Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-08
Interior Department Workers Find Adventure and F

Mesa Verde. the living volcano Of Las
sen Peak and the petrified forests Of
Arizona have attracted hundreds OF
thousands OF visitors. Similar interest
is being manifested in the new parks
in the East. which are within such a
comparatively short distance Of
Washington
When the Carlisle Indian School
was opened at Carlisle, Pa, the total
enrolment Of Indian boys and girls
in Government and mission schools
did not exceed 5000. Today $4,000
Indian children are being educated
through boarding. day. mission and
public schools. entirely through the
enorts OF the Department of the
Interior
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, IT.
self. maintains 76 boarding schools on
and off the reservations and 153 day
schools on the reservations There
are also 36 mission boarding schools
and 2S mission day schools. The
Government now spends every year
100000 for the education of the
Indians.
The Carlisle school was discon-
tinued in 1917. but the Department
Of Interior is endeavoring to rebuild
the great athletic achievements Of
the Carlisle Indians at the Haskell
Institute at Lawrence. kans.. at pres
ent the largest Government Indian
school in the country.
Safeguarding the health Of the red
men is now one of the principal &C
tivities of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs. The Government maintains
continuously $50 regular physicians
on duty at Indian reservations and
schools to give medical service to In
dams in addition to the employment
of so nurses and 20 field nlatrons.
1t operates IS hospitals and sanator1a
with a total bed capacity of 2.400.
where over 10000 Indians receive
treatment annually.
$50 -
CONSERVATION Of natural re
~ sources is one Of the big prob
lens now being handled by the In
terror Department. The departments
policy is one of wise use of natural
resources for the present generation
as we'll as preservation for future
needs 1t believes in the CUSTODIAN
care Of our national wealth In timber
minerals and water power. Redemp-
ton of the lost fertility of the soil
in the East also is a part of the de
partments program.
Conservation of oil resources has
become another subject of national
importance. Under present leasing
and royalty practices 1t is impossible
to conserve oil under the ground II a
neighboring owner desires to gain
possession of the deposits He simply
drills several wells and drains the
oil from the property contiguous to his
own.
Although at the present time there
is said to be an overproduction Of Pc
troleum. the supply is maintained only
by the drilling of many new wells
every year. Failure TO bring IN new
producing wells for two-year pc
riod would in the opinion of the Gov
eminent scientists, SO reduce the sup
ply as to slow down industry and
bring about a serious situation.
With the development of aircraft
and it's dependency on petroleum prod
| ucts. the national defense is involved.
as the security of nations in the flI-
ture may largely depend upon the
| possession of available oil supplies.
The Government itself is directly in
terested through it's control over the
public domain. including Indian lands.
which still contain large undeveloped
reserves Of oil.
Recent disputes in the West over
payments for irrigation waters has
brought the question Of the Govern
ment's reclamation policy TO the fore
gain. 1t was believed when the re-
cldmatiOn act was passed in 1902 that
if the Government built dams and
canals, agriculture would follow: that
settlers would take up the lands and
carry out the difficult task Of clearing
off the sagebruSh. leveling the surface.
providing farm buildings. implements
and live stock. and doing all things
necessary 10 change the desert into
productive farms.
A survey conducted recently by a
act-finding committee on Federal re.
clamation showed that an amount
estimated at $26 ,000. 900 had been ex-
pended for the irrigation Of unsuitable
lands. much of which had been aban-
doned by settlers. The committee
found that the chief cause Of fail.
ure among the settlers to make good
was because there had been no selec-
ton of settlers on a basis Of experi.
ence and qualifications. and because
Congress had not authorized the EN-.
ployment OF experts TO give practical
advice on the preparation Of the land
for cultivation or instruct the begin.
ner. to whom conditions were news
as to what crops to plant and when
to plant them.
Two years ago a program was In.
augurated for the reconstruction of
the Federal reclamation policy, Con
gress providing for different methods
OF repayment OF construction charges.
The future policy contemplates
program of selective land settlement
and farm development.