The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1961-12-14
From The SideIines
BY Tiff Mckay

| hoped I could lead this col
umn off this week with some
comment on a definite date for a
per capita payment being set by
the Tribe; but as of noon, Wed.
Eesday. December -. the chances
Of n per capita payment before
Christmas seemed to me 10 be.
getting a little simmer.
To review the situation a little,
the Tribal Council went on rec.
ord TO accept some $4,000 from
Phillips Petroleum Co. and its
associates. and G.. s. (Jud) FraryI
in full settlement for some $780,
900 worth Of oil wrOngfully re-
moved from land belonging to
the Blackfeet Tribe. $4,000 of
this was 10 be paid TO the heirs
OF Gensvieye Sherman and the
balance was TO be paid per cap
tia TO all enrolled members OF
the Tribe.
Council Secretary Earl Old
Person informed me that every
thing is being done TO try to
make the payment from this
money by Christmas: but, as Earl
put il. We only have a few
days left and Nothing definite
has developed"
Plans are being made to begin
construction of water and sewer
improvements TO the Town of
Browning and the adjacent areas.
The target date for the begin
ming of this construction is March
]. 1862. This work will be done
under the so-called Sanitation
Facilities Act" with the Federal
Government paying most of the
cost. The Blackfeet Tribe has
contributed $4,000 TO this prof.
ect, and the Town Of Browning
has agreed to contribute $4,000.
The work will be done under
two cOntracts-one let in 1852
and the other in 1868. The first
phase Of construction will in
vOlve improvements TO the water
system and extension of the syS-
TEN 10 all those homes not pres
emily served by the present water
facility. Included in this phase |
will be extensive improvements |
10 the source Of supply above
town. the construction of a I00.-
900 gallon storage tank near the
site Of the present chlorinator
building. - the rebuilding -
several hundred feet of water
line above town.
Dave Heckler. Engineer for
the U. s. Department of Public
Health. will be the Government
representative in charge of the
local project. He will be assisted
by Bob Racine and Kenny Vale, |
both Of the Blackfeet Sanitation |
Department
When this project is completed, |
the town Of Browning should |
have a safe, sure water supply
Indian homeOwners who wish |
10 participate in the project will
be contacted in the next few
weeks by those working with the
project, and detailed agreements
Of participation by the hometown
ers will be signed.
Some interest has been aroused
in this area by the increased i'm
ports Of Canadian oil and gas. II
is commended, and rightfully so,
that these imports compete with
products produced locally: thus
the price Of oil and gas is de-
pressed and the landowner is
either denied income from his
oil producing land for lack of
market for the oil or his income
is substantially reduced.
These are natural results, whel
the fact is considered that for
eign oil can be imported into
this country al a cost less than
that required 10 produce oil in
the u. s. Some demand has been
made that the U. s. cut back on
imported oil in order 20 increase
the sale and production of do
nestle oil But lee week Presi.
dent Kennedy s;-ted that the.
present import quotas would re-
main the same. al least until the
next July when the results of a
study of the oil situation was
completed.
Locally, the import situation
has been worsened BY the grant
ing Of rights-of-way for oil and
gas pipelines from near Cut Bank
10 the Canadian border. These
pipelines are not common car
riers and IS far as ! know. moth
ing in the law Saws they have 10
transport oil belonging to any
RE other than the owner OF the
line.