OPA

Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay has announced departmental decisions and clarifications on questions recently raised by a number of South Dakota livestock operators about the sale of grazing privileges at, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for the five-year period beginning next November 1.

Following the advertisement for the sale of the grazing privileges at the Pine Ridge Agency in May and early June, four principal questions were raised with the Department. First, it was charged that the minimum rate of $8.75 per head for cattle yearlong for the first year of the permit period was too high in the face of declining livestock prices. Secondly, some of the stockmen objected to the requirement for payment of a tribal tax of three cents per acre for doing business on the reservation. Thirdly, some objected to the provision that no hay shall be cut on the permitted lands without the written approval of the Indian landowners and the agency superintendent. Fourthly, there was objection to the requirement for the development of stock-water facilities on the permitted lands.

On the question of minimum rate for the first year, the Department has determined that the $8.75 figure is equitable as a basis for the first year's grazing fees and should be maintained. Thereafter, fees will be adjusted annually in accordance with the average price of South Dakota beef as reported by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture.

In their protests, some of the stockmen had contended that the rate should be $6.25 per head which is the figure established by the Pine Ridge Tribal Council for grazing on the tribal lands of the reservation and recommended by that body for the allotted lands. Under the applicable regulations the Tribal Council has the responsibility for establishing the rates for the tribal land while the Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for prescribing the terms and conditions applicable to the allotted lands under grants of authority given to the agency superintendent by the individual Indian owners. Over 90 percent of the grazing area on the Pine Ridge Reservation is allotted land.

After a careful study of the pertinent factors, which included an independent appraisal of grazing values in the area, as well as the recent decline in South Dakota beef prices, the Bureau determined that the $6.25 rate recommended for the allotted lands by the Tribal Council would not be fair to the individual Indian owners and established the rate of $8.75. Subsequently, this rate was also adopted for the tribal lands. At the opening on June 12, it was found that bids on several of the range units where there was competition were considerably higher than this minimum figure.

A subsidiary question raised by some stockmen involved the sliding scale arrangement under which the fees will be adjusted to reflect fluctuations in the market price of South Dakota beef. Their objection was to the minimum rate below which the fees will not be reduced in any event. The department has determined that such a minimum is essential to protect the interests of the Indian landowners.

On the question of the tribal tax, the Department has held that collection of this tax is a responsibility of the Tribe rather than the Bureau and that it should not be included in the stipulations attached to the permits. The Bureau has been instructed to eliminate this requirement from the stipulations.

On the question of hay cutting, the Department has upheld the Bureau's position that the authorizations to issue grazing permits granted by the landowners does not authorize the cutting of hay. Hay cutting permits must, therefore, be obtained from the Indian landowners with the approval of the agency superintendent.

Finally, the Department has determined that the stipulations on stock-water development should be fully clarified for each permittee before the start of the grazing season so that there will be no doubt as to the extent of his obligations. In the event that agreement cannot be reached, the permittee will be allowed to withdraw his bid and his deposit will be refunded. The Bureau has been instructed to take appropriate action on this phase of the stipulation.

Headquarters of the Fort Berthold Indian Agency is being moved from Elbowoods to Newtown, North Dakota, the Bureau of Indian Affairs announced today.

The move, part of the readjustment and relocation at Fort Berthold made necessary by construction of the Garrison Dam and Reservoir Project of the Missouri River Basin Development, was originally scheduled to take place later. Because of an emergency need to use the agency buildings at Elbowoods for school purposes, however, the move is being undertaken at the present time and should be completed in the next few weeks.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons will leave Washington, D.C., September 5, for a trip to the major Indian areas of Oklahoma. He is acting under broad instructions from President Eisenhower.

The trip is the first installment of an itinerary which will take Commissioner Emmons into the home territory of as many Indian tribes as possible in the next few months. He will bring to each of the tribes a personal message from the President who has asked the Commissioner to meet with the tribal groups locally and learn firsthand about their present relations with the Federal Government and their hopes for the future.

On September 6, Commissioner Emmons will meet with members of the Oklahoma Cherokee Tribe at. Tahlequah in an observance of Cherokee National Day. The following day he will attend the annual Choctaw-Chickasaw meeting in the council house at Tuskahoma.

On September 8, he will meet with the Inter-Tribal Council at Muskogee in the morning and with the Creeks at Okmulgee in the afternoon.

On the 9th, he is to attend a meeting with the Oklahoma Seminoles at Seminole in the morning and will spend the afternoon at Shawnee in session with members of the Shawnee, Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie, Kickapoo and Iowa Tribes.

The Commissioner’s schedule for the morning of September 101 includes a meeting with members of the Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Fort Sill Apache, Caddo, Wichita and Delaware Tribes in the Fort Sill Indian School Auditorium at Lawton. That afternoon he will meet with Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in the Indian school auditorium at Concho.

On September 11, Mr. Emmons will visit the Indian boarding school at Chilocco in the morning and will meet with the Pawnee, Ponca, Otoe and Tonkawa Tribes in the school auditorium at Pawnee in the afternoon.

On the 12th, Mr. Emmons will spend the entire day in Osage County visiting the reservation in the morning and meeting with members of the Osage Tribe in the auditorium at Pawhuska in the afternoon.

'While the Commissioner’s itinerary has not yet been scheduled in detail beyond this point, he is planning to leave Tulsa on the morning of September 13, for Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Because of the extreme tightness of Mr. Emmons' I schedule, it will not be possible for him to attend any meetings in Oklahoma aside from those already planned.

Appointment of Leon V. Langan, Gallup, N. Mex., and Thomas M. Reid, Albuquerque, N, Mex., as consultants to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L, Emmons was announced today by Acting Secretary or the Interior Ralph A. Tudor.

Mr. Langan, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, has been for the past three years secretary and general manager of the Gallup Chamber of Commerce and also of the Intertribal Indian Ceremonial Association. Prior to that he was engaged in the merchandising of Indian arts and crafts and for two years owned and operated a soft drink bottling and distributing organization in Gallup. During the war he was employed for one year in a civilian capacity at the St. Louis Ordnance District and later served two years in the Navy. Before the war he worked for two years as a sales engineer with the Binkley Manufacturing Co., Warren town, Mo., and for two years with the Emerson Electric Manufacturing Company of St, Louis as a special assistant to the works manager.

Mr. Reid during the past two years has been agricultural attached at the American Embassy first in Guatemala and them in Cuba. Prior to that he served for four years as Chief of the Quarantine Pi vision with the United States mission for the eradication of the foot and mouth disease in Mexico and for four years conducted his own ranching business in Valencia County, N, Mex. From 1933 to 1943 he was a county agricultural agent in New Mexico and served for 2t years of this period as State extension agronomist.

Mr. Langan will accompany Commissioner Emmons on his forthcoming trip to the Indian areas of Oklahoma September 5 to 12.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons will visit the major Indian areas of Wisconsin and Minnesota the week of September 14, immediately following his trip through Oklahoma.

On the 14th he will meet with the Menominee Indians in general council at Keshena, Wisconsin, and will also inspect the tribal garment factory and the tribal forest. In the afternoon he will leave for the Lac du Flambeau Reservation passing through the Stockbridge and Crandan Reservations en route,

On the morning of September 15, he will inspect the Simpson Electric Company plants at Lac du Flambeau and will meet in the public school auditorium with members of all Indian tribal groups in Wisconsin except the Menominee. Members of tribal groups from Michigan have also been invited to attend this meeting.

On the 16th Mr. Emmons will travel through the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin, and the Fond du Lac Reservation, Minnesota, en route from Ashland, Wisconsin, to Bemidji, Minnesota.

September 17 will be spent on the Red Lake Reservation, Minnesota. The schedule includes a meeting with the Red Lake Council of Chiefs and inspection tours of the hospital, old day school, sawmill, fisheries, and forest properties.

Commissioner Emmons, will spend September 18 at the Consolidated Chippewa Agency, Cass Lake, Minn. He will meet with members of six Chippewa tribal groups in the armory auditorium and will also inspect the agency hospital. He will return to Washington on September 19.

Mr. Emmons will be accompanied on his trip by Leon V. Langan, Gallup, N. Mex., consultant and by Don C. Foster, area director for the Bureau at Minneapolis.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons will leave Washington, September 30 for a. trip of approximately five weeks which will take him into the major Indian areas of 11 western States, it was announced today.

This will complete the assignment given to Commissioner Emmons by President Eisenhower in a letter of September 2 directing him to "meet with each of the major tribal groups of the country" in the near future.

On the forthcoming trip he will attend meetings with tribal groups in South Dakota, North Dakota, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. In September, he met with the tribes of Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

The schedule for the October trip follows:

October 1 -- Sisseton, S. Dak., Meeting with Sisseton, Fort Totten and Flandreau Indian groups.

October 2 -- Cheyenne River Agency, S. Dak., Meeting with Indians of Cheyenne River Reservation.

October 3 -- Fort Thompson, S. Dak., Meeting with Crow Creek, Lower Brule and Winnebago tribes.

October 4 -- Rosebud, S. Dak., Meeting with Rosebud and Yankton Sioux.

October 5 -- Pine Ridge, S. Dak., Meeting with Indians of Pine Ridge Reservation during the day.

October 5 -- Pierre, S. Dak., Evening meeting with South Dakota Commission on Indian Affairs.

October 6 -- Fort Yates, N. Dak., Meeting with Indians of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

October 7 -- Elbowoods, N. Dak., Meeting with Indians of Fort Berthold end Turtle Mountain Reservations.

October 8 -- Bismarck, N. Dak., Meeting with Governor Norman Brunsdale and North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission.

October 9 -- Seattle, Washington. Meeting with tribes of western Washington.

October 10 -- Yakima, Washington. Meeting with Yakima, Colville, Spokane, and northern Idaho Indian groups.

October 11 -- Portland, Oreg., Meeting with Klamath, Warm Springs, Umatilla, Grand Ronde -Siletz and Celilo Indian groups.

October 12 -- San Francisco, Calif., Meeting with Indians of northern California.

October 14 -- San Diego, Calif. Meeting with Mission Indian groups of southern California during day.

October 14 -- Palm Springs, Calif., Evening meeting with Palm Springs Indians.

October 16 -- Dixon, Mont., Attendance at public hearing of House Interior and Insular Affairs subcommittee with Indians of Flathead Reservation.

October 17 -- Browning, Mont., Meeting with Blackfeet Indians.

October 18 -- Havre, Mont., Meeting with Indians of Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy's Reservations.

October 19 -- Poplar, Mont., Meeting with Fort Peck Indians.

October 21 -- Crow Agency, Mont., Meeting with Crow and northern Cheyenne Indians.

October 22 -- Riverton, Wyo., Meeting with Indians of Wind River Reservation.

October 23 -- Fort Hall, Idaho. Meeting with Indians of Fort Hall Reservation.

October 26 -- Carson City, Nev., Meeting with Nevada Indian groups.

October 27-- Carson City, Nev., Attendance at meeting of Governors' Interstate Indian Council.

October 28-29 -- Phoenix, Ariz., Meetings with Indian groups of Arizona and Utah (except Navajo and Hopi).

October 30 -- Albuquerque, N. Mex., Meeting with New Mexico Indian groups (except Navajo).

October 31 -- Albuquerque, N. Mex., Meeting with New Mexico Indian groups (except Navajo).

November 2 -- Keams Canyon, Ariz. & Meeting with Hopi Indians.

November 3--Window Rock, Ariz. Meeting with Navajo Indians.

Lee v. Langan, consultant to the Commissioner, will accompany Mr. Emmons throughout the tour. In North Dakota and South Dakota, Mr. Emmons will also be accompanied by Thomas Reid, another consultant to the Commissioner.

Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay today named three businessmen from outside the Government to make a survey of the operations and programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Walter Bimson, chairman of the board, Valley National bank of Phoenix, Arizona, was chosen as the chairman of the team. The other non-Government members are Robert D. Lutton, Santa Fe Railroad, Chicago, Illinois, and J.R. Johns, Sears Roebuck Company, Dallas, Texas.

Three officials of the Department will assist in the survey.

The analysis of Indian Affairs administration is part of a department-wide survey instituted by Secretary McKay to improve administrative methods, and to economize without imparity necessary governmental services.

Surveys are near completion in the National Park Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and recommendations for improving procedures in the Office of Territories will soon be announced.

Recommendations designed to eliminate certain management practices and to strengthen the organizational structure of the Washington headquarters Office of Territories, Department of the Interior, have been approved by Under Secretary Ralph Tudor.

A four man survey team which was assigned the task of surveying the operations of the Office said in its report that its recommendations would correct internal operating procedures by clarifying lines of authority and improving organizational relationships.

The team recommended that the bulk of the recommendations should be carried out within 30 days by Director William C. Strand, who was appointed to that position by Secretary Douglas McKay last April 10. Other recommendations, the team declared should be referred to Under Secretary Tudor for his consideration and implementation as soon as possible.

A major recommendation is the elimination of 18 positions, including an assistant director, and the chiefs of the Alaska, Pacific and Caribbean Divisions. In their place a deputy director and two assistant directors with clear cut responsibilities and authority would be appointed. In addition to the strengthened organization and improvement in management, which would result, a saving of $61,465 in personnel costs annually would be accomplished.

Seven new positions would be created in the program to increase the efficiency of the Office. The expense of these positions would be $68,320, as compared to the $129,785 now being expended for the 18 positions recommended for abolishment. The present personnel numbers 72, when the recommendations are made effective, the roll will be 61, a net reduction of 11 positions.

Further savings of approximately $27,335 and six additional positions can be eliminated, the team stated, if the files of the Office are decentralized and the service of one attorney is dropped.

Other major recommendations include:

Retain the Alaska Division.

Abolish the Pacific and Caribbean Divisions and establish an Insular Division with responsibility for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Canton and Enderbury Islands and other Pacific Islands under the jurisdiction of the Department.

Establish the position of deputy director of the Office who will assume the responsibility for general supervision of all units, to permit the director to be free to deal with major operations and policy matters.

Establish the position of assistant director of the Alaskan Division and an assistant director of the Insular Division.

The assistant in charge of the Alaskan Division will be responsible for policies and program for the Alaska Railroad, Alaska Road Commission and the Alaska Public Works office.

The assistant director in charge of the Insular Division will have responsibility for policies and programs for the Pacific Islands, the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration, and the Virgin Islands Public Works field office.

The Division of Public Works will be abolished and a position of public works advisor, with a small staff will provide technical services now rendered by Public Works Division. The advisor will serve only as a staff advisor to the geographic divisions and to the director, who will be responsible for the policy direction of the works program.

Take steps to have the director of the Office of Territories appointed as secretary to the Board of Directors of the Virgin Islands Corporation. This post is now held by the Chief of the Caribbean Division which position will be abolished. Other positions recommended for abolishment are as follows:

The survey team recommended the legal authority, and the delegations of authority to the Secretary of the Interior and the Office of Territories should be codified and analyzed to determine whether these are adequate and well defined.

Organization and operating procedures of all activities of the Department in Alaska should be surveyed and related to the programs of other Federal agencies in the Territory for the purpose of attaining a geographic coordination of all Federal activities there. Similar surveys are recommended for other territories and a reexamination of existing Federal policies in Alaska and the island Territories to define more clearly the objectives of the Federal Government is urged.

No clear delineation between operational responsibilities and policy formulation was found by the survey team and divided responsibilities complicated and retarded operations of the Office.

It was found for instance that the chief of the Alaskan Division serves as chief in name only, with responsibilities for the Alaskan program divided among the assistant director, the chief of the Division of Public Works, the executive officer, the labor advisor and the chief of the Alaskan Division. An example of this fragmentation, it is pointed out, is that the executive officer has been held responsible for the headquarters operational guidance of the Alaska Railroad and Alaska Road Commission.

In discussing the Caribbean Division recommendations, the survey team said that it was performing certain functions on behalf of Puerto Rico which might better be performed by the resident commissioner or by the Office of Puerto Rico maintained at the Commonwealth's expense in Washington. It is pointed out also that in negotiations for transfer of the Point IV program in Puerto Rico to FOA, care should be taken that this specialized program for Puerto Rico does not lose its identity.

It is suggested also that the proposed Insular Division review the existing Virgin Islands public works program to determine whether it is in harmony with over-all objectives of the Federal Government. There is some question, the team pointed out, whether the program has created shortages in the labor market available to the Virgin Islands Corporation and to the Virgin Islands government, all of which are heavily subsidized by Federal funds. There is also the question, whether the system of public works being built in the islands without adequate consideration that the island government will be able to maintain and operate the facilities.

In addition to continuing surveys in Alaska and the other Territories, the team recommended further analysis of functions in the headquarters and in the field.

Members of the survey team were chairman, John Bennett, assistant director, Technical Review Staff, Raymond Davis, assistant to the Secretary, Robert G. Efteland and George E. Robinson, members.

Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay announced today that Don C. Foster, area director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Minneapolis, Minn., has been designated, effective November 16, to serve as acting area director for the Bureau's operations in Alaska with headquarters in Juneau, pending the selection of a successor to Hugh J. Wade. Mr. Wade, who has been area director for the Bureau at Juneau since 1950, was recently advised that for administrative reasons his services will no longer be required.

Appointment of Percy E. Melis, Window Rock, Arizona, as Chief of the Indian Bureau’s Branch of Forest and Range Management, to replace Leroy D. Arnold who retired on July 31, 1953, was announced by Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay.

Mr. Melis has had many years of experience in forest and range management work in the Bureau and other Federal agencies. He has been forester in charge of range management at Window Rock area since July 7, 1952.

Nearly 50 million acres of Indian forest and rangelands are held in trust by the Federal Government. These lands provide an annual production of about 600 million board feet of timber on a sustained yield basis and grazing for approximately 975,000 cattle units of livestock in accordance with the principles of conservation.

Mr. Melis was born in Hist, Oregon, August 1, 1898, and was graduated from Oregon State College in 1924 with a B.S. degree in logging engineering. During summer vacations, he was employed in forestry work at the Klamath and Warm Spring Agencies in Oregon and with the Forest Service at Portland, Oregon.

He had held various forestry positions in the United States Forest Service and with the Indian Bureau before going to Window Rock.