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Show I Reservation News - - - I X About The X jUINTAH-OURAY INDIAN RESERVATION $ "it " - . .. if ' ' I ; ' y". Vi; ' ' ' I 4 ' BENNY MURDOCK Fort Duchesne Soldier MAKES FINE RECORD The following letter about one of our Indian boys now serving his country is self-explanatory self-explanatory ,and shows how a young man who has a desire de-sire to learn, can and will get ahead. All young men in our nation must, if physically able, take at least two years of military training, and if they desire to learn they have a fine opportunity in the service ser-vice of Uncle Sam. Fort Belvoir, Virginia January 20 ,1954 Mrs. Lula H. Murdock Box 38 Fort Duchesne, Utah Dear Mrs. Murdock: For the past twenty-one weeks your son, Benny, has been undergoing training to become be-come an officer in the Corps of Engineers. He has done exceedingly ex-ceedingly well in meeting the challenge of a rugged period of training. The physical, mental and moral standards required of Officer Candidates are very high and in achieving these standards, Benny 'has shown a strong desire to better serve his country while he is in the Service. I am particularly anxious that Benny's family and his friends know of his fine record. (Continued on page 4) 1 Reservation News - - - f f About The x ffl UINTAH-OURAY INDIAN RESERVATION (Continued from page 1) It is a record of which he can be justly proud. I look forward to seeing you and other members of the family fam-ily or close friends at Fort Bel-voir Bel-voir for Benny's graduation reception re-ception and exercises. Very truly yours, ROBERT S. KRAMER Lt. Colonel CE Commandant CONFER ON INDIAN MATTERS DURING WEEK supenntenaeni n. w. iu-more, iu-more, accompanied by Mr. Ralph M. Gelvin, Director from the Phoenix Area Office, spent the week conferring with State and County officials on Indian matters. The purpose of the conferences was to discuss a Bill, S-2670, introduced by Senator Sen-ator Watkins of Utah. The bill provides for the termination of Federal Supervision over the trust and restricted property of the Kanosh, Shivwits, Koosh-arem Koosh-arem and Indian Peak Bands of Paiute Indians, Skull Valley Band of the Shoshone Indian Tribe and the Washakie Band of the Northwest Band of Shoshone Sho-shone Indians, all in Utah. The Bill also provides for the termination term-ination of all Federal Services furnished to such Indians because be-cause of their status as Indians. The Ute Indians of the Uintah and Ouray Agency are not included in-cluded in the Bill. Mr. Gilmore and Mr. Gelvin conferred with Governor J. Bracken Lee and County Com-misioners Com-misioners from Tooele, Millard, Washington, Beaver and Paiute Counties. If the Bill becomes law, Federal supervision and services will be terminated within three years. R-N NEW LAW OFFICERS The Ute tribe has just completed com-pleted the reorganization of the 1 a w enforcement activities. Booker T. Washington, judge for several years resigned and Dwight Copperfield has been appointed as Tribal Judge. Mr. Copperfield was Chief of Indian Police before accepting the Judgeship. He served in that capacity for several years. Clarence Clar-ence Harris, Sr. has been appointed ap-pointed Chief of Police to succeed suc-ceed Mr. Copperfield. Mr. Harris Har-ris served in that capacity before be-fore moving to Wyoming several years ago. The other Indian policemen are Howard Montes and Robert Summers for the Whiterocks area, Donald Land for Randlett and Lee Wardle for Ouray. Otto Waddell is special officer for the Indian Bureau and supervises law enforcement en-forcement activities for the entire en-tire reservation. The Tribal officials of-ficials feel that the law and order or-der functions have been greatly great-ly strengthened by the reorganization. reor-ganization. R-N LEGION ACTIVITIES Uintah and Ouray Post No. 126 of the American Legion is planning three meetings for the month of February. This Friday night, Feb. 5, all members are urged to be present at the initiation in-itiation ceremonies, then on Friday Fri-day night, Feb. 12th, the Legion Hall at Fort Duchesne is to be dedicated. A social is planned following the dedication. On Washington's birthday, Monday, Feb. 22, the Post is planning to honor all returned veterans within the boundary of the area of the Post who served this country during the period of the Korean conflict. Letters have been written to some 70 returned veterans living liv-ing in Ouray, Leota, Randlett Fort Duchesne, Lapoint, Tridell and Whiterocks. The public is invited to attend this ceremony which will be held at the Assembly As-sembly Hall at Fort Duchesne. R-N ATTEND LIVESTOCK SHOW The following members of the Ute Indian tribe were guests at the Western National Livestock Show, held in Denver, Colo, last week: Richard Ridley, Guy Pinnecoose, Colin M u r d o c k. These men were chosen because of the outstanding work they had done in connection with the Credit Division. In addition, Connor Chapoose, field agent, and Ross Iorg, acting as adviser for the group, also attended the show. Many of the cattle and horse ranches were visited in Colorado and Wyoming, where feeding practices were observed and studied. These boys wish to thank those people who were responsible for the trip, as they gained many good ideas in regards re-gards to feeding and fattening of cattle. R-N NEWS BRIEFS Elmer Denver, Sr. and daughter, daugh-ter, Florence Meyers, returned last week from Jackson, Wyo., where they visited Mr. Denver's father and sister. Eldon Glenn, a native of Welsville, Utah, and a graduate from Utah State Agricultural College in Soil Conservation, reported re-ported for assignment to duty at Fort Duchesne, Feb. 1, 1954. He is being employed by the Indian Service as a Soil Conservationist Con-servationist to handle weed control, con-trol, especially as it pertains to the Halogeton program. Mr. Glenn is married and has three children. He is a former for-mer G. I. and served in the Naval Services during World War II. We are happy to' have Mr. Glenn and his family with us and hope that their stay here will be pleasant. The Soil and Moisture Conservation Con-servation program has been slowed down by the snow and cold weather. Most of the outside out-side operations, except for surveys sur-veys has been discontinued for the winter, this meant laying off of the irregular employees. It is expected that wqrk will not begin again until the latter part of March or the first of April. R-N IMMUNIZATION Immunization 'shots' are now being given for typhoid fever and are available at the clinic at Fort Duchesne. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 12 noon every day except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and every Monday Mon-day and Friday in the afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. R-N Survey Team Recommends Indian Bureau Changes A survey team, named Oct. 6, 1953, 1 have completed their assignment and have made a series of recommendations which have been given a nod of approval "by Secretary of Interior In-terior Douglas McKay. The study pertained to' organization and operations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and will affect the local reservation to a certain cer-tain degree. The Survey Team began its study in Washington on Oct. 12 and from Oct. 16 to Nov. 16 visited all Bureau area offices except Alaska. The recommendations are of great practical value. Secretary McKay said, and will provide the Department with better tools to handle important Indian affairs more efficiently on the national level. Major recommendations made by the team pertain to organization organ-ization problems of the Bureau. These recommendations include: Continuation of the Area Office Of-fice form of organizations, which is basically sound. Consolidation of the Window Rock Area Office and the Albuquerque Al-buquerque Area Office at Albuquerque, Al-buquerque, New 1 Mexico. The affairs of the Navajos would continue to foe administered by the superintendent at Window Rock. Consolidation of two area offices of-fices in Oklahoma now at Muskogee and Anadarko and the establishment of one office at a central point in the state. Consolidation at all levels of the branches of soil conservation, conserva-tion, extension and irrigation and range management activities activi-ties now in the 'branch of forestry fores-try and range management into a new branch of land operations. opera-tions. Reduction of the number of staff technicians at area offices. Transfer of the branch of credit from the Division of Re sources to Division of Administration. Adminis-tration. Abolition of the branch ot management planning in the Division Di-vision of Administration and the establishment of an Office of Management Research in the Commissioner's Office, to include in-clude reports control, statistics and information. Special emphasis was placed by the Survey Team on two of the Bureau's activities: 1. There is a tremendous backlog of land transactions which must be eliminated before be-fore any real progress can be made in meeting the over-all objectives ob-jectives of the Bureau. Increased In-creased funds for this purpose are urgently recommended, 2. The progress of voluntary and permanent relocation of Indians In-dians off reservations should be expanded. The Team considers this one of the most constructive construc-tive and promising of the Bureau's Bur-eau's program. Other important recommendations, recommenda-tions, dealing with functional matters, include the following: Further construction of relatively rela-tively high-cost schools on the NTavnir Reservation shmilrl he postponed. The Bureau should concentrate on providing inexpensive inex-pensive facilities of a semi-permanent nature that would increase in-crease the number of children in day schools in a comparatively compara-tively short time. s The Bureau should develop a program, with the cooperation of Congress and the Bureau of the Budget to' accomplish early disposition of the backlog of cases involving profoate administration admin-istration of Indian trust property. proper-ty. Other recommendations dealing deal-ing with functional changes relate re-late to the maintenance and construction con-struction of roads; marketing of manure, overripe and infested timber; standards of eligibility for health, education and welfare wel-fare services; elimination of reports and the development of an aggressive, well-coordinated public relations program. In transmitting the recommendations recom-mendations to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Secretary McKay Mc-Kay set Feb. 15 for the initiation initia-tion of several of the major recommendations. These include the realignment of the branch organization and consolidation, organization, staffing and location loca-tion of area offices. The Commissioner Com-missioner was also instructed to submit definite proposals for attacking at-tacking the other major problems prob-lems delineated by the Survey Team, within 90 days. The Team pointed out that many of the recommendations provide the Bureau with an opportunity op-portunity to' make substantial savings or to give greater service ser-vice with no increase in cost. This would be accomplished through consolidation of several branches in Washington and in each of the area offices in which a number of supervisory positions could be eliminated. Consolidation of the Window Rock and Albuquerque Area Offices, Of-fices, the Team stated, would eliminate a substantial number of positions in the two offices and a similar saving could be expected in the consolidation of Muskogee and Anadarko Area Ar-ea Offices in Oklahoma. Recommendations Rec-ommendations to merge the Building and Utilities Branch, located in Washington with that activity at Gallup, New Mexico, and a new approach to the work being done by this branch would likewise result in substantial sub-stantial economics. An effort to place many activities ac-tivities on a more self-sustaining basis is stressed in the recommendations. rec-ommendations. In this field, increased in-creased fees would be charged for special services rendered of direct personal benefit such as in oil and gas leasing and other land transactions, the probating of estates, medical care for other oth-er than indigents, and for the suply of irrigation water. Other recommendations when adopted would result in greater returns from funds now being expended, the Team pointed out For instance, greater numbers num-bers of Navajo children could attend school if facilities are constructed which would cost $600 instead of $6,000 per hild as at present. The recommended transfer ot various functional activities such as bringing roads up to acceptable standard for transfer to counties and the transfer of extension activities to' State Extension Ex-tension Services would result in substantial savings. The Team paid high tribute to Bureau employees who evidence evi-dence a high degree of interest and personal devotion to their jobs. , . Tracing the 129-year history at the Bureau, from its establishment estab-lishment in 1824, the Team declared de-clared that the Bureau's responsibilities res-ponsibilities and programs have varied in content and emphasis with such frequence that a continuity con-tinuity of organization and operating op-erating procedures has been difficult. dif-ficult. Unlike any other activity of the Federal Government, the responsibilities of the Bureau are determined not only by acts of Congress but by treaty and moral obligations as well. The Bureau at the present time has a total of 10,805 full-time full-time employees and 2,348 other employees, on a temporary, seasonal sea-sonal or part-time basis. Fifty-five Fifty-five per cent of the employees are Indians, and approximately 726 employees are paid bv tribal trib-al funds. Total appropriations from the Treasury funds for the Bureau's I operations this fkni $84,122,760, which Visits Vis-its highest appronriati Ss ' ty-four per cent, or si1,' was specifically earnf the Navajo-Hopi area!rkt(i In discussing the dation for the Wind, ,r:" Albuquerque consoler Team stated "the as,i ' one man to the dual roi' director and superim! i;-unsound, i;-unsound, and practicall cr'' in too great a load for hl-to hl-to carry in view of th i difficulties and size nf ?" ation. 01 the o- Heretofore subordina(i the Hopi Reservation 2, fn director who' was akn 1 ' tendent of the Navajos duced friction betwpT ; tribes. This situation corrected by the reorgan. " AdeqU?tevohoUsing are available in aik,, - and that office at pf a relatively light worS is near enough to all C ' I vations to facilitate cnn,lr" 1 tion. Gallup was consider the location of the coir' area office but was not se" i 1 primarily because of sW r of housing and office spaCc: e because of a limited sun-" office workers. However' ' Team recommended tha P headquarters of the Bir'- ;; and Utilities Branch of ti'- 1 eau be located in Galluj- :' Team also recommended -' :" tablishment of the supe- Tt dency of the United Pueb' ency in New Mexico l from the area director' at ; f querque. '" Practically the same r; ..j are given for recomrr.-- K consolidation of the two"';. Offices in Oklahoma a- " location of one office in I central part of the state " I consolidation of admmist:-. 1 and other functions woul; ' suit in savings which r more than offset the incre; cost of re-establishing the superintendents' positions, f |