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Show 94 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. The' above figures do not include payments made to the Five Civil- . - ized Tribes. , Thelabor, care, and responsibility entailed on this offiee and its apnts by such payments is great. The amount paid to each person is-nsually, quite small, and the payment is sometimes attended withdanger, because the payees are upon reservations more or less difflcalt of access, and sur-rounded sometimes by a lawless white population. The official making the payment is held to as strict account as a bank teller for the funds he handles, yet he has limited facilities and few safeguards. I am therefore specially gratified in being able to report that I know of no iaustice having been done any Indian, nor has my agent been a de-faulter or the Government a loser to the slightest amount. The labor connected with instructing agents how to make payments, explaining matters to the Indians, and examining the accounts rendered for these large payments was attended to by the regular clerical force of this office without extra expense to the Government. Although many Indians squander in a short time the funds paid them, yet as a rule Indians are learning to make better use of their .-money than formerly, and, like other people, they value most highly . that which comes to them as a result of their own labor and good management. The $930,000 which they received in that yay last year, as shown by the above table, was earned by them in the following manner: Regular Indian employ6a at agencies.. ............................ $98,000 Regular Indican employ68 at schools ............................... 63, OW Irregular Indiau employ68 at spenoiea. ............................ 40, OM) Irregular Indian employ68 at sohoola .............................. 37, OW Additional farmers. .................. I . . .......................... 12,000 Interpreters ....................................................... 20,MX) Police ............... I ............................................ 118,000 Judgea of Indian courts. .......................................... 12, OW . Hauling supplies . :.. ............................................. 105,000 Produce, hay, and other supplies purehasod from hldiims .......... 280,000 Cntting and banking logs. ........................................ -145,000 930, OW INDIAN EMPLOY~~S. One of the chief complaints made by and for the Indians has been the lack of profitable employment. . Applications for employment in some Government position, especially of those who have returned home after attending nonreservation schools, hitve been very persistent. A moment's reflection will convince any thoughtful man, in the &st place, that it is impossible for the Government to provide employment as blacksmiths, farmers, wagon-makers, shoemakers, etc., to any con-siderable number of young men. It is not the business of the Govern-ment to inaugurate large industrial enterprises simply for the sake of giving employment to people who wish to work. Such a scheme is |