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Show 12 COMMISSIONER OP PXDIAN bFFbIB& culture of sugar beets and other crops; later the money as repaid was made available for reexpenditure until 1915. Because of the failure of the white farmers in the vicinity of the reservation to respond to a request for suitable acreage, and possibly to some extent because of the failure to get enough Indian land under cultivation, and other complications which surrounded the sugar-beet industry at that time, the raising of sugar beets wns abandoned. However, the Indians have made and are making good use of this fund to engage more ex-tensively in agricultural pursuits. No part of the machinery, im-plements, and stock purchased from the fund became useless through the abandonment of the sugar-beet industry. One hundred and sixty-four Indians have participated in the use of this fund so far, and the total purchases have aggregated almost $30,000. Wagons, implements, etc., as needed, are purchased and charged to the Indians to whom they are delivered. This property is carried in the Government accounts until paid for in full by the Indians, when title passes to them. The Indians make payments on their accounts from time to time as they csn spare the money. As collected, the funds are taken up in the superintendent's accounts under the item of midaneous receipts and covered back into the Treasury at the end of each quarter. With the consent of the Indians, $10,000 were set aside from 'I Indian moneys, proceeds of labor, Blackfeet Reservation, Mont.," and a like sum from '' Indian moneys, proceeds of labor, Fort Peck Reservation, Mont.," as reimbursable funds to aid these Indians in agriculture. The money was used last spring to purchase imple-ments, seed, and other articles incident to farming operations. At the request of the Indians a traction plow was purchased for each reservation for the purpose of breaking up their new lands, as their horses are small, and after wintering upon the open range are gen- I erally too weak to ao heavy work. The Indians of the Blackfeet reservation have asked that an additional sum of $30,000 be set aside from their money to be used as a reimbursable fund. In 1910 the sum of $15,000 was appropriated to be used similarly at the Tongue River Reservation in Montana. No expenditures were made from this appropriation until last spring. The superintendent was then authorized to expend $14,500, almost the entire sum, in the purchase of implements, seeds, and stock. Thirty thousand dollars, to be repaid before 1918, were sppro-priated in 1911. The use of this money is not confined to my par-ticular reservation. As the sum would be entirely inadequate for practical or effective application widely throughout the service, it is planned to ascertain where the greatest needs exist in order that it may be placed in the hands of the most worthy Indians. |