INDIAN RESERVATION TIMBEREANDS 363 



unreserved lands within any Indian reservation opened to settlement 

 and entry, but not classified and appraised in the manner provided for 

 in the act or acts opening such reservations to settlement and entry, 

 or where the existing classification or appraisement is, in the opinion 

 of the Secretary of the Interior, erroneous.' 



"It is the opinion of this Commission that this act is an injustice 

 and detrimental to the welfare of the tribe of Indians and is not con- 

 ducive to good administration and should be repealed for the following 

 reasons : 



"Practically all the timber on this reservation is on the sides of the 

 mountains which form watersheds and in which mountains are the 

 sources of the streams from which water is secured for irrigation. If 

 these timberlands are opened to entry whose watersheds would no 

 doubt soon be divested of their timber, thus permitting the run-off 

 from the various streams which furnish water for irrigation to occur 

 earlier each year than it otherwise would, and making additional 

 storage necessary at a great expense in order to supplement the flow 

 during the latter part of the irrigation season, and in view of this fact 

 we believe and recommend that the surplus timberlands together with 

 the timber on said lands on the Flathead Reservation not otherwise 

 reserved or allotted be purchased and acquired by the United States 

 at the original appraised value of the timber, the same having been 

 appraised, plus the value of the land to be appraised by a competent 

 commission of three appraisers to be appointed by the President, and 

 that said timberland be placed under the supervision of the National 

 Forest Service and be made a part of the national forest reserve, thus 

 preserving the water supply for irrigation. 



"By the purchase of the timberlands on this reservation by the 

 United States and causing it to become a part of the national forest 

 the Indian property adjacent thereto will not be so greatly endangered, 

 by reason of the fact that the Forest Service is equipped for the pro- 

 tection of the forests against fire. 



"It might be well to say that we do not believe such a step would 

 meet the approval of the unscrupulous speculators, and those who think 

 the Indian should apologize for being here, and who spend their time 

 trying to foil the plans of the superintendent in his efforts to better 

 the condition of this tribe ; therefore we believe it detrimental to good 

 administration to add to the many duties of the superintendent that of 

 acting in the capacity of appraiser of these lands to be sold. 



"A further reason which this act should, in the opinion of this Com- 

 mission, be repealed is because of the fact that it affords the home- 

 steader, not only prior to filing but even after he has filed and proven 

 up and paid for a tract of land, an opportunity to make application for 

 reappraisement of the land, and in some cases they have availed them- 

 selves of said opportunity to the detriment of the best interests of 

 the tribe, and in an effort to protect the Indians' interests in the field 



