Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay has instructed three Department of the Interior officials to meet in Portland, March 10, to ascertain the facts in a complaint raised by Indians of the Warm Springs Reservation they are not getting fair prices for the timber sold from their lands.
Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn Emmons, J. R. Armstrong, Assistant to the Solicitor of the Department, and William G. Guernsey, administrator of the Bureau of Land Management in Portland, will conduct the meeting with representatives of the Warm Springs Tribal Council and the officials of the lumber companies buying timber on the reservation.
Representations have been made to Secretary McKay that under the terms of the sales contract the Indians have with the lumber companies the prices are to be adjusted in keeping with economic conditions in the lumber industry. The Indians were represented as believing their timber justified a higher price.
Secretary McKay said the way to learn the facts in the case is to hold a hearing in Oregon and get the views and evidence of both sides of the question. The three officials will report to Secretary McKay, who has promised an early decision.
