OCR Text |
Show 14 RE ORT OF COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AXRAIRS 7' this, timber with a value of $140,445 WES cut in connection with the timber operations conducted by the Indian Service on the Menom-inee and Red Lake Reservations. The detailed figures for 1929 are not available, but will be substantially the same as those for 1928. The forest-fire situation on Indian lands was not as serious durin the summer of 1928 as had been anticipated. A slightly increase f appropriation enabled the forestry branch to place from two to five additional fse guards on duty July 1 at agencles having large forest areas to protect. Through the increased organization fses were quickly suppressed. The expenditure of $10,000 for additional preventive organization and extra guards probabiy resulted in a saving of two or three times that amount m suppresslon expenditures. On the Hoopa Valley Reservation and on the Mission lands of south-ern California, where m adequate organization for detection and prompt suppression was not available, nearly $12,000 was expended m suppresslon. Because of lack of funds for the meeting of such expend~tures approximately one-half of this amount remained un aid at the close of the fiscal year. 1d eficieucK act of May 29, 1928 (45 Stat. L. 908), appropriated $25,000 for t e resumption of the forest insect control work on the Elamath Reservation that had ceased at the close of 1924 because of lack of funds, and the Interior Department appropriation act of March 4, 1929, for the fiscal year 1930 (45 Stat. 1562, 1570), carried an item of $25,000 for the continuation of preventive measures. Work was begun in September, 1928, continued in the spring of 1929, and will be resumed in September, 1929. An appropriation of approximately the same amount will be re-quested for 1931. It is hoped that the work done under these appro-priations and more favorable climatic conditions may result m a subsidence of epidemic conditions that have caused a loss of several millions of dollam to the Klamath Indians during the past decade. This infestation of forest insects has embraced an area in southern Oregon and northern California of which the Klmath Reservation is but a minor part and on some of the nonreservation areas the per-centage of stand killed has been even greater than on the reservation. The experience in the Klmath Basin demonstrates conclusively the need for sufficient approP riatious for the maintenance of a constant surveillance over this fie d of forest rotection and prompt action when serious conditions are discovere by the forestry branch of the Indian Service. 2 PRINCIPAL IRRIGATION ACTIVITIES The irrigation division of the Indian Service is charged with the initiation, construction, operation, and maintenance and collections concernin all irrigation and drainage projects on Indian reserva-tions, inc7udin.q in numerous instances privately owned lands in conjunction with Indian pro'ects; includiq also development of stock and domestic water an d flood protectiqn. The operations in the field are carried on under five irrigation d~t r ict se, ach m charge of a supervising engineer, who is responsible for conduct of the work authorized by the Indian Office on the various projects under each jurisdiction. |