Arizona republican., 1914-03-30


 it is not essential that the forest cover
 be maintained on tribal land, for for
 est conservation purposes, it is ire
 quently advisable that the forest be
 perpetuated as a source of fuel and
 water supply. One of the difficult
 problems which confronts the Indian
 service is the administration of these timber lands so as to provide sub stantial revenue for Indians as agri- cultural development takes place with in the reservation and yet not effect unfavorably the future, both as regards the timber itself and the water supply. i Commissioner Sells says that there are, now pending at the various agen- cies throughout the Indian country, awaiting the determination of the heirs of deceased Indian al!ottees under the Act of June 25. 1910, about forty thou sand cases. which represent inherited lands worth approximately sixty mil lion dollars that he finds in the office about fifteen hundred cases upon which final action has not been taken The pressing need for a large appro- priatiOn to enable the office to bring this work up to date and continue same, is shown.
 The immense opportunity for the i'm Drovement of existing industrial con- dtions of the Indians is referred to. The commissioner states that the h. dians have more than six hundred thousand acres of irrigated lands; ap- proXimately nine million acres of agri- cultural land; and more than fifty mil lion acres of grazing land, and the gov ernment has appropriated approxi- mately ten million dollars in connec- tion with Indian irrigation projects Many able bodied Indians who have valuable lands are wholly or partially without seed, teams or implements to utilize such lands This is particularly true on several reservations where large sums of tribal funds have been used in constructing irrigation systems and is in part the reason why such large areas of irrigated lands are now under culti- vaton.
 The valuable grazing lands of the In dians offer unusual opportunities for increasing the meat supply of the country, and at the same time furnish large profit and employment for the | Indians During the last year the In dians cultivated less than six hundred thousand acres of their vast area of agricultural land. The commissioner will make an aggressive effort to pro- | cure reimbursable appropriations with winch to advance to the Indians the greatly needed equipment, stock and other betterments absolutely necessary, that they may make beneficial use of their resources and become self-sup l porting and progressive citizens These 1 reimbursable appropriations. if pro- | cured and properly used, will result in ultimately materially decreasing the gratuitv appropriations. The need is l stated for additional legislation by con- gress to meet the purposes such as leg | islation authorizing the mining on exc cutive order reservations; legislation l segresating tribal and trust funds in | the United States treasury; and legis- latiOn authorizing the submission of l claims of Indian tribes to the court of 1 claims.
 Attention is called to the existing 1 conditions in eastern Oklahoma among I the five civilized tribes. in connection
 with probating and handling estates of
 minor Indians in the local courts, which the commissioner states are
 such as to require prompt and vigor-
 ous consideration. Commissioner Sells
 says that it is apparent that the policy
 of individualiZing the Indians property
 and the removal of restrictions from 1 the Indian as fast as he demonstrates
 competency, together with the proper
 protection of incompetents and minors
 VIII greatly increase the work of his
 office for several years. and that the | faster these things are accomplished ! the greater will be the office force re- | quired to handle allotments, sales of tribal and individual property and un- l allotted timber and coal lands, the de-
 termining of heirs, the granting of pa
 tents in fee, the handling of segregat- I ed trust funds. and the numerous other duties devolving upon the office
 | The commissioner emphasizes that 1 the work of the Indian office in handl- 1 ing vast estate valued at approxi-
 mately nine hundred million dollars belonging to three hundred thousand
 wards of the government, should not be | crippled further because of the failure ] 10 procure such additional apropria- = | tionS as may be necessary to insure | the employment of such force as is 1 absolutely necessary to keep up the | work of the bureau and satisfactorily
 and speedily work out the tremendous
 problems confronting the Indian office
 The commissioner refers to the ma =
 terial increase of work in the Indian
 office and states that the records of the office show that he employees did 1 1522 days of voluntary overtime dur ing the fiscal year; that the increase in | the work for 1913 over the year 1899