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Show From the expmience of laat winter the lasgers and jobbera have learned that thiseonrss will no longer be permitted by theIndian department. Desirous of avoid-ing the oomplications growing out of the irregnlar methods pnrsned heretoforein the oroseaotion of lumherine. enterorises an the Indian reservations, the cantmcCora will have nothing to do with Indian contracts for the aale of logs or stumpage until all the prerequisites of the Indian offioe have been fulfilled. ~ereiofore2he Indian has obtained at thia ssasou of the year, a large share of his subsistence from the contractors, in tbe way of advances on contracts for the aale of timber to be out and hauled during the coming fall end winter. Theoontraotors, mp-preheosive of the fiatore, will make no more sdvaocee to the Iudian nnless his con-traat has beenratified by the Indian office. Logging operations begin in thia region lo September, and in order to enter upon the work with a reasonable prospect of success, the necessary arrangement. for the winter's operations shoold not ha postponed beyond the 15th of September. AU-contraoh for the sale of Indian timber aEoold be approved prior to thia date; those approved later will not be available for next winter's work. . . Tbe Indian is oroverbialls. i mo.r ovideut. thinkine-. onzv of the omsent a n d payinn " - . .. little heed to the morrow. Those residing an reservations on which logging enter- \ pri,risea have been oarried on for a number of years, have lived abundantly, even sump. toonsly, om the proceeds of pine t,imberaold and the liberal wages paid to them in the logging omps. Mmy of the Indiana, their money spent and sdvsoaea by the con-tractors refused, find themselves destitute, and their families snffi:riog for the bare. neoessnries of life. Under this pressure they find their way to this offi&, and with sn eloquence that wotlld grace a highor forum they urge upon thesgant the necessity of having a,Il,llotmeuts made and contracts approved in seasou for next winter's Opera: tions; they say that if the cntt,ing and sale of timber on the reservations be sns-pended they will have nothing to do next winter, and many of them must suffer for food and clothing; that several of them have secured, at great expense, horses and oxen to work in the moods during the winter, and that they will not be able to feed these animalsunless they are engaged in the work of lnmberiog ; that in theabsanae of the work these animals will he sold at a fraotion of their cost, their value depend. ing chiafly upon the work of hauling the pmduot of the forest to the landings, whence they sre shipped by rail and water to distant parts. I have no reason to doubt the oormtnese of t h e ~sst atements. It is clear that unleas these Indiana are able to ob-tain employment during the coming winter as they have been aocoatomed for several years, many of them must be supported by the Government or they will perish for wsnt of food. Special report was made upon the subject August 13, 1889, with which the followiug &aft of rules and regulations was submitted: (1) Any Indian holding a patent for land, or whose allohent has been approved bv the President.. mev" sell the oine timber on anah lend. and anv" reso.ansib le eon-tractor may purrhaw rha auwo, tllc price par 1,IItII) fe(..r1 0 be ~untc~allxyg msrl #upon to be satiafnrror.~r u rhu iJiitnd Srater 1ndi:tu and tho C'otlln)i39ioner uf Indian 1 . Mairs, and to he paid in cash. (2) All contracts must be properly nxeonted, and, aeoornpauied by a good and suffi-cient bond with two or more approved sureties, be filed with the Indiau a w t in time for their receipt in the Indian Office on or before September 15, 1889. (3) No operations of any kind will be allowed as to any traot nntd the contractor i s notified t h ~tth e contract for the sale of timber on such tract has been approved by the Commissioner of Iudian Affairs. (4) Any outting of timber on lands not oovered by approved aontracts will be re-garded as willful trespass, and the offender proseoated under seotioo 5388 of the Re-vised Statutes. (5) In the final settlement under the contract., no allowance will be made for ad- |
