilities whatever.
principally In the southwest, and more
particularly among the Navajo ana
Papago indians. That there are about
1900 detective Indian children. either
physically or mentally, for whose care
and llsa.s,y no adequate facilities are
available; The present available ap-
preparation for Indian schools provides
for 223 day schools. situated on Indian
reservations nsar the Indian homes;
seventy-six boarding schools located
on the reservations, and thirty-nve
boarding schools located of the reserv-
;ations and known as non-reservation
schools. OF the Ct. 900 Indian children
of school age, these schools care for
approximately $4,000. There are en-
rolled in mission and public schools
2e.5eO Indian children. leaving 17,6oO
normal and defective children uncared
for. Attention is called to the need for
Increased appropriations for Indian
school work. so that all Indian chill
dren may be provided with school IA
cilities.
Ravs1s, Of Tubsreu'esis.
The commissioner describes the
x.1.S ,.,d1<iop. among the Indians as
deplorabie. Under the jurisdiction OF
his bureau there are approximately
$4,000 Indians suffering from tubercu-
losis. while the available Indian hospi-
tai facilities for all Of these patients,
adults and children. will not exceed
three hundred beds. During the past
fiscal year 1905 Indians were reported
A.. having died from tuberculosis; this
being probably not more than seventy
flve per cent Of the total number OF
Indians who have died from this dis
ease during the a:ca! year, Thirty-two
per cent Of all deaths reported from
tho reservations were due to pulmon-
ary t,,berculosis, as against 11.2 per
cent occurring from the same dis
ease in the registered area OF the
United states The death rate
among the Indiane was 1925 per thou
sand while the census bureau gives
1s IN ner Thousand for the entire regis
tered area Of the United States. Trac-
homa is referred to as a serious eye
di.ease Of which there exists more than
sixty thousand cases among the IN.
d,ans II .s said 70 be very essential
that additional appropriations pc mace
tn construct hospitals to check and
control these diseases and to improve
the Indians health conditions generaiiy'
also to prevent contagion among their
white neighbors.
/ Housing Conditions Bad.
Closely related to the prevalence OF
tuberculosis and trachoma are the
housing conditions OF Indians. 1t Is
estimated that there are approximately
eight thousand Indian families without
homes. who live in mud lodges. tepeee
ana wtckiups. large number OF them
on dirt floors and under revolving con-
ditions. There are thousands OF In
dian families WHO live in one or two
room shacks or cabins under sanitary
conditions which must OF necessity
cause the propagation OF diseasss sacH
as tuberculosis and trnchomH
Notwithstanding the fact that many
indians have been allotted large areas
Of valuable lands, ranging from eighty
to three hundred and twenty acres tc
each Indian, these deplorable housing
conditions continue to exist. As the
indians own tribal and individual
timber valued at more than eighty mil
llion dollars, the Government has pro-
vided a large number Of saw mills. To-
l1cated on various reservations through
ous tho Indian country II ls the COM
En,ssioners purpose to enter upon {
vigorous campaign to improve ths
housinS conditions OF the Indians
tswAsrever practicable
pr;ues FranseIs Marie Dead.
Montreux. switzerland. March 27--