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Show REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIBS. 7 living and growing timber, etc., was submitted to the House of Rep rewntatives for insertion in the sundry civil bill; but the Congress failed to make the appropriation. It has not been possible, there-fore; to do the more elaborate work contemplated by the plan, but steps have been taken for fire protection on the Coeur d'Alene, N& Perc6 and Iilamath reservations, and for investigating timber condi-tions on the Red Lake and Tongue River reservations by utilizing tribal funds to defray expensds. The Forest Service is also conducting preliminary operations on the Menominee Reservation under. the act of March 28, 1908 (3.5 Stat. L., 51). The expenses are paid by a special. disbursing rigeat of this office from funds belonging to the tribe whicli have accrued fsom the sale of timber under previous legislation. Up to Septem be+ 1 the expenditure of some $160,000 for erection of sawmills, and buildings, purchase of machipery, payment of employees, etc., had been authorized. Although there exists no fo'rmal &operative agreement with the Bureau of Animal Industry in the 'Department of Agriculture, yet there has grown up during the last three years a system whereby the officers of the two bureaus work together in such matters as the iu-spection of cattle purchased by this office for issue to Indians and the investigation and treatment of infectious disorders amowg the live stock on the reservations. Prior thereto the experience of the Indian OEce in getting blooded cattle by advertisement ana contract had not been very satisfactory. I t was found extremely difficult to. formulate specifications that would ' cover all the essential points to be considered, the result being thab. .we sometimes got cattle which, while answering all the terms of the advertisements, were yet lacking in features particularly desirable at the places where they were to go. , .- I believe that when cattle are to be purchased we should have ex-perts, familiar with the trade and conditions involved, examine the animals off'ered, beforehand and at the place where they are bred, and select those most desirable for the purpose in view, instead o'f adver-tising under arbitrary specifications and then waiting until the ani-mals are delivered at destination before inspecting or even seeing them. Undev the present system we avail ourselves of the services of experts of the Bureau of Animal Industry in an advisory capacity when we are in search of blooded stock for breeding purposes, and these officers cooperate with those of the Indian OEce in the inspectiopl and selection of the cattle purchased, the joint aim of the two bureaus being to see that the interests of the Government are wholly protected and that the Indians get the-full worth of their nioney. A$ already remarked; there is also cooperation in the inspection and treatment of infected c a t t l e a highly important matter, since stock- |