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Show 1 18 COMMISSIONER INDIAN APPAIRS. North and South Dakota. In order that individual Indians might not suffer the entire loss resulting from the killing of his animals for the benefit and protection of the tribe as a whole on account of being infected with such disease, where animals are destroyed on account of being infected with glanders, dourine, or other infectious diseases, the Indians to whom they belong are reimbursed their value in an amount not exceeding $100, in order that those depending on such animals for a livelihood will not be deprived of their means of securing a living, or that persons having a better grade of animals may not feel that they were suffering the entire loss, but that such loss is shared by the tribe as a whole. The foregoing brief rksumk of the year's work in advancing the live-stock industry of the Indians, if compared with past efforts along the same line, will show conclusively that there has been more activity in this branch of work than ever before in the history of Indian administration, and that more has been accomplished than ever before toward making the Indian the beneficiary of all instead of a small part, as heretofore, of the profits to be derived from the exploitation of his own grazing resources. USE OF REIMBURSABLE FU,ND. The money appropriated by Congress for use in the purchase of live stock for work and breeding purposes and agricultural equip-ment for sale to Indians, under a plan whereby the Indians must reimburse the Government for the cost of the stock and for equip-ment they receive, has been utilized to advantage during the gear. The act of April 30, 1908 (35 Stat. L., 70-83), appropriated $25,000 for use at the Fort Belknap Reservation, and the act of March 3, 1909 (35 Stat. L., 781-795), authorized the expenditure of the repayments made by the Indians until June 1, 1915. There are ap-proximately 164 accounts with Indians at this jurisdiction, and the total purchases made from the fund aggregated $29,768.26. Al-though there is apparently $9,430.43 still due from Indians, in nearly every instance partial payments have been made on the various accounts. During the last two or three years these Indians have been reluctant to make further use of this reimbursable fund, giving as an excuse their desire to avoid going further into debt. This money was appropriated for the purchase of a class of articles which will aid the Indians to add to their incomes, and not for subsistence sup-plies to be eaten up with nothing left to show for the expenditure but a debt. This has been explained to the Indians, and they are now be,&ning to see the advantages of the fund, and have asked that the time for returning the money to the Treasury be extended for five years, as they desire to make further use of it. |