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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 61 into written contracts with the individual Indians obligating them-selves to pay such Indians fair stipulated salaries for their services; to supply them with suitable food and clothing; to meet their travelmg .,nd needful incidental expenses, including medical attendance, etc., from the date of leaving their homes until their return thither; to pro-tect them from immoral influences and surroundings; to employ a white Inan of good character to look after their welfare, and to return them to [heir reservation without cost to themselves within a certain specified time. They are also required to execute bond for the faithful fulRllment of such contracts. INDIAN DEPREDATION CLAIMS. No new depredation claims have been fled in this office during the past year, aud the number of claims of rewrd remains therefore at 8,007. At the date of the last annual report there were 4,271 claims in the office to be disposed of in accordance with the act of March 3,1891 (26 Stat., 861). Since then'the papers on file in 9 claims have been transmitted to the court, and 2 claims have been reported as having been previously transmitted to Congress. A large amount of miscella. nwus information relative to claims has been given the wurt, claim-ants, and attorneys. Deducting the 11 claims disposed of during the past year, there remain 4,260 to be disposed of in accordance with the act aforesaid. At the date of the last annual report it was stated that $902,940.48 had been appropriated by Congress for the payment of judgments of the Conrt of Claims rendered in pursuance of the above-named act. By act of July 19,1897, $217,749.81 was appropriated for the same pnr-pose, making the total amount appropriated for the payment of judg-ments of the Court of Claims $1,120,680.29. The records of this office show that up to June 30,1897, judgments have been paid and charged against those appropriations amounting to $957,511.77. Judgments amounting to a few thousand dollars have been paid and charged against the tribal funds of dillbent tribes, in accordance with the sixth section of the act oE March 3,1891. GILA BEND RESERVATION, ARIZONA. This reservation contains 35 sections of land, and was set apart by Executive order of December 12, 1882, for the Papago and other Indians then settled thereon, and for such other Indians as the Secre-tary of the Interior might see fit toplace there. At that time some ten families-Ul or 50 people--lived on the reservation. Various proposi. tions looking h the removal of these families elsewhere and therestora-tion of the reservation to the public domain have been considered and submitted to Congress, bat without result. |
