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Show I REWE? OP THE COMM16SIONEB OF INDL4N BPFAIRS. 71 I bimber is of value and tbat it is to their direct interest to protect the forests from fires. I The disposal of the timber would best be by a method like that followed by the Forest Service in selling timber on forest reserves; and the Office would have no objection to the Forest Service taking eharge of the sale of timber on Indian reservations. There is no. general law under which timber can be sold, except the dead tim-ber standing or fallen which may be disposed of under the act od February 16,1889 (25 Stat. L., 673), but experience has demonstrated that it is practically impossible to keep lumbermen, when operating under this act, from cutting green timber. It is the purpose of the Office, with your approval, to request the Congress at the coming session to enact legislation applicable to all Indian reservations, whether allotted or unallotted, authorizing the sale of the timber under such regulations and restrictions as may be imposed by the Department. Much of the land within some of the Indian reservations is sup-posed to be underlaid with minerals, and under the act of February 28,1891 (26 Stat. L., 794), mineral leases may he made for a term not exceeding ten years. I do not see any reason why such mineral re-sources should not be developed, but the period to which leases are now confined is not long enough to justify persons or corporations in investing large sums of money 'in the undertaking, especially where the precious metals are concerned; and it is a part of my legislative programme to ask the Congress to fix longer periods for mineral leases. From this source the Indians ought to derive a good revenue not only through the medium of royalties, but by the increased oppor-tunity for employment at gainful labor; and at the same time the development of the country in which they are living will not be hnger retarded. LOGGING ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS. During the year logging operations have been conducted on Indian reservations as follows: FLATHEAD RESERVATION. An account of the blown-down timber within the Flathead Reserva-tion in Montana, which was about to be advertised for public sale, was given in my last report. On November 10,1906, the Department accepted the joint bid of Ed Donlan and W. B. Russell, of Missoula, Mont., for the timber in the Evaro-Jocko district and the bid of the John O'Brien Lumber Company, of Somers, Mont., for part of the timber in what is known as the Post Creek district. The remaining |