The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-02-24
ALASKA AND FEDERAL BUREAU
 SCHOOLS.

Before a House subcommittee in Washington recently short discussion of school policies in the Territory was held Not only the policy con- sidered of schools maintained by Congressional ap- propriatons and operated by the Office of Indian Affairs but that of Territorial schools was given comment Dr. Ryan, educational director of the Office of Indian Affairs who made a trip to the Territory last summer for his first survey was the witness before the Committee which considering estimates for next years school funds. He advocated a single system of administration for both Terri torial and Federal schools as of promoting economy and efficiency.
 Among other things he told the Committee
 If the Territory would really undertake
 with us a program of joint education, there
 could be a considerable saving. There is a
 prejudice against native Indians in the Ter
 ritorial schools, which is a most serious
 handicap in the problem of educating na-
 tives in Alaska
 And Representative Burton L. French, Republican of Idaho who has always taken an active interest in the welfare of Indian schools in Alaska and has often showed his friendliness for them, re- sponded:
 think your statement is absolutely cor
 rect In working out this program you
 must have in mind the tendency the part
 of a community to push onto the Federal
 Government the education of white children
 in Alaska.
 If the Committee gave heed to these two state msnts it got a wholly untrue picture of the rela- tions between the Territorial and Federal schools in Alaska Dr. Ryan was not justified in charging .preiudicen on the part of the Territory against admitting native Indians into it's schools Earlier in the hearing MT. French had requested him to give the Committee little picture of the attend ance of Indians and Eskimos in the white schools of Alaska and he told the Committee, We connot supply it at this time It will be necessary to ob- tain it from Alaska, which we shall try to do9
 This little picture would not only have refuted absolutely pr. Ryans ill-advised charge of local prejudice but it would have made MT. Frenchs allegation of communities pushing white children into Indian schools look silly And the information that had been asked for ready for the asking, had Dr Ryan or anyone else taken the trouble to inquire
 A survey of the Territorial school system in 1e3O-31 showed a total enrolment of 5,l01 pupils in incorporated towns and rural districts. Of this number 686, almost exactly one-third, were either full or mixed blood Indians There 306 full blood Indians 663 habreeds 496 quarter breeds and 221 of less than that proportion.
 In the City schools alone there are 61 full bloods, 1855 halfbreeds and l3o quarerbreeds. It is in the rural schools that the real extent is disclosed to which the Territory is spending funds for educating Uncle Sam,s wards II of these outside" schools, mostly one and two-teacher institutions there are enrolled l264 full blood and mixed blood Indians And the total enrolment is but 1888 In other words less than B per cent of the pupils in them are of strictly non-Indan blood. There are in them 245 full boods 47s halfbreeds S66 quarterbreeds and ITS under one-quarter.
 The figures for white children in Indian schools in the Territory are, unfortunately, not available But it is a matter of common knowledge that thS number is small nothing like the number of Indians in the Territorial schools
 As to the lack of Territorial cooperation witf the Federal authorities. there can be no room fol dispute The Territory in addition to enrolling Federal wards in it's schools. has on one occasion constructed fine schoolhouse and turned it ovei to the Federal Government for it's school. In al least one instance. when the Governbment bureau locked up a school at which almost 30 pupils were enrolled the Territory admitted them to it's owr concrete evidences of Alaskas taxpayers assuming burdens of education that properly ought to have been borne by the Federal Government.
 If Dr. Ryan meant to convey to the Committee that Alaska would not agree to closure of al Indian schools and consent to admitting all Indian and Eskimo children into the Territorial schools regardless of qualifications then he is correct Such a program would be rlnous to the educational standard of the Territorial schools which is admit tedly high and would penalize white Americans as no others were ever penalzed before them We hardly believe he would advocate such policy and are confident that MT. French with hi knowledge of the Western Indian, would never ap' prove it.