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Show COM&IISSIONER OF IBDIAN AFFAIRS. 43 During the year special effort'has been made to induce and assist adult Indians to establish permanent and substantial homes upon land. The resulta have been gratifying, though there yet remains many who need the stimulativ influence of a permanent home to spur them on to higher and more consistent endeavor. Under amended rules it has been possible to reduce formal applica-tions from Indians, through their several superintendents for indi-vidual Indian moneys, from about 27,000 per annum to about 9,000 .per annum without any disadvantage whatever to the Indiana so far as can be observed. There has been an increasing demand for individual Indian money from all quarters, due principally to the high cost of living, but it is noted that most of these requests involve the use of minors' funds by parents or guardians, who have exhausted their own funds and now hope to have the use of their children's money. This money, however, is being held in bank at interest to the credit of the Indians until they become of age, or until some very unusual circumstance should she fully justifying withdrawal of their money. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but is deviated from only in the interest of the minor whose funds are involved. It is held to be more important that the children's money shall be kept intact for them,so that they shall some day receive its full benefit, rather than permit parents to use this money for or dinar^. current expenses, though circumstances sometimes arise in which it appears to be necessary that a small part of these funds be so used. It is believed that the interests of the Indiana have been furthered materially by the present method of handling their funds, and that the full operation of the new declaration of policy will soon register a long advance in their interests. INDIAN EMPLOYMENT. The policy of improving industrid conditions for Indians and stabilizing the employment offered them has given a marked im-petus to Indian employment generally, and on some reservations a compelling desire to get to work leaves none idle excepting the aged or physically unfit. Recently when employment at a good wage was offered to about 100 Indians of different reservations, 7 of the number accepted; the others were employed. The field of work giving employment to Indians of mechanical ability in the large automobile factories of the Middle West was greatly widened during the year. They are under the supervision of an overseer, usually an Indian, who sees to it that their work is sped up and looks after their welfare sympathetically. The boys agree to refrain from the use of intoxicants, pay their debts, and save a portion of their earnings for a bank account, t,hat they may start in |
