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Show 6 . COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. an unappreciated heritage, through the loss of which only moral and industrial debasement and eventually pauperism are to be derived. Long before the United States inaugurated its plan for the reclama-tion of arid lauds the Indian service had spent considerable sums for irrigation; but before 1906 appropriations of Congress for this pur-pose aggregated only $1,356,000 and the work was inharmoniously and wastefully conducted through Ind'ian agents and superintend-ents, with occasional assistance from a trained engineer. In 1902, however, a chief engineer was appointed and irrigation for Indians began to assume definiteness and plan. In 1905 the appropriation was $390,000; in 1911 it had grown to $1,400,000. Since 1907 appro-priations have totaled $6,220,000, of which $4,830,000 were made reim-hursable to the United States by the Indians when the Indians have become self-supporting upon their lands. Of the appropriations made before 1906, only $75,000 were made reimbursable. In all, 230,000 acres of land have been placed under ditch and are either being irrigated or can be irrigated immediately upon the construction of inexpensive laterals. During the season for greatest activity there are now employed in this service 150 engineers, assistants, and field men, such as rodmen, chainmen, and the like. Of this force 27 em-ployees are organized for technical and administrative activities and 36 for operating and maintaining existing projects. Since 1906 all the more important projects except the systems at Crow Reservation, Mont., and Yakima Reservation, Wash., have been begun. The timber interests of Indians on allotted and on tribal lands reach a present value of $84,000,000. Before 1906 there was no wide-bpread protection against forest fires. nor were there plans for broad development and utilization of forest resources; operations were con-fined almost exclusively to Wisconsin and Minnesota, where timber was cut by contractors, in 1906 realizing $247,000. Indian agents and superintendents were in charge of the work, having technical assistance only from a superintendent of logging. Forest resources outside of Wisconsin and Minnesota were given little attention, I although the timber on Indian reservations in Arizona is valued at $11,000,000, in Washington at $13,000,000, and in Oregon ai $27,000,000. A realization of the importance of Indians' property in forests led in 1908 to a cooperative agreement. whereby the Forest Service undertook to manage and administer Indian forests. About 15 months later the agreement was terminated for the reason that divided responsibility in administration and in results did not prove satisfactory. At once the Indian OEce set about creating an ad-ministration organization which would comprehensively administer Indians' property in timber throughout the country. There are now 144 men engaged with forestry affairs in positions from forester |
