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Show b L " REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. DEPARTMEOFN TTH E INTERII OR, O ~ I OOEF I NDIAAFNFA IRS, Wmhingtorr, D. C., September 30,19#1. SIR; I have the honor to submit this, the Xinetieth Annual' Report of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, for the fiscal year ended June 30,1921. It will be noted that much of the statistical matter of thecharacter . . ', shown in former reports is eliminated from this one, on1 such tabu-lated data appearing as will be required to furnish ingrmation to Congress and as seems likely to be useful to the reader having, more than ordinary interest in Indian affa~rs. It is doubtful if statistical information to the extent contained in previous reports is of special annual value, and my present intention is to ubllsh it not oftener than once in four years. At this time particu Ia?r ly, when the reduc-tion ~f ublic expenditures is of prime importance, and no sum is too sma ? 1 ta be saved in the effort to restore normal conditions, it is. believed there is special reason for this omission., as well as the briefest narration consistent with afair account of the bureau's work during the year. SCHOOLS. From various causes arisin within and immediately following the . - . war period there was some fowering of the standards of efficiency in the usually commendable worlr of the Indian schools, and these causes were largely unavoidable. During the early part of the fiscal year 1921, wtieh contracts mere made for school. supplies, prices were still very high'; tkerefore support fundswhich were. needed for other purposes had.%be used frequently- iwpaying for subsistence, cloth-ing, and other necess~tiest'h us leaving the fund for the employment of instructors- Pb 'short that it was impossible to offer salaries that would hold mc l q ' d~a b l em ployees or attract well-qualified people. This condition of a alrs has existed through several gears, requiring 1 the tempora employment of many persons whose qualification* - . were often b%% a satisfactory standard, in order to keep the schools open, even if in some 'instances not normally effective. For slmilar .reasons the materlal equipment of th! schools through-out the country' could not always be desirably ma,mntaimed. Condi-tions are, however,'mqre romising. Teachers and school employees are now generally avatl a'5b e through the regular channels, the cost of su plies and many materials is declining,. and the prospects are hope-fnf for strengthening.the.personne1,e quip,ment, and consequent efi-ciency of the schools fortraining the Indian youtllin the duties of full citizenship and developing in them the force of character that ' . will insure their safe transition through the dangerous period he-tween the close of schqel life and the time when they should fill worthy places in.0~: order. An earnest effort must be made to vitalize and to dign~fj ~ r I ' t ~ h o o l ~ . . . 5 |