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Show . 38 0 0 ~ ~ 1 ~ 8081 I0ND~IA~N ~AXF.AI BS. are learning the necessity 01 living within their means so as to avoid the embarrassment arising through the importunities of their cred- , itors. In cases where payment for property is authorized the super-intendents are.wquired to take Government bills of sale, and the possession is thus secured to the Indian. REIMBURSABLE FUNDS. For the past three years reimbursable appropriations have been made by Congress for use on all the reservations, aggregating $1,825,000,' for the encouragement of industry and self-support among Indians. . . These funds have been used in limited amounts to assist Indians ,without funds in thepurchase of agricultural equipment, work and breeding stock, seeds, fence, and building material. Many comfort-able homes have also been built for the Indians under this plan. The property is not given to the Indians,. hut must be paid for in easy payments, the title thereto remaining in the Government until the amount advanced has been fully repaid. The results secured during the time this fund has been available ha.ve far exceeded e~pectationaT~h e Indians have made their pay-ments in a surprisingly satisfactory manner; practically nothing has been lost, and many Indians otherwise helpless have thus been enabled t o make beneficial use of their allotments andsecure a start not pre-viously within their reach. Tribal herds have also been established '&om these appropriations. These herds are held as tribal property, to be later distributed among the Indians or sold to theni on their individual reimbursable agree-ments. The increases from these herds will be utilized in making repayments to the Treasury before the cattle are distributed. On some reservations a part of the available tribal funds was used for the same purposes as the general reimbursable appropriations. On other reservations where the tribal funds were insufficient to meet the needs of the 'Indians, apportionments from regular reim-bursable appropriations were used to supplement their own funds. In the leveling of Indian allotments on some of the reservations these funds have. been of real service in preparing the lands of the Indians for proper use and enabling them to farm their allotments. In some instances. agricultural equipment too expensive to be sold to one Indian has been sold to several Indians on a community or partnership basis. This supplied thqir needs for threshing machines, tractor engines, stump-pulling outfits, etc., without compelling de-pendence on-agency machinery. The Indians generally are fast coming to appreciate the assistance rendered them through the use of these reimbursable funds, and it is |
