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Show 14 COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. graduation by the close of the school year 1917. However, several of these schools in which comprehensive courses had beenpreviously given were able to meet the new requirements. A considerable num-ber of young men and women who thus received diplomas were recommended for certificates of competency and found to be worthy of the same from the standpoint of general character, habits, and educational attainments. Some of these graduates were not 21 years of age and their diplomas will be considered at a later time in deter-mining the question of their competency. I expect that hereafter each succeeding year will show from the full-course schools a larger number of graduates who will have proved themselves to be reasonably capable of managing their own affairs. I believe that graduation as the gateway to citizenship should become in some real sense a gathering call for pupils, inspiring many more to complete their education, as well as a maxim for the schools arousing them to the fullest efficiency. INCREAINS PEU BLIC-SCHOOL ENROLLMENT.-Fort he fiscal year 1916 there was appropriated $20,000 for payment of tuition of Indian children in State public schools. This amount was insdicient, and by the Indian appropriation act for the year 1917 more money was rendered available for this purpose, not to exceed, however, the sum of $200,000. During 1916 contracts were made with 45 public schools (exclud-ing eastern Oklahoma, occupied by the Five Civilized Tribes) for education of 853 Indian pupils, and calling for a maximum expendi-ture of $24,984, of which amount about $14,000 was actually earned and paid to the schools. During 1917 contracts were made with 194 public schools (exclu-sive also of eastern Oklahoma) for 2,194 pupils and for the total of $57,126. This represents an actual increase of 157 per cent over the number of children provided for in public schools during 1916. The cooperative arrangement for enrollment of Indian children in public schools has been made in California, Oklahoma, Minne-sota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, and Wash-ington. In nearly all school districts in these States attendance of Indian children has been acceptable to the white patrons and these school authorities and devoid of any injurious results so far as my information indicates. If, in due course of time, the States are to assume charge of the Indian and receive him as a citizen entitled to the benefits and subject to the liabilities of their laws, it seems equally for the interests of the States to assist in this manner in his education and training. There seems an evident w i ~ e s tso do so, provided the Federal Government will assist and share the Gnancial obligations, especially in those districts which have limited |