HEARING BEFORE SUBCOMMITTEE OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS CONSISTING OF MESSRS. LOUIS C. CRAMTON (CHAIRMAN) INTERIOR DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATION BILL, 1928 HEARING BEFORE SUBCOMMITTEE OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS CONSISTING OF MESSRS. LOUIS C. CRAMTON (CHAIRMAN) COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIXTY-NINTH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION MARTIN B. MADDEN, Illinois, Chairman DANIEL R. ANTHONY, JR., Kansas. WILLIAM S. VARE, Pennsylvania. WILLIAM R. WOOD, Indiana. LOUIS C. CRAMTON, Michigan. EDWARD H. WASON, New Hampshire. WALTER W. MAGEE, New York. GEORGE HOLDEN TINKHAM, Massachusetts. BURTON L. FRENCH, Idaho. 'MILTON W. SHREVE, Pennsylvania. L. J. DICKINSON, Iowa. FRANK MURPHY, Ohio. JOHN W. SUMMERS, Washington. HENRY E. BARBOUR, California. ERNEST R. ACKERMAN, New Jersey. II MAURICE H. THATCHER, Kentucky. FRANK CLAGUE, Minnesota. ROBERT G. SIMMONS, Nebraska. JOSEPH W. BYRNS, Tennessee. JAMES P. BUCHANAN, Texas. JAMES A. GALLIVAN, Massachusetts. GORDON LEE, Georgia. BEN JOHNSON, Kentucky. CHARLES D. CARTER, Oklahoma. EDWARD T. TAYLOR, Colorado. WILLIAM B. OLIVER, Alabama. MARCELLUS C. SHEILD, Clerk 347719 INTERIOR DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATION BILL, 1928 HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE, MESSRS. LOUIS C. CRAMTON (CHAIRMAN), FRANK MURPHY, BURTON L. FRENCH, CHARLES D. CARTER, AND EDWARD T. TAYLOR, OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, IN CHARGE OF THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1928, ON THE DAYS FOLLOWING, NAMELY: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1925. BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS Mr. CRAMTON. We will take up now the hearings on the estimates for appropriations for the Department of Interion for the fiscal year 1928. In order to suit the convenience of Commissioner Burke and Assistant Commissioner Meritt, we will take up first the items pertaining to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Commissioner Burke explained to me on Saturday that he had been subpoenaed to appear in connection with some ligitation pending in a court in New York City and hence could not be with us to-day. The customary statement of the commissioner will, therefore, be taken later, and we will proceed this morning immediately with the items as they appear in the bill. OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER STATEMENT OF EDGAR B. MERITT, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER Mr. CRAMTON. The first item is a follows: SALARIES-EMPLOYEES TRANSFERRED TO SECRETARY'S OFFICE For the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and other personal services in the District of Columbia in accordance with the classification act of 1923, $352,580. Mr. MERITT. We offer the following justification for this item: SALARIES, BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS This item provides for salaries of employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington and the amount requested is $3.420 less than the amount authorized for the current fiscal year. This reduction is accounted for by reason of the transfer of two employees, now on detail, to the Secretary's office. The salaries of these employees are $1,560 and $1,860, respectively. With the transfer of these two positions to another roll the estimates provide for 180 employees in the Indian Office for the fiscal year 1928. During recent years the clerical force of the Indian Office has been very greatly reduced as shown by the following table: 1 |