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Show 54 COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. the Forest Service of an equal amount of timber on the adjacent Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests. This timber was advertised for 120 days. But one bid was received, at the minimum rates stated in the notice of sale, $2.50 per M for the first five years and $3 per 11 for the last five years of a 10-year cutting period. This bid was accepted by the department. The company deposited a check for $5,000 at the time of their bid, but have since failed to execute their contract and bond. The Indian timberlands, known as the "Forest Reserve," in the Choctaw Nation, Okla., amounting to approximately 1P79,910 acres, were offered for sale during the year under sealed bids. The offer was made in two ways, one for land and timber together, the other for the timber 11 inches and over in diameter without the land, the area being divided into 24 tracts. The sale was widely advertised for 120 days, and a number of bids were received. -4fter thanotice of sale had been started it was reported to the office that valuable deposits of manganese had been found on two of the tracts offered for sale. An investigation was made by the Geological Survey. While they reported that the manganese deposits were probably not of commercial value, their presence was deemed suffi-cient to warrant the rejection of bids on these particular tracts. The prices offered for the other tracts were only slightly in excess of the appraised value, and were made in such a way as to make it seen1 advisable to reject them all. Accordingly, all bids were rejected for these lands by the department on May 15,1912. In addition to these sales which were advertised, offers have been received for certain timber on the IUamath Indian l3eservatiou, amounting to approximately 400,000,000 board feet. A careful examination of this timber was made by the office, and it seems prob-able that a sale should be made. An offer for timber on the Quinaielt Reservation was rejected by the office after an examination which showed the timber to be worth much more than the price offered. An offer was also received for approximately 40,000,000 board feet of timber on the Nez Perc6 Reservation. It is believed that by a careful administration of these timberlands, which were reserved for the use of the tribe by the act of August 15, 1894 (28 Stat. L.? 327, 330), a steady income of over $10,000 a year can be obtaincd from the sale of mature timber and the leasing of grazing rind agricul-tural lands. Inquiries have been received regarding timber sales on other reservations, notably the Santa Clara, Yakima, and Mescalero. Increased activity is looked for in the sale of timber next year. The operations on the Menominee Reservation, in Wisconsin, have bein continued with increasing success. Railroad logging, which is i now being carried on, insures the mill a steady supply of logs i when needed and has reduced the cost of operations. During the |
