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Show - 1 : 142 REPORT OF THE CO~ISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. DEFICIENCY-SIOUX APPROPRIATIONS. In accordance with Department letter of December 5,1890, the agents at the several Sioux agencies were immediately instructed to issue to the Sioux Indians the full rations prescribed in the agreement of Febru-ary 28, 1877 (19 St,ats., 254), via, a ponud and a half of beef (or in lieu thereof one-half pound of bhcou), one-half pound of flour, aud one-balf pound of corn; md for every 100 rations, 4 pounds of ooffee, 8 pounds of sugar, and 3 pounds of beams, or in lieu of said articles, the equiva-lent thereof; and the Sioux have received since that date aud are now receiving the full rations prescribed by this agreement. I t has been correctly argued that by the method of purchasing beef in vogue for a number of years--that is, to receive cattle at the different : agencies as required for issue f;om July 1 of each year up to October 1 or 15 following, and then to receive at one delivery the entire bdlance cont,racted for-the Indians actually received lers than was purchased for them, owing to the natural shrinkage of cattle during the winter, caused by a lack of proper range feeding. Therefom the contracts for fnrnishing beef cattle for all the Sioux agencies for the fiscal year 1892 have been made as far as possible for weekly or monthly deliveries of oattle, thus insuring the issue to the Indians the full quantity of beef putchased for them. Under the former manner of receiving cattle, the contract price was of course less than where deliveries are required to be made each month, as the oontractor was then not under the expense attendant on herding the oat,tle and did not have to bear the loss oE shrinkage or death inci-dent to a severe winter. To carry out your instructions that full rations be issued to all of the Sioux, and to have monthly deliveries of oattle made, the expenditure of a much larger sum annually is necessary, aud for this reasonit became necessary to contcact for subsistence for the Sioux at au aggregate cost that will cause the creation of a deficiency of $150,000 in the appropri-ation for the subsistence and civilization of the Sioux for the fiscal year 1892. I shall be compelled to submit to yon, for the consideration of Congress at its-next session, a request tor a deficiency appropriation for that amount. This deficiency has been brought about in part by the increase in the price of flour and corn at the time bids were opened in New Pork Oity last spring. |
