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Show I 90 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. I LOGGING ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS. During the year logging operations have been carried on on sev-eral Indian reservations : Rathead Agen.cy.-On the 19th of last March the agent for the Flathead Agency in Montana reported that during the previous week a severe storm swept over the reservation, uprooting a large number of merchantable green trees, vhich would be a total loss to the Indians unless early steps were taken. to dispose of them. The agent was informed that there was no authority of law for the sale of the timber except that contained in the act of February 16, 1889 (25 Stat. L., 673), which authorizes the sale of dead timber, standing or fallen, but that informal proposals for the purchase of the timber would be received, with the positive understanding that the7 were subject to acceptance or rejection by the Department and were not binding on the Government, and that before they could be accepted or the timber sold, authority for the sale would have to be granted by the President. On April 26 the agent reported that in the Evaro-Jocko district there was estimated to be 9,000,000 feet of fallen timber-6,000,000 feet of merchantable, 1,500,000 feet of tie timber, and 1,500,000 feet of cord wood; in the Post Creek district, on the northern boundary of the reservation, east of the Fend d'oreille River, 8,000,000 feet of fallen timber--6,000,000 feet of merchantable, 1,000,000 feet of tie timber, and 1,000,000 feet of cord wood; and in the Camas Prairie- Dayton district 1,000,000 feet of fallen timber-500,000 feet of mer-chantable and 500,000 feet of cord wood. He submitted proposals for the purchase of this timber, but the prices offered were considered inadequate., and on May 7, in accordance with Department authority of April 7, the Ofice requested the Chief Foreeter to detail an em-ployee of the Forest Service to inspect the timber, ascertain its acces-sibility and reasonable value, and prepare regulations to govern its sale and cutting, especially with reference to the protection of the standing forests. On May 19 a forest inspector was detailed to make the investigation, and on June 20 his report was forwarded to this . O5ee b y the associate forester, who recommended the sale of the timber. On July 26 regulations to govern the cutting and sale, with forms of contract and bond and a form of notice of the willingness of the Government to ~e cmitth e Indians to sell the timber were forwarded to the .Department, with ricommendation that they be transmitted to the President for his approval. They were approved on August 4. The agent has been instructed to give notice of the sale of the timber by publication for five weeks in leading newspapers of the neighborhood and also, by printed posters displayed in pub- |