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Show I 20 COMMISSIONER INDIAN AFFAIRS. those Indians have manifested an inclination to pay off their in-debtedness, notwithstanding their loss. By reason of short crops or some other inability, it has been necessary to extend the time in which partial payments must be made in perhaps 40 or 50 cases, hut in all cases the Indians desire to keep 'the property and make payments when they harvest and sell their hay and other crops. The Indians are rapidly becoming accustomed to the real purpose and advantage of funds of this character and the benefits to be derived therefrom, and are honestly cooperating with the view of getting the very maxi-mum results from the limited amount of money available. In addition to the congressional appropriations referred to, tribal funds are being used at 12 different reservations, under the reimburs-able regulations, in the purchase of work and breeding stock, agricul-tural equipment, lumber for homes, fence material, and digging of wells. Much good is being accomplished through the use of tribal funds in this manner. More than 300 Indians have already been benefited, through expenditures aggpegating more than $57,886.42, and approximately $14,000 have been already repaid by the Indians. Where tribal funds were used, only two Indians were delinquent in payments on their accounts, and in not a single instance has it been necessary to retake the property from the Indians to whom it was sold. In one case the property was returned to the Government because of the death of the Indian to whom it was sold and the inability of the heirs to meet the payments. This property was promptly sold to another worthy Indian. The estimates submitted to Congress in December, 1913, for funds b to pay the current and contingent expenses of the Indian Service 'for the fiscal year 1915 contained a number of reimbursable items designed to provide funds to be used in the purchase of seeds, live stock, and agricultural equipment of all kinds required to enable the Indians at various jurisdictions to engage in some industrial pursuit from which they might obtain self-support. Well-balanced indus-trial programs were formulated and brought to the attention of Congress in support of the estimates submitted, and it has generously appropriated the sum of $725,000 for encouraging industry and self-support among the Indians. This is the largest appropriation ever obtained for the advancement of industry and self-support, and aggressive steps have already been taken to work out the details incident to the use of the money in such a way as to obtain for the Indians the very maximum benefits. Special effort was made during the past year to increase the In-dians' interest in farming wherever, their lands are adapted to this industry. For this purpose approximately 450 farmers were em- |