OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMIElBIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 55 the Osage annuitants must be at prlces to correspond with the per cent profit allowed by the Indian O5ce Regulations, 1894. Five days prior to a quarterly payment each trader is required to furnish the supervisor with statements showing the amount of indebt-edness of each annuitant contracted during that quarter with him, or the balance due from the previous quarter, or both, as the case may be. If any annuitant fails to pay his quarterly indebtedness to the -traders, no further credit is extended him by them until the amount due in the previous quarter is paid. It is the dnty of the supervisor to see that the cards turned in by the annuitants agree in every particular with the books of the traders, and also to ascertain that the prices charged do not exceed the per cent of profit allowed on the various kinds of goods, the traders' books being open at any and all times to the inspection of the supervisor. It will therefore be observed that the supervisor under this system has complete control and supervision of licensed trade with the Osages and is in a position to note any deviation from the regulations, or any irregularities on the partof the traders in their business relations with the annuitants. So far the new system has worked admirably. This is not the first effort to restrict the amount of credit which licensed traders shall be allowed to extend an Osage Indian. Occa-sional attempts of this sort previously made had met with partial or temporary success, but there was no one to look after details except the frequently changed agent, who had too many other tbings to care for to give needed time and attention to this matter. The new system, however, did not dispose of the old indebtedniss of the Osage Indians to licensed traders which had accumulated and been complained of for years. From time to time special per capita pay-ments have been secured, with the assurance each time that the pay-ment would be used to wipe out the debts and give each Indian and trader an opportunity to start anew with a clean balance sheet. But notwithstanding some temporary improvement, as a whole conditions grew steadily worye and indebtedness and dissatisfaction increased, the traders complaining of unjust losses and of bad faith on the part of the Indians and the Indians charging the traders with excessive prices and untrustworthy bookkeeping. By the act of March 3,1901, the Secretary of the Interior was directed to examine theacounte of Indian tradem with the Osage Indians at the Osage Agency, and to determine the sums equitably due to such traders from the Indians, and to adjust their accounts upon the basis of a fsir profit upon the goods which have been sold by such traders to such Indians. The traders, 26 in all, were directed to transmit their books and accounts to this O5ce for consideration. December 9, 1901, the Sec-retary appointed a hoard, to consist of Mr. Joseph T. Bender, chief of division of Indian Affairs, offire of the Secretary; Mr. James F. Allen, |