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Show BEPOET OF THE COMMISSIONEB OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 51 of outcroppings, and by the supervisor of mines, William Cameron, whose latest estimate, made from the drilling of 37 test holes, pur-suant to the provisions of the act of June 21,1906 (34 Stat., 346), in his report of November 5, 1909, is: Workable coal area on both unleased and leased, segregated lands 281,556 acres, valued at $12,238,189, not including the surface, which the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes values at $6,675,780, thus making the total estimated value of the surface of the land and coal deposits there-under $18,913,969, or in round numbers nearly $19,000,000, which differs widely from the estimate placed upon the coal lands by Joseph A. Taff, the geological expert, who went as high as $100,000,000. The large area of timber lands in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations presents another difficulty in the way of winding up the affairs of the Five Civilized Tribes. This land was segregated by departmental letter of December 8, 1906, modified January 12,1907, in which the Secretary of the Interior directed the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes to withhold from further allotment an area of about 2,200,000 acres of land, of which 840,000 acres had already been allotted to citixns of the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, leaving approximately 1,370,000 acres unallottd and esti-mated to be worth $1,559,500, and of which the Secretary sought to induce Congress to create a national forest. Congress has not yet confirmed his action by taking any steps looking toward the creation of a national forest. The Indians to whom have been allotted 840,000 acres within that area are author-ized to dispose of the timber on their lands, which is scattered through this tract. Consequently extensive depredations have been and are continually being committed on this allotted land which experience has demonstrated it is important to prevent, although constant surveillance is maintained at considerable expense. During the past year, as a result of the investigations of timber depredations, 60 persons were indicted by federal grand juries for the unlawful cutting of timber on these tribal lands. Fifteen were convicted and settlements have been made through the United States attorneys' offices, resulting in the recovery to the tribes of about $10,000 for timber illegally taken, and the cases dismissed. THE SAC AND FOX INDIANS IN IOWA. The question of the settlement of the affairs of the Sac and Fox Indians in Iowa came up during the past year. A bill (H. R. 23963) was introduced in Congress which provided for the allot-ment of the lands of these rudians and for the disposition of their tribal funds. The department doubted whether legislation directing the division of the lands among the Indians would be wise. It sug- |