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Show OOMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 47 toxicants as a beverage while engaged in business on the reservations. Superintendents are required to make a personal investigation of their habits in this respect and report any incidents occurring either on or off the reservation which might disqualify them for traders' licenses. INDIVIDUAL INDIAN MONEYS. Proper handling of his own moneys is a Iiberal economic education , to the Indian. To impress this on the average individual is a serious problem, as "money" was such an unknown quantity among the aborigines of the continent that no word corresponding to this im-portant function of our commercial life was found in their vocabu-laries. As a fundamental idea of values becomes more deeply im-planted in the individual; a more liberal policy in handling his own funds is permitted. The number of complaints by reason of this has been greatly re-duced. The responsibilities of the superintendent, while consider-ably increased, have yet enabled him to give more careful and intelli-gent supervision of the Indians and their interests than heretofore without destroying their individualism or fostering the time-worn paternalism. The careful use of his own money, teaching him intel-ligent thrift, is the uItimate purpose of permitting the largest use practicable by the Indian of his own moneys. PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES. The office has effected radical changes in its methods of handling the purchase of supplies, involving a reorganization of the purchase division, with a view to educating certain units of the office force in a more expeditious and intelligent handling of the purchase of supplies for the service, and a marked improvement has already been accomplished, both as to the expedition of purchases and the procur-ing of the best obtainable prices. This subject is being studied from all angles, and it is expected that there will be erolved as perfect a system as can possibly be used under the restrictions imposed by Congrw and the regulations necessary to insure honesty and efficiency. The permanent warehouses at New York and Omaha were closed during the &a1 year as required by law. There are at present three permanent warehouses, one each at Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco. In order to receive and forward supplies which were purchased for delivery at New York and Omahil; temporary head-quarters were located at these two points, and are conducted partly by detail from the office and the field at a nominal cost compared to' charges incurred by the maintenance of permanent warehouses. |