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Show HITCHCOCK SENDS REPLY TO SENATE Answers Resolution of Senator Kearos. This Inquired for Reasons for Delay in Opening Uintah Reserve. An Explanation From tho Interior Department Which Does Not Explain. i Special to The Tribune. WASHINGTON. D. C . Feb. 15.-Tho Secretary of the Interior today transmitted transmit-ted to the Senate his answer to tho resolutions reso-lutions offered by Senator Kcarns in-qulrlnp; in-qulrlnp; for the reasons for the delay In opening the L'Intah reservation. After quoting the provisions of the act of Mny 7, 1002. which was the first effort ef-fort mnde by Congress to open the red-ervatlon. red-ervatlon. the Secretary says the next day tho department directed the office of Indian In-dian affairs lo prepare estimates of the cost of making tho Indian allotments. This tho Commissioner placed at 512,000. The report of tho Commissioner of Indian In-dian Affairs, which n also transmitted, wets forth that under dnte of July IS Inspector In-spector McLaughlin reportod tho consent of the Indians to the allotment could not bo obtained. History of Various Amendments. The history of the various amendments to the Indian appropriations bill delaying tho opening of the reservation Is given. On April ai, in. the Commissioner of Indian In-dian Affairs direct the acting Indian agent lo commence malting allotments, and urged that the. work be done at the earliest practicable datt I-ater, however, on November 1G. 1904. the office Informal tho lndjan agent not to proceed until tho acceptance of tho surveys by I he Com-'"jslHiiSr. Com-'"jslHiiSr. !f; theA"5e.ncral LaindOfflcp. OiVJanifnry il the Gom-ruT Land Ofllco advised the OaminlHsloner of Indian Affairs Af-fairs of tho completion of the township .sub-divisional surveys. The Indian office replied that It wad ready to proceed with the allotment's as soon ns the surveys were transmitted to hie office. All the Commissioner Knows. This Is all tho Commissioner of Indian Affairs knows of the situation. Copies of various orders In connection with the ubove are forwarded as part of the report. re-port. , In one of the letters of the Secretarv of the Interior to the ehnlrman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, dated February Feb-ruary C. 1WI. he refers to th condition of affairs on the reservation and saye In .support of the proposed arnendlneiu extending ex-tending tho time of opening until October Octo-ber I. ISO! that after the completion of the survejs, some b;oo allotments aro to bb made, which will require at least three or four months, or probably longer. View Commissioner Land Office. The Commissioner of the General Land Office In his report dated February C, JMG, to which tho Secretory calls particular attention, says the whole of the surveying survey-ing season of 1101. and In fact up to Jan-tinr Jan-tinr 1. 1905. was required within which to completo tho surveys of tho reservation reserva-tion and the examination of the surveys In the Held . Tho office work necessary in connection with said surveys could be completed prior to March 10. "lOOo. but a largo number of allotments to Indians remain re-main to bo made. In view of the climatic conditions existing at this season of the year, and tho fnct that uch allotments must be made of agricultural land that can bo Irrigated, it is not possible that such allotments can be made prior to March 10. 1905. |