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Show 1 12 REPORT OF COMMIS8IONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS Dakota, Montana, and Nebraska, ainst the United States arising from fai!ure to receive allotments of y and or for loss ofpersond prop-erty or improvements where the Indian claimants, or those through whom the claims originated, were not membe of any band engaged s in hostilities against the Government at the t& the losses occurred. Where such claims are found to be meritorious, the Secretary of the Interior is directed to adjust them under existing law; and where no such law exists meritonous claims are to be reported by him to Con-gress with appropriate recommendation. Proper instructions were promulgated June 27, 1928, by the de-partme*, and the superintendent9 in charge of the respective agencies and Indmns are now investigating the claims in the field. Approxi-mately, 2,000 such claims have been transmitted to this office for ', review and action. It is believed there will be more than 5,000 such claims filed for settlement under the act cited. TRIBAL ENROLLMENT Preparatory to closing up the tribal affairs of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina, a final membership roll is being made under the provisions of the act of June 4, 1924 (43 Stat. L. 376), and the ha1 report of the field enrplling official was submitted December 1, 1928. More than 12,000 hpphcations for enrollment were filed and the tentative roll prepared contains 3,139 names, 1,222 of which were challenged or contested by the tribe. Nine hundred and forty-seven of the persons who were denied enrollment have appealed to the department. These cases are now being examined and will be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for his h a l determination as required by the law. The act of May 18, 1928 (45 Stat. L. 602), authorized the attorney eneral of the State of California to bring suit in the United States f!ourt of Claims on behalf of the Indians thereof, and directed the Secretary of the Interior to make a roll of those Indians who are entitled to share in any favorable judgment obtained. The act also required a roll of all other Indians living in California May 18, 1928, and while the official census shows about 20,000 of these Indians, it has been reported that there will be 50,000 applicants. FORESTRY 4 The substantial improvement in the market that has been eagerly awaited by the lumber production indust during the past five years 1 has not 9e t materialized. While there Ta s been some advance in prices of ogs and lumber since July 1, 1928, these advances have not been sufficient to afford the majority of producers of this basic com- I modity a reasonably adequate return on the investment, especially when consideration is given to the risks involved. 1 The policy of restricting sales of stumpage on Indian lands to cases in which funds were urgently needed, or certain conditions indicated a loss of capital values through delay, has been continued during the year begmning July 1, 1928. However, the depradations of the bark beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis, on yellow pine of the Klamath Reservation, Oreg., to which reference was made in the 1 annual report for the fiscal year 1928, though somewhat abated, I |
