OCR Text |
Show COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 53 mately 11,000 ties, re&iving a total of $4,464, of which $1,237 was paid to the tribal fund as stumpage, the balance going to the Indians cutting the ties after the cost of supervision, amounting to $221, had been deducted. On other reservations also the Indians have heen encouraged to cut the timber on their allotments themselves, deliver-ing the logs at specified points as desired by the purchasers. On the Tongue River Indian Reservation, in Montana, it was dis-rovered that a large amount of timher was being killed hy insects. The total stand of timher on the reservation is estimated.at about 400.000,000 board feet, of which approximately 5,000,000 feet was infested. An examination of the timber was made by the Bureau of Entomology. They reported that unless steps were taken imme-diately to control the insect infestation all the timber on the reserva-tion would be ldlled, but that if approximately 3,000,000 hoard feet of the infested timber were removed the infestation would be checked and the remaining timber saved. There was, however, a market for only about 500,000 feet of timber a year near the reservation, and it was therefore found to be impossible to utilize all of the timber which it would he necessary to remove. A contractor was found who agr e~dto take over the agency sawmill and cut and manufacture the timber at $9.50 per M, board feet. There was not sufficient money available to log and manufacture all of the infested timber necessary to he cut, and therefore only about 500,000 feet are being manufac-tured at the present time. The balance is heing cut and barked, and as the timber now heing manufactured is sold and the money from the sale of the lumber becomes available the logs now left in the woods will be brought to the mill and manufactured. The hrush resulting from the logging is being piled and burned as the cutting progresses. On the Jicarilla Indian Reservation, in New Mexico, 130,000,000 feet of timber were advertised for sale, the advertisement running 90 days. No bids were received for this timber, but a few days later it was sold at private sale at the minimum rates stated in the notice of sale, $3 per M for the first six years and $3.50 per M for the last three years of a nine-year cutting period. Another sale, amounting to 30,000,000 board feet, was advertised on the same reservation at a minimum price of $3 per M for a six-year cutting period. But one hid was received, at the rate of $3.50 per M. This bid was rejected. owing to the fact that the Indians have become interested in the cutting and manufacture of ties near this area and that the sale already made will furnish sufficient money to take care of the Indians on the reservation as far as the proceeds from the sale of timber can be used for this purpose. On the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, in Arizona, 300,000,000 feet of timber were offered for sale in conjunction with an offer by |