A highway is being built by the taxpayers of Koochiching County, which passes through the reservation. Funds should be provided for building roads from the agency to this highway and connecting several sections of the reservation where the lands are susceptible of cultivation. Several of the Indians indicated that they wished to make homes on their allotments, but that they are prevented at this time for want of roads. Attention is invited to that part of the council proceedings wherein the Indians voted unanimously to use their ribal funds in building highways on their reservation. The matter of roads is a vital one on this reservation, and it is impossible to develop same until they are built. The importance of roads to the development of this country can not be realized until one is forced to travel through same. Except for a road 7 miles long from the agency to Pelican Lake landing, the reservation can not be traversed except on foot by trails through the forest, and then by roundabout ways to avoid the muskeg swamps. No better investment could be made than to use part of the Chippewa funds to build good roads through this reservation. At the present time the lands that have no timber have little or no value. In fact, the owner of one of the allotments near the agency offered to give it back to the Indian after the timber was removed therefrom rather than pay taxes on it. This shows that the lands have no value unless they are accessible by passable roads. The investment in roads would add more than their cost to the value of the lands, not counting the convenience to the Indians and general public. In the removal of timber from the reservation the roads would add a great deal to the sale value.

On the allotments of the Indians on the Nett Lake Reservation is 16,500,000 feet of Norway and white pine, and 3,000,000 feet of spruce, balsam, and tamarack, and also about 165,000 cedar posts. Several efforts have been made to sell portions of this timber, and except for a small portion which is near the agency road these efforts have failed. The difficulty in selling this timber is due to lack of transportation, there being no roads to most of it.

Within the reservation 690 allotments were made ,and 31 outside. Of these 396 belong to the estates of deceased allottees. Eighty-six patents in fee and sales of allotments have been made.

The land varies from muskeg swamps to high, stony ridges, about one-third of which could be cultivated if it were thought worth while to go to the great expense necessary to remove the timber, stones, and get it under cultivation. It is estimated that this would amount to from $75 to $100 per acre. A total of 103,262 acres were originally allotted. At the present time there are un

allotted, subject to homestead entry, 48,650 acres.

The Indians live in log houses, of which they have 117. Most of those which we visited were comfortable. At the agency are 18 little log houses, two-room construction, in which are housed old people and families who have no homes. The superintendent estimates that there are 200 competent Indians, and 82 who are not competent and self-supporting on this reservation.

There have been $1,80$.25 of reimbursable funds expended on this reservation. These funds are derived from an appropriation provided by Congress for that purpose; $1.313.99 have been repaid to date.

There are 244 individual Indian accounts totaling $14,600.99, of which 82 are between $50 and $100 each, and 144 less than $50 each. The superintendent was instructed to pay out the accounts less than $50 as soon as possible. There are only 18 accounts over $100. The only school on the Nett Lake Reservation is the day school at the agency.

There were 26 Indians on the ration roll at the time of our visit, and to these we added several old people who had no means of support. It is the feeling among these Indians that when they reach a certain age they are entitled to rations.

J. C. Clark & Co. is the being located at the agency. the railroad station for the The Government buildings on the Nett Lake reservations are mainly situated at the agency, and adjacent thereto on the east shore of Nett Lake. There is no water or sewer system, except on the quarters of the superintendent. The water supply is secured from four dug wells, which are inclosed by cement platforms, and equipped with iron pumps. One of these wells is located at the school, one at the barn, one in the village, and another amidst the employees' quarters.

only licensed trader on this reservation, his store William Orr, who conducts the store at Orr, Minn., agency, is his partner.

The main building is a combined office and school building. This is a onestory frame building 103 by 30 feet. It has a full 9-foot basement, which is divided into boiler and fuel room, kitchen and laundry, dining room, store

room, and play room, for the day-school pupils. The first floor has a 12-foot ceiling and is divided into two school classrooms, two lavatories, and the front of the building is an agency office, which is divided into three rooms, one of which is used for medicines. This building is plastered throughout, well lighted, and well finished. It is heated with a modern steam-heating plant. Large halls take up a good deal of space in the basement as well as the first. The building was built in 1916.

In the Indian village adjacent to the agency were constructed, in 1913, seventeen one-story houses of hewn logs. The dimensions are 16 by 24 and 14 by 16 feet. Each has a shingle roof with pine floors, doors, and windows. They are well built, and are used to house old and indigent Indians.

The superintendent's quarters consist of a one-story frame building 42 by 32 feet, on a stone foundation, plastered throughout, with galvanized iron roof, painted. It has six rooms, a bath, sanitary closet, and hot and cold water. It was erected in 1910.

The quarters of the chief clerk is a one-story frame building on concrete foundation, shingle roof, plastered throughout, and heated by stoves. It is 28 by 42 feet, with basement same size. It was erected in 1914.

A log house 21 by 40 feet, formerly used as a day school is now used as agency warehouse. It has a shingle roof, is floored with pine, and in good

condition.

The quarters of the farmer are a one-and-one-half-story log house 21 by 72 feet, with shingle roof, heated by stoves. It is in fair condition.

The quarters of the day-school housekeeper is a one-story log house 17 by 21 feet, shingle roof, and heated by stoves.

The agency carpenter shop and lumber shed is a frame building 24 by 40 feet, constructed in 1914. It has a foundation of stone, shingle roof, is painted, and in good condition.

The agency sawmill is a one-story frame building, supported on stone piers, with roof of tar paper. It is 32 by 96 feet, and equipped with circular saw and carriage, planer, edger, turning lathe, and siding saw. It can cut from 6,000

to 8,000 feet of lumber per day and is run from two to six weeks each season. The power consists of a 20-horsepower threshing engine, and if it were equipped with sufficient power the mill could saw 15,000 feet per day. There is no shingle nor lath saw.

At the agency landing on Pelican Lake is a boat and warehouse 20 by 30 feet, built of logs and boards on piling, with shingle roof. It was built in 1913 and is a rough building but serves the purpose for which built. At Orr, the railroad station for the Nett Lake Agency, is another boat or warehouse 24 by 32 feet, built on piling at the edge of Pelican Lake. It has a shingle roof. It was built in 1913, but the piling has rotted, and the building should have a new foundation, or be moved to a lot in the town of Orr, which is owned by the Government, for agency purposes.

Back of the farmer's quarters is a one-story log warehouse 21 by 42 feet, covered with shingle roof, and equipped with log floor. It is used for barbed wire, plumbing and other agency supplies.

There is a one-story log house 12 by 14 feet, shingle roof, board floor, constructed in 1913, and is used as a post office for Nett Lake.

A substantial log house 16 by 30 feet is used as a day-school warehouse, with jail in separate room. It has a shingle roof and board floor. The loft is used for storage of school supplies.

In 1916 a well-built horse barn, 36 by 50 feet, was constructed of frame construction on concrete foundation, with rubberoid roof. It contains 12 single stalls and one double stall and two harness rooms and two oat bins. It has

a loft the same size, which will hold 15 tons of hay. Adjacent to the barn and built at the same time is a frame wagon shed 70 by 20 feet, with shingle roof, cedar-block foundation. At one end is a tool and implement room 20 by 20 feet, fully inclosed.

The agency blacksmith shop is a frame building 16 by 30 feet, constructed in 1915. It has a rock foundation, rubberoid roof, and heavy pine floor, and is well equipped with forges and tools.

During last year there have been constructed three one-story employees' quarters, each 28 by 42 feet, frame, with concrete foundation, shingle roof, pine floors, heated by stoves, and there is also a basement. They are divided into five rooms and each has a large porch inclosed with screen. They were built for the blacksmith, carpenter, and doctor. The one for the physician has never been occupied, as the physician's position has been vacant since its completion.

This year a one-story frame building, shingle roof, 16 by 20 feet, plank floor, brick foundation, was constructed as an agency garage.

Back of the school building, and in the Indian village, are well-kept school gardens in which are growing corn, beans, beets, turnips, carrots, cucumbers, and potatoes. All the crops are doing well except the onions and the cucumbers, which were badly touched by the frost.

There are 20 acres in the school and agency gardens, 6 acres in garden, and ́ 14 in meadow. Only a small part of the forage needed for the three teams of horses is produced by the agency. It is very expensive to maintain these teams, and only two are needed. It is recommended that the other team be sold, These teams are used in hauling freight, supplies, and wood for the agency and school, and plowing gardens for the school and agency and the old Indians. The combined agency and school building is modern, except that outhouses: are used, there being no sewer or water system. Owing to the large size of this building, it is very expensive to keep it heated, and the heating of it will be a large part of future expense in connection with the school. In one room, the county maintains a district school for pupils from the fourth to the eighth grade, and in the other room the Government maintains a day school. The average attendance last year for the two rooms was 36. The pupils attending the Government day school has the usual clothing, shoes, and noon day meal furnished them.

Although new quarters have been furnished for a physician, the position of which pays $1,000 per annum, the place has been vacant since last November, There is no field matron at this agency.

The size of this agency does not warrant its continuance under a separate disbursing officer, and we recommend that all the positions be abolished except that of teacher, and housekeeper for the day school, physician, farmer, laborer, at $480, and two policemen at $20 per month. The salary of physician should be increased to $1,200 per annum, and he should have general supervision of the agency and school.

The accounts of the Nett Lake, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage Agencies should be kept at the Fond du Lac Agency, at Cloquet, Minn., the superintendent at the Fond du Lac Agency made disbursing officer for all three places, - and have general supervision over them. By this arrangement the physician in charge of the Nett Lake Agency would be relieved of bookkeeping in connec tion with the cash and property accounts; the handling of necessary expenditures, and business affairs of the agency could be done by him in addition to his medical work. In keeping up the records he would have the assistance of the farmer.

While the Indians on this reservation will not farm, the position of farmer is needed to look after the work connected with the agency and school gardens, individual allotments, land and timber, granting of patents in fee, etc., and looking after the sawmill when lumber is being sawed.

Supt. Nick Conner is honest, and takes much interest in his work and in promoting the welfare of the Indians. He wants a transfer to some point in South Dakota, and we recommend that he be transferred to some small agency in that State.

.

We found that the affairs of the office were fairly well conducted. The tract book does not show all changes in allotments, relinquishments, fee patents, rights of way, etc., and is not complete. It should be brought up to date, and the details affecting allotted lands should be noted, the entries to be made by going through the agency files and other records.

The Indians living away from the reservation are scattered through that part of the State, and some live at out-of-the-way points along the Canadian border. The rolls are inaccurate with reference to these outside Indians in that they do not always show the deaths and marriages. In making the next payment a special effort should be made to correct the rolls in this and other respects, where errors were found.

The work incident to the individual Indian accounts will be considerably less when the small accounts are closed out by paying the moneys to the Indians. The work incident to correction of the rolls and bringing the tract book up to date can be accomplished this winter before the reduction in the employees force recommended herein is completed.

There is a well-equipped blacksmith shop at the agency, and the position of blacksmith is filled temporarily just now. There are several Indians who are competent blacksmiths, and it is unnecessary to maintain a man in this position. The little blacksmithing that the agency requires can be done by hiring one of these Indians a few days. Very few of the Indians own horses, and their

blacksmithing needs are very small and can be easily taken care of by permitting the Indians to use the blacksmith shop.

The position of general mechanic is unnecessary. When repairs are needed a man can be hired temporarily. The school and agency plant is in very good repair, most of the buildings being comparatively new.

Under date of September 21, 1918, we recommended the creation of the position of interpreter and the appointment of the only man on the reservation who is competent to fill this position, the Rev. F. H. Paquette. Most of the Indians do not speak English, and those who do have a very limited education, and it is very necessary that a competent interpreter be employed in order to properly conduct the affairs of the Indians. Much of the misunderstanding and resulting ill feeling have been caused by inaccurate interpretations.

While there is considerable scattering timber on this reservation, it is mainly on a few allotments, and danger from fire does not warrant the continuance of the positions of two forest guards. The police, farmer, and other agency employees, in connection with the regular State and National forestry employees, can be depended upon to report fires when they occur, and the funds necessary will be those required to employ temporary labor when fires break out. If the above recommendations are carried out it will abolish the positions of:

480

4, 960

200

4, 760

Blacksmith_

Two forest guards, at $40 per month for six months.

Increase in doctor's salary, $200 per annum.

Net saving--

One additional clerk at the Cloquet office, at $1,000 per annum, with quarters, fuel, and light will be all that is necessary to perform the extra work required in keeping the accounts of the Nett Lake and Grand Portage Agencies.

An examiner of inheritance held hearings last year for the determination of heirs to part of the estates of deceased allottees, but there are a great many cases that he did not handle, and it is very important that an examiner be detailed to the Nett Lake Agency to bring this work up to date. The need of an examiner was called to our attention not only by the superintendent but by the Indians in council. The Indians do not understand why the examiner who was there last summer did not return this year to complete his work, and feel that the Government has neglected them in this respect. Several deceased allottees have moneys at the agency which are badly needed by the heirs, and the funds can not be paid to them until the heirs are determined. This is an additional reason for the early appointment of an examiner.

The Indians in council unanimously repudiated the general Chippewa council and its acts, and repudiated the legislative committee and its acts, and said they would not be bound by it, opposed appropriations for continuing the general council and paying its expenses, and asked also to have the appropriation of $1,000 cut off for the annual picnic held at White Earth Agency on June 14 of each year, which they said did not benefit them, but only the mixedblood White Earth Chippewas.

Instead of having the moneys used for this purpose they desire good roads and something from which they can readily receive some benefit. The vote of the council was unanimous against the general Chippewa council legislative committee and the 14th of June celebration as conducted.

Two of the old chiefs, Moses Day and John Johnson, on the Nett Lake Reservation, have heretofore been opposing the draft, and we took pains to make it plain to them that they were American citizens and interested just as much as we were in the outcome of this war, and advised them to be loyal and patriotic and not attempt in the future to hinder the Government in its war work.

The Indians at said council voted unanimously in favor of continuing their schools and agencies and to retain governmental supervision.

By your letter dated August 15, 1918, addressed to Insp. Linnen, you transmitted charges made by one Adam Vivier, a mixed-blood Indian, against Supt. Conner, with instructions to investigate same.

This year a one-story frame building, shingle roof, 16 by 20 feet, plank floor, brick foundation, was constructed as an agency garage.

Back of the school building, and in the Indian village, are well-kept school gardens in which are growing corn, beans, beets, turnips, carrots, cucumbers, and potatoes. All the crops are doing well except the onions and the cucumbers, which were badly touched by the frost.

There are 20 acres in the school and agency gardens, 6 acres in garden, and 14 in meadow. Only a small part of the forage needed for the three teams of horses is produced by the agency. It is very expensive to maintain these teams, and only two are needed. It is recommended that the other team be sold, These teams are used in hauling freight, supplies, and wood for the agency and school, and plowing gardens for the school and agency and the old Indians. The combined agency and school building is modern, except that outhouses are used, there being no sewer or water system. Owing to the large size of this building, it is very expensive to keep it heated, and the heating of it will be a large part of future expense in connection with the school. In one room the county maintains a district school for pupils from the fourth to the eighth grade, and in the other room the Government maintains a day school. The average attendance last year for the two rooms was 36. The pupils attending the Government day school has the usual clothing, shoes, and noon day meal furnished them.

Although new quarters have been furnished for a physician, the position of which pays $1,000 per annum, the place has been vacant since last November, There is no field matron at this agency.

The size of this agency does not warrant its continuance under a separate disbursing officer, and we recommend that all the positions be abolished except that of teacher, and housekeeper for the day school, physician, farmer, laborer, at $480, and two policemen at $20 per month. The salary of physician should be increased to $1,200 per annum, and he should have general supervision of the agency and school.

The accounts of the Nett Lake, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage Agencies should be kept at the Fond du Lac Agency, at Cloquet, Minn., the superintendent at the Fond du Lac Agency made disbursing officer for all three places, and have general supervision over them. By this arrangement the physician in charge of the Nett Lake Agency would be relieved of bookkeeping in connection with the cash and property accounts; the handling of necessary expendi tures, and business affairs of the agency could be done by him in addition to his medical work. In keeping up the records he would have the assistance of the farmer.

While the Indians on this reservation will not farm, the position of farmer is needed to look after the work connected with the agency and school gardens, individual allotments, land and timber, granting of patents in fee, etc., and looking after the sawmill when lumber is being sawed.

Supt. Nick Conner is honest, and takes much interest in his work and in promoting the welfare of the Indians. He wants a transfer to some point in South Dakota, and we recommend that he be transferred to some small agency in that State.

We found that the affairs of the office were fairly well conducted. The tract book does not show all changes in allotments, relinquishments, fee patents, rights of way, etc., and is not complete. It should be brought up to date, and the details affecting allotted lands should be noted, the entries to be made by going through the agency files and other records.

The Indians living away from the reservation are scattered through that part of the State, and some live at out-of-the-way points along the Canadian border. The rolls are inaccurate with reference to these outside Indians in that they do not always show the deaths and marriages. In making the next payment a special effort should be made to correct the rolls in this and other respects, where errors were found.

The work incident to the individual Indian accounts will be considerably less when the small accounts are closed out by paying the moneys to the Indians. The work incident to correction of the rolls and bringing the tract book up to date can be accomplished this winter before the reduction in the employees force recommended herein is completed.

There is a well-equipped blacksmith shop at the agency, and the position of blacksmith is filled temporarily just now. There are several Indians who are competent blacksmiths, and it is unnecessary to maintain a man in this position. The little blacksmithing that the agency requires can be done by hiring one of these Indians a few days. Very few of the Indians own horses, and their