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Show 1 Reservation News . . - I & About The (j) IUITTTAHOUUAY , CORRECTION: An article appearing ap-pearing in this column on Education Ed-ucation was reportedly written by Charles E. Ruel. Author of the article was Charles E. Reed and not "Ruel." Your editor re-grets re-grets this error in Mr. Reeds name, which was the wrong interpretation in-terpretation from the copy submitted sub-mitted by the Ute Tribal Committee. Com-mittee. - R-N MATERNITY CLINIC There will be a well baby and maternity clinic at Ft. Duchesne every fourth Wednesday, beginning begin-ning October 28, from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. Dr. P. A. Tirador. Senior Medical officer, and M. Schumacher, public health nurse atending. R-N UTE HOUSING By Connie Denver Member Ute Tribal Business Committee and employed as Housing Inspector for the Ute Housing and Construction Secction. There has been quite a lot said in terms of facts and figures fig-ures about the Ute Housing project pro-ject and what this project is doing toward giving the Ute people decent and comfortable homes to live in. Probably these reports do not mean much except ex-cept to those who happen to be fortunate enough to work their way up a long waiting list of people desiring new homes and having their present ones repaired re-paired and remodeled. Some of the people are totally unaware of what is taking place while others criticize the housing ef- fort as a needless waste of time and money. I wish to briefly express my thoughts and views on what the housing project is doing toward the standard of living for the Ute people, giving them modern comfortable and decent homes to live in. Perhaps some background back-ground history of the housing effort on the Ute "Reservation will explain how radically the Utes' attitude toward housing has changed within the past 3 years. . ., In 1949 the Ute Tribe acquired ac-quired some surplus barracks from the Army Air Base in Salt iake City. These barracks were cut up in sections so that buildings build-ings could be made from them. The Tribal Business Committee readily saw an opportunity for the Ute people to buy these ntfrials and build themselves small, compact, but fairly comfortable com-fortable quarters which would be a great improvement over the tents, log cabins with dirt floors, and makeshift shacks in which so many of the people were living. These materials laid in the storage yard for a year and it appeared that no one wanted them. Since some use had to' be made of these materials, mat-erials, the Tribal Business Com. mittee worked up a plan in which small 20 x 20 houses would be set up for the aged, those physically disabled, or otherwise dependent upon the Tribal for welfare assistance. Many of these people had no homes, or were living in quarters quart-ers unfit for even animals. The first effort at housing, it is true, was pretty poor when compared with the type of housing hous-ing now being built. But it represented rep-resented an improvement over what the Utes had then; it also fitted with their ideas of housing, hous-ing, and furthermore, it sized up with their rather sagging pocketbooks. The only great change made, a big score for those who were trying to intro duce new ideas on housing, was the rather reluctant acceptance of electricity in the new homes. The Utes would not accept a house larger than two small rooms and often argued vigorously vigor-ously against even that. A drive to build larger homes at permanent perm-anent locations was met with arguments that such houses did not fit well with the still existing exist-ing tendency towards nomadic life and the fact that the Utes were very poor and could not afford more expensive homes. The Utes were repeatedly told that they would one day receive large, cash payments from the Colorado judgment fund and oil revenue, and that they would buy furniture, refrigerators, ap- pliances. etc. which" would make I was cast off V" 1 , Tribal offie'"'. i tables, etc, fr; :' meliately did not w tu h fl"dnS out for t'-attitude t'-attitude of t e V' ws based Y of some mistawr (Continue on" ; : Reservation News . (Continued from page 3) J? ' government in forcing the Indian to do certain things even though it was obvious that it would help the Indian. The Indian never accepted anything that was forced upon him. After a few shacks, as we call mem now, were built, many of the younger Ute people began to see that the little 20 x 20 units built for welfare clients were a big improvement over what they had. As a result a great demand arose for this type of home. As a further boost to the demand for better homes was the fact that the boarding school in Whiterocks was closed and parents had to find some place to keep their children After the Utes began to receive re-ceive periodical per capita payments, pay-ments, the forecast by the Ute officials turned out as expected and the Utes -began demanding better, larger and more modern homes. In order to finance the continued and growing demand for housing, the Ute Tribe has set aside $950,000 towards a loan fund from which the Utes are borrowing to build these homes. These homes are of first class modern type with hot and cold running water, modern plumbing and bathroom. Water supply is being obtained from wells which also' turned out to a sanitation measure since many of the Ute people were still drinking from open ditches and rivers. A housing and construction division with Francis McKinley as director has been set up to handle the awarding of contracts con-tracts and furnishing materials to contractors who are at present pres-ent building some 35 homes on the Ute Reservation. There is a back log of some 85 homes yet to build. The home-building program, as explained by Francis McKinley, McKin-ley, who organized the three-year three-year Ute program, is the greatest great-est and most rapid advancement ever made by the Ute people. It is not only raising their standard stand-ard of living, but it is also changing their social outlook. I have watched the changing attitude of the Ute people and I know the housing program is about the only worthwhile, immediate im-mediate benefit we have brought to our Ute people. Many other improvements on the Ute Reservation Res-ervation have been made, but there are-economic accomplishments, accomplish-ments, finding ways to make' the Indian earn his own independent inde-pendent living and improving his resources and land and grazing graz-ing areas. These improvements are on a long term basis and often we have to wait for some years to begin realizing the benefits. The housing program is dedicated to bringing satisfaction satis-faction and happiness right to the individual and I am proud to be doing my small bit -to this great project. R-N . NEW COMMITTEE TO MAKE A SURVEY . On February 2, 1953, the information in-formation Service, Department of Interior, announced that the Secretary of Interior, Douglas McKay, named three businessmen business-men from outside the Government Govern-ment to make a survey of operations op-erations and programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Walter Walt-er Bimson, Chairman of the Board, Valley National Bank of Phoenix, Arizona, was chosen as chairman of the team. The other non-government members are Robert D. Lutton, Santa Fe Railroad, Chicago, Illinois, and J. R. John, Sears Roe Buck Co., Dallas, Texas. Three officials of the Department will assist in the survey. The analysis of Indian Affairs of Administration is part of a Department wide survey insti- tuted by Secretary McKay to improve administrative methods and economize without imparing necessary Governmental services. servic-es. Surveys are near completion in the National Park Service, The Bureau of Reclamation and and recommendations for improving im-proving procedures of the Office Of-fice of Territories will soon be announced. |