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Show 60 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. NONRESERVATION ALLOTMENTS. Special Allotting Agent William E. Casson has continued, during the past year, the work of surveying, investigating, and overhiluling allotments to Indians under the fourth section of the general allot-ment act in the Reddiug and Susanville, Cal., land districts. The work in the Susanville district was not completed last fall before severe weather rendered it necessary to suspend it. The work, how-ever, was continued with a diminished force of assistants during the winter months in the Redding district. Work was resumed in the Susanville district last spring, and is now almost completed. It will probably require several months to complete the investigation in the Redding district after Mr. Casson's return thereto from Susanville. Quite a large number of allotments in the Susanville district have been reported by Mr. Casson for cancellation-many en the ground that the allottees are mixed bloods descended from white fathers, and therefore not entitled to allotments under the fourth section, being citizens. Most of the cancellations recommended, however, are those ren-dered necessary by the rnle adopted by the Department about 1895 or 1896 to the effect that "lands more valuable for the timber than for agricultural or grazing purposes are not subject to allotment under the fourth section." Mr. Casson reported 129 such cases November 27, 1901, and it is presumed that still more will be reported. In the opinion of this Office the cancellation of Indian allotments on ' this ground is unjust and an unfair discrimination against the Indian allottee, and the rule should be modified. The rnle mas adopted as a result of the numerous fraudulent applications for allotments in north-ern Wisbnsin and Minnesota made for the sole purpose of procuring the timber; but the timber conditions in that locality differ very widely . from those in other sections of the country, and the application of the rule generally works a great hardship upon the Indians. The timber on the allotments in the Snsanville and Redding districts, for example, is, for the most part, scattered and of comparatively little value, yet of more value than the land itself which, as a rule, has only a few patches upon which gardens can be made, and is almost worthless except for grazing purposes. The Indians can not see why white men should be permitted to enter, under the homestead laws, these so-called timber lands which are denied the Indians as allotments. Mr. Casson deprecates in the strongest terms the necessity of canceling such allot-ments, skating that in most cases the lands are suitable as allotments and could be improved so as to make comfortable homes for the Indians, and that it is very di5cult to find any more suitable vacant land that is not more valuable for the timber than for agricultural or grazing purposes. |