Forestry on Indian Reservations. 477 



government has need of large quantities of timber at various 

 agencies and schools, for building construction, fencing, irrigation 

 flumes, etc. Lumber is also needed for the construction of houses 

 and barns for Indians. Upon Indian reservations about 30 

 Government sawmills were operated during the fiscal year 191 1. 

 These are all small mills cutting from 2,000 to 20,000 board feet 

 per day of eight or ten hours. They are operated largely by 

 Indian labor and afford a means of industrial training for the 

 Indians in addition to acting as an incentive to the Improvement 

 of housing conditions on the reservations. As Indian labor is 

 usually 20 to 40% less efficient than white labor and as these mills 

 must almost of necessity be operated for short day periods, the 

 successful commercial operation of the mills is difficult. In 

 most instances their maintenance must be justified on educational 

 and social grounds rather than economic. 



And, now when every Indian shall have received an allotment, 

 what is to be done with the surplus timberland? This question 

 can be answered only by the Congress of the United States. On 

 about a score of reservations in the western States there are large 

 areas of timberland which will not be needed for allotment and 

 which are ncft adapted to agriculture. These timberlands include 

 high mountain slopes, as on the Flathead and Warm Springs 

 Reservations, volcanic ash land which is not subject to irrigation 

 and is wholly unfit for agriculture, as upon the Klamath Reser- 

 vation, or natural forest soil, as on the Quinaielt. These areas 

 should unquestionably be maintained as forest lands. The regu- 

 lations approved June 29, 191 1 and the general forms of contract 

 adopted earlier in the same year, make provision for the conserva- 

 tive cutting of timber from all areas of this character. Although 

 the ultimate status of these lands is yet undetermined, the writer 

 is confident that the forest cover will be maintained whether the 

 lands shall continue to be held as Indian tribal property or be ac- 

 quired by the United States for National Forest purposes. 



