The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-03-27
INDIANS HAVE GROWN
RICH ON FARM LANDS
THEY OWN 100000 ACRES OF
TIMBER IN IS STATES. EN-
WED BY WHITE MEN.

WASHINGTON, D. C.-The at
tention of lumbermen and timber con-
servationists has been directed to the
Importance of the Indian forests as
factors in the present and future lum-
Der supply OF the United States by
the recent sales of great quantities of
timber by the Indian service OF the
department OF the interior, according
to a statement by the research depart
ment of the National Lumber Manu-
facturers' Association.
The Indians own, individually and
tribally, at least 100000 acres of for
ests OF commercial importance in IS
states.
Timber Worth $1O0,OOO,OOO.
The principal Indian forests, whose
combined area, the department points
out, covers an extent equal to Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut, are situated
in Oregon, Washington, Montana,
Arizona New Mexico, Wisconsin,
California, Idaho and Minnesota.
These forests contain 35,000000, 900
feet of merchantable timber worth
$100,000,000.
The value of young growth, adding
$30,000,000 to this figure, fixes the
Def capita forest wealth OF the Amer
lean Indians at $4,000 if it were dis
tributed among all OF them, This, the
research department points out, helps
to establish the Indian as the wealth.
est race in the world, since, with for
est and other property, the per capita
holdings total $4,000 as compared
with $1,000 for white persons. The
forest wealth alone of the Kalamaths
in southern Oregon is placed at $25,-
000
It's Nice for Such Indians.
For the last ten years the gross re-
turns to the Indians from their timber
have averaged more than $500, 900
100000. More than 90 per cent of
these returns are net, since the admin
istrative expense is less than 10 per
cent
Until about Is years ago the Indian
forests were almost wholly neglected
and suffered from fire and wholesale
trespass. This condition was ended,
however, after the Leech Lake
(Minn.) Chippewas went on limited
war path in 1898 and killed and
wounded 80 soldiers of the Third reg
ular infantry as a demonstration
against contracts permitting loggers
to cut dead and down timber on the
Indian lands. Since 1910 the forests
have been under approved modern
management conducted by regular
forest service in the Indian bureau, of
which J. P. Kinney is chief forester,
with a force of about 200 trained for
esters, experienced lumber men,
rangers, guards, etc.
Indians Drive Good Bargains
While the Indian forest service gen
orally contents itself with selling the
timber which the contractor himself
removes under the services regula-
ton the 1,200 Menominee, Wisconsin
and Chippewas have a sawmill which
cuts about 100000 feet of forest
products annually, and, with logging
equipment, is valued at $1,000,000,
netting them about 100000 a year.
From 1894 to 1921 the LOO Bad Riv-
er, Wisconsin and Chippewas receiv-
ed 100000 from the sale of their
timber. The Wisconsin Indians still
own about billion feet of the finest
soft and hardwood timber in that
state.
On February 18th the Indian SER
vice sold l3000O000 feet OF timber
in the Valley Creek unit OF the Flat
head reservation in Montana at SSH
a thousand feet for the western yell
low pine and $3.O1 for the other tim
Der A few days earlier the service
sold 100000 feet of western yellow
and sugar pine and 44,000,000 feet of
Douglas fir in the Metolius unit OF
the Warm Springs (Ore) reservation
at $2.S8 for yellow pine and $3.50 for
Douglas fir.