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affairs and to purchasers of allotted lands, as compared with 1,699 such patents, embracing 202,050 acres, issued the year before.

Upward of 500 allotment applications for public lands made by persons found not entitled thereto were rejected and some 85,000 ' acres of land thus rendered subject to homestead entry.

Contests. The gradual reduction in area of the public domain has not resulted in a diminution of the contest work as might be expected. The contrary result is quite apparent; as the area of the public domain gradually decreases, to a corresponding degree the struggle to acquire title thereto increases.

During the year 1,451 litigated cases were decided, clearing the docket practically to date; and 5,371 contests were disposed of through the default of one or the other of the parties.

Repayments.-Under the laws authorizing the repayment of money received for public land where the title was not confirmed in the claimant there were stated during the last fiscal year 1,700 accounts, allowing repayment of $218,971.46, and during said period there were denied 940 claims for repayment. This number of claims allowed and the amount repaid includes 10 accounts, allowing repayment of $14,246.32 of moneys received in connection with pending claims for coal lands in Alaska and repaid in pursuance of section 3, act of October 20, 1914 (38 Stat., 741).

National forests.-Since the issuance of the last annual report, 20 national forests have been reduced and 3 enlarged under the act of June 4, 1897 (30 Stat., 36), and one discontinued as an administrative unit by transferring the remaining areas, after exclusion of certain lands therefrom to other national forests.

There are now 153 national forests embracing 175,940,351 acres, of which area approximately 88 per cent is public land. The decrease in area of national forests since the beginning of the fiscal year is 8,300,245 acres.

The public lands subject to disposition in 8,526,129 acres excluded from national forests during the fiscal year have been restored to settlement and entry.

Areas temporarily withdrawn for forestry purposes but not needed therefor have been released from withdrawal upon recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture. In the last year 83,520 acres have been released from such withdrawal and the public lands therein opened to settlement and entry.

Legislation. The commissioner summarizes his recommendations for needed legislation as follows:

1. Consolidation of the several right of way acts.

2. Unification of the several Carey Acts.

3. Provision for the forfeiture of rights of way.

4. Limiting the time within which soldiers' additional scrip may

be located.

5. Definition of the laws locally applicable to Alaska.

6. Repeal of the swamp grant.

7. Reduction of the area of desert-land entries.

8. Disposition of abandoned rights of way.

9. Surface agricultural entries of mineral lands in Alaska. 10. Professional land locators.

11. Homestead surveys in Alaska.

12. Increase of salaries.

INDIAN AFFAIRS.

Education and health conditions.-The result of the health campaign waged upon the various Indian reservations is shown by a decrease of approximately seven per thousand in the death rate, as shown by the vital statistics. A widespread campaign to save the babies has been instituted, and is now being carried on with a view to the diffusion of proper knowledge concerning the care of infants, with a view to reducing the excessive infant mortality among Indians. Additional physicians have been employed and hospitals have been constructed and placed in operation to aid in the campaign for better health among Indians.

Additional facilities have been provided for 1,295 Indian children without school opportunities. A special effort was made for Navajo Indian children, for whom facilities were provided for an increase of over 260 children. Feeling that the public school offers the most valuable opportunity for the education of Indian youth arrangements were made for the enrollment of 2,025 additional children during the past fiscal year.

The new course of vocational study has been introduced into all of the schools of the service. Its introduction was materially aided through the series of institutes held during the past summer at Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kans.; Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe, N. Mex.; Sherman Institute, Riverside, Cal.; Salem School, Chemawa, Oreg.; Tomah School, Tomah, Wis.; and the Rapid City School, Rapid City, S. Dak. The school dairies and the conduct thereof has been recognized as a matter calling for immediate reform. Special attention has been directed to the utilization of every acre of school and reservation farm land, so that the best crops may be produced for profit and as an object lesson to both Indian youths and adults.

Indian heirs.-The determination of the heirs of deceased Indians has involved thousands of acres of land and millions of dollars' worth of trust property as follows-4,085 estates were probated, 178 wills

approved, 68 wills disapproved, and 5,014 miscellaneous cases disposed of.

The activities of the probate attorneys in Oklahoma resulted in the institution during the past fiscal year of 507 civil and criminal suits, the removal and discharge of 2,584 guardians for cause, the filing of 2,277 new bonds, and in conserving the deposits and investments for minors and other dependent Indians in the sum of $3,302,130.

Irrigation.-Comprehensive irrigation systems have been negotiated on the Yakima Reservation, Wash., and the Gila River Reservation, Ariz., and the water rights on the large irrigation projects at Uintah, Utah, and Fort Hall, Idaho, have been protected by the institution of important legal proceedings. The method of financing the Flathead, Blackfeet, and Fort Peck Irrigation Projects has been changed through congressional action, whereby the Indian tribal funds are relieved from the burden of financing these projects for the benefit of white landowners. Underground water and natural springs have been developed on the Navajo, Moqui, and Papago Indian Reservations, and some of the New Mexico Pueblos, resulting in greatly increasing the grazing range for the Navajo, Hopi, and Papago Indians, and the development of the irrigation projects for the New Mexico Pueblos. In two wells on the Navajo Reservation artesian flow has been obtained, while on the Papago Reservation 10 villages embracing a population of 1,800 were supplied for the first time with pure and unfailing water. There were opened to settlement and entry on the Colville Reservation in the State of Washington approximately 420,000 acres of grazing and agricultural lands, the allotments on that reservation under the act of March 22, 1906, having been finally completed.

Unallotted mineral lands.-The unallotted mineral lands on the Spokane Reservation, Wash., were opened to entry by act of May 18, 1916. Two hundred applications, covering more than 4,000 acres, were filed within 30 days after the passage of the act. Some of these applications are still pending and, under the regulations, the payment of a royalty of not less than 10 per cent of the value of all mineral mines is required. There have been authorized the opening and construction of approximately 660 miles of highways through Indian reservations since the beginning of the last fiscal year.

Indian moneys.-Indian moneys to the amount of approximately $22,000,000 have been carried on deposit in 700 State and national banks throughout western States during the past year, of which amount about $16,000,000 was placed to the credit of individual Indians, being an increase in this class of deposits of about $2,000,000 over last year. These deposits are secured by surety bonds in an

amount exceeding the deposits. New regulations have been prescribed to govern the leasing of oil and mineral lands in the Osage Nation. Under these there has been paid to the Osage Tribe $2,230,000 as a bonus for leases which provide, in addition to this, for a royalty of one-eighth of the oil produced and $100 for each producing gas well. New leases for the gas wells were approved in May of this year, and it is estimated that the first year's royalty will amount to $700,000 as compared with $12,000 for the previous year. Field inspections.-The field inspection force, the appointments for which were made at the close of the last fiscal year, has been thoroughly organized. To insure effective supervision the Indian country has been divided into compact districts to each of which an inspecting officer has been assigned. This plan covers every phase of governmental activities in behalf of the Indians so completely that detection of wrongs is materially simplified, and constructive supervision made thorough and practical. It is a superior and efficient organization.

Industries.-Gratifying progress has been made in the advancement of Indian industry during the past year, as shown by the fact that free rations were issued to 3,807 able-bodied Indians only, as compared with 6,650 for the preceding year. This means that 2,843 formerly dependent Indians achieved self-support during the year. The total individual income of Indians under Federal supervision increased from $15,308,662 in 1915 to $16,069,515 in 1916. Many of the Indian reservations are best adapted to the live-stock industry. There were purchased for these Indians 2,257 horses, mares, and mules, 43 stallions, 7,439 cows and heifers, and 724 bulls, at a cost of approximately $630,000. The increase of Indian stock requiring larger areas of grazing land has correspondingly decreased the area leased to outsiders. Notwithstanding this, and due to increased prices for stock, a much greater revenue has been derived from the leasing of this smaller area. The number of Indians farming increased from 31,956 in 1915 to 35,658 in 1916; the cultivated acreage from 664,539 to 668,552, and the value of crops produced from $4,790,968 to $5,293,719. Timber on Indian reservations was sold to the amount of 73,000,000 feet as follows: 13,000,000 on the Jicarilla Indian Reservation, 40,000,000 on the Bad River Indian Reservation, and 20,000,000 on the Menominee Indian Reservation.

Per capita payments.-There were made during the year per capita payments to the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole Indians amounting in the aggregate to $9,941,000.

Indians in Oklahoma.-There have been expended in Oklahoma for the benefit of allottees in improving their homes during the fiscal year 1916 the sum of $908,892; there have been collected for individual Indians of Oklahoma as oil royalties over $4,000,000; and there

have been deposited in the State and national banks of Oklahoma over $6,000,000. There was handled through the office of the superintendent for the Five Civilized Tribes during the fiscal year 1916 over $17,000,000; of the 30,000 land suits involving restricted lands of allottees of the Five Civilized Tribes, 6,406 suits have been dismissed, thus leaving 7,604 suits still pending and undetermined, 19,890 having been previously closed.

On July 1, 1915, the Cherokee tribal government was practically abolished, the principal chief being retained at a nominal salary of $25 per month to sign tribal deeds to complete the work of the Cherokee Tribe. During the fiscal year 1916 the restrictions have been removed by the Secretary of the Interior on the alienation of 42,110 acres of allotted land, of which 33,117 acres were sold for $360,422 and 3,641 oil and gas leases were disposed of during the fiscal year 1916.

Patents to competent Indians.-In the matter of the issuance of patents in fee to competent Indians, and as a result of a more liberal policy adopted by the department, more fee patents have been issued during the fiscal year than in any other previous year. About 1,900 fee patents have been issued, involving an area of over 230,000 acres. In the past three years 3,600 fee patents have been issued, involving an area of 507,000 acres, with an approximate value of $10,000,000. During the three previous years only 1,800 fee patents were issued, involving an area of 220,000 acres.

In the past year competency commissions have been appointed, composed of men who know the Indian and the Indian question to make a personal investigation of each Indian allotee, and to make recommendation as to whether or not the Indian was competent to care for his own affairs. Up to July 1, 1916, 576 fee patents have been issued on the recommendation of these competency commissions, involving an area of 97,482 acres of land.

Sales of land.-Sales of allotted and inherited Indian land were made covering an area of over 90,000 acres, involving a consideration of $1,661,851, at an average price of $18.60 per acre. The year previous 761 tracts were sold covering 102,674 acres, for $1,300,303, or $12.66 per acre. The land sold this year was at an advance of nearly $6 per acre. Land to the amount of 16,000 acres was purchased for landless Indians in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Rocky Boy's Band of Chippewas.-After 60 years of wanderings Rocky Boy's Band of Chippewa Indians has been located on a part of the Fort Assinniboine Military Reservation in Montana, where they have planted and cultivated gardens, worked them faithfully, raising products which warrant a material reduction in the rations which have heretofore been given to them.

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