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Show CII REPORT OF THE COJIXISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFblRS. LOGGING BY INDIANS. WHITE EARTH AGENOY, MlNN. As early as July 19,1889, the agent of White Earth Agency, Minn., requested authority for the Indians of White Earth, Red Lake, and White Oak Point to out and bank for sale during the coming season- 1889 and 1890-dead and down timber from their several reservations, explainiug that it was necessary for them to receive authority in time to put up hay, make roads, prepare camps, etc. Desiring to know whether these Indians were deserving of this privi-lege, and, if so, whether they were properly prepared for the work, August 5, 1889, I addressed a series of inquiries to their agent, who re-plied as follows: (1) None of the Indians have killed or girdled any of the gresn standing timber, or started fires in the woods. (2) I propose to have a competent overaeer to superintend all the camps and to personally inspect the cutting nnd scaling of the logs, to see that there will be no green timber out, at a crmpensation of $100 per month during the logging seaaon, said salnryto be paid ont of stumpage fund. The stumpage ahould be $1 per thonaand feet, and I will collect that amount for eaoh thouaand feet from the Indian contractor and deposit said fund for the benefit and relisf of the poor and indigent Indians. I propose to. &ow the Indians to sell to responsible lumber dealers, under oontraota I snbjeot to my approval and the approval of the Department. loga to he paid for in cl~shb efore being removed from the landing. I will colleat the Olper thousand stump-age and pay the remainder to the Indian contractors, all of whom have business quali-fications and are well able to manage their own affaira. (3) No green trees have been killed or girdled. . , . (4) No green standing timber has been out for market, and, in my opinion, a com-petent overaeerin eharga wonld effectaslly prevent the 0nttiIIgOf green timber. (5) The Indians who expect to engage in logging ere prepared to carry on the same, and, in my opinion, it would be advisable to allow them to do so, therabyfurniahing employment and means of elivelihood for s large number of Indians who otherwise would be idle and without any means of sopporting themselves and families, as Indians are to be employed in every oapacity they can fill, thus employing but very few white men. snoh as foremen, cooks, bleoksmiths, nnd teamsters. Considering the question of their whisky drinking, would say that when actuelly employed they are lees liable to drink than when idle, It will be observed that in paragraph 2 of this reply it is suggested that the Indians be allorred to sell their logs to dealers under contracts. But a8 I do not approve of this method of sale I recommended to the Department, under date of October 9, 1889, that Executive authority be obtained for them to market their dead and down timber under rules substantially similar to those under which the Menomonee Indians in Wisconsin were allowed to log daring the season of 1888 and 1889, which will be found on pages 89 and 90 of my report for the year 1889. The Department, under date of October 10,1889, laid the request oC the Indians, together with a copy of the rules referred to above, before |
