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Show 18 COMMISSIO~TEBO F INDIAN AFFAIRS. No considerable sales of timber were made during the year. Large amounts were offered on the Flathead Reservation, the &carilla Reservation, and in the Choctaw Nation, but did not bring satisfactory bids. To supply local demands small sales were made at many points, and the lumbering operations in progress for some years in the lake States were continued. The two most extensive logging operations continued through con-tractors were at Bad River, Wis., and upon the ceded Chippewa pine lands in Minnesota. At Bad River 84,000,000 feet were cut, yielding $503,000. Upon the ceded Chippewa lands over 80,000,000 feet were cut, yielding $578,000. The Neopit project on Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin has a. status of its own in that the Government in 1908 built a large lumber mill, using funds of the tribe; thus the Menominee Indians have become the owners of a large modern mill equipped with two band saws and a band resaw and capable of daily putting out 150,000 feet of lumber. A modern planing mill, too, has been erected. The Neopit project was established with a twofold object-as a school of , industry for the Indians and as a business investment to earn profits for the tribal funds. i As an aid in reducing the lumbering cost between stump and mill, 10 miles of logging railroad with spurs were constructed and equipped with 50 cars and a powerful Lima locomotive. I Mature timber is cut-pine, hemlock, and hard wookunder approved methods of forestry which insure reproduction; the aver-age amount of timber cut each year does not exceed the estimated annual growth of the whole forest. The mills manufacture lumber which both for grade and finih has an unexcelled reputation with the trade and commands the highest prices. At competitive sales the lumber, lath, and shingles produced are sold for cash to the high-est and best bidders. During the year 31,000,000 feet of timber were logged and 27,500,- 000 feet of lumber were manufactured; almost 22,000,000 feet of lumber, 3,000,000 lath, and 2,500,000 shingles were sold; furthermore, 1,000,000 feet of lumber were used in constmction; at the close of the year there was on hand a stock of fished products almost equal to the shipments made in the year. The total receipts from all products was $424,000, showing a profit of $11,200, the first net profit since the inception of the operation. I As a school of industry for the Indians, the project is succeeding. Two hundred and five Menominees were employed on the operation each quarter of the year, being in excess of 38 per cent of the male / members of the tribe over 18 years of age; and on the average there ' were 56 members of other tribes, or in all 261 Indians; they earned \ a $67,000. The superintendent reports that his force of employees, |
