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Show COMMISSIONER INDIAN A T F A . . 15 proper care and nourishment both before and after confinement. An earnest effort is made to do everything practicable to give the Indian baby a fair start and to build up a constitution which will resist disease. Competent field matrons with personalities that command the confidence of the Indian women are a-most important factor in raising the Indian race to a higher civilization, and should be placed on the plane of her sister who undergoes the hardships of missionary fields. DENTISTS. During the year seven dentists have devoted their entire time to the care of the teeth of the children in the boarding schools. After the close of the school they work among the adult Indians. The teeth of the Indians are in bad condition as a rule. The care of the teeth and the elimination of the constant source of infection from decayed teeth improve the general health condition of the student. PHYSICIANS. It is safe to say that fully 60 per cent of the Indians under the supervision of the Indian Service are still entirely dependent upon the Government for medical service. The service now has 128 regu-lar physicians who devote their entire time, and 59 contract physi-cians who, according to their contracts, are required to devote only part of their time to the Indians. The service has difficulty in pro-curing efficient men at the salaries permitted, by present appropria; tions to carry out the important medical task before it, and often has still greater difficulty in retaining the services of those capable of meeting the responsibilities placed upon them. STOCK RAISING. Since assuming charge of Indian matters I have been impressed with the idea that too many of the natural resources of Indian reser-vations which are exploited to the profit of the white man might bet-ter be developed for the financial benefit of the Indians. Particu-larly is this true of the grazing lands of the Indians Probably there are located within the borders of the Indian reservations the most desirable gazing lands in unbroken bodies in the United States to-day. The grass on these lands is in its natural state, usually not heavily grazed. Stock water is available and in a11 ways an ideal range is presented for the raising of cattle on a large scale. These lands for yiars have been leased to white cattle owners at a stated rental per head. Vast herds of cattle have been developed by white men on Indian lands and marketed to the increased wealth of the cat-tlemen and but small return to the Indian landowner. The constant diminution of grazing land throughout the United States has caused |