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Show COM~SSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIBS. 103 IandB and permanent improvements placed upon said lands prior to November ninth, nineteen hundred and three, within the former Camp McDowell Aban-doned Military Reservatlon. Arizona, now the Camp McDowell Indian Reserva-tion, of such of the settlers thereon as may, upon proper investigation, be found to have valid rights thereto under any laws of the United States; and also in his discretion to purchase the improvements located on said reservation of any or all of such settlers as may be found by such investigation not to have valid rights attaching to the lands, the sum of not to exceed flfty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, the same to be immediately available. . Mr. George F. Wilson, a special agent of the General Land Office, was detailed to assist Mr. Mead in ascertaining just what settlers had valid rights on the reservation, and June 25, 1904, he reported that while it might be held that the lands occupied by the settlers had been legally settled upon, yet as no title had ever passed to them from the Government there could be no valid claims attaching to any part of the land; these settlers, in fact, were in the position of squat-ters on unsurveyed public land, but as they had acted in good faith the Government was undoubtedly under a moral obligation to them, and this obligation had been taken into consideration in appraising their improvements. On November 19, 1904, authority was granted to pay the settlers on the execution of quit claim deeds to lands and improvements which had been valued by a board of appraisers appointed by Mr. Mead. It was found that 26 settlers had claims, md quit claim deeds obtained from them were approved by the Department and then returned to Arizona for record. Out of the $50,000 appropriation, $48,281.04 was disbursed in buy-ing the claims, and the improvements purchased have been turned over to the additional farmer for the use of the Indians, who are now occupying the lands. The improvements included three irri-gation ditchesthe Jones and Shauver ditch, 6 miles long; the Mazon ditch, 3 miles long, and the Belasco ditch, 4 miles long-with all water rights attaching thereto. There was also another public school building. MISSION INDIANS, CALIFORNIA. The wnstruction of what is known as the South Side ditch, on the Pala Reservation, has been completed at a wst of about $17,000. When the necessary laterals are made, this ditch will irrigate about 275 acres of very productive land. The superintendent reports that about 80 acres are under cultivation this year, and the great majority of the Indians under his charge are well contented with their new home, and the young men assure him that next year they will take every advantage of their opportunities. He considers the outlook for these Indians more encouraging thm it has ever been before. Authority was granted on August 9, 1905, for the superintendent of the Pala School to expend the sum of $900 to construct a cement |
