OPA

Appointment of Herman E. O'Harra as superintendent of the Hopi Indian Agency, Keams Canyon, Ariz., was announced today by Acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs W. Barton Greenwood.

The new appointee will take over January 28 succeeding Clyde W. Pensoneau, who joins the Indian Bureau's extension staff in Washington. Mr. O’Harra, who has been administrative officer in charge of the Pima Area Field Office at Sacaton, Ariz., for the past four years, came with the Bureau originally in 1931 as farm agent at the Crow Agency in Montana. Over the following 21 years he served as agricultural extension agent at the Menominee Agency in Wisconsin, the Klamath Agency in Oregon, and the Carson Agency in Nevada. He was born at Weston, Oreg. in 1895 and attended Oregon State College.

Mr. Pensoneau has been superintendent at Keams Canyon for almost two years. Before that he had 13 years' experience with the Bureau in extension work at agencies in Utah, Nevada and Arizona. He was born at Jones, Okla., in 1914 and is a graduate of the Oklahoma A & M College.

More Indians are being educated and receiving aid in voluntary relocation than ever before in history, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay pointed out today in commenting on the annual report submitted by Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L, Emmons.

The Indian Commissioner told of the increased emphasis which the Department placed on Indian education and the voluntary relocation, as well as other facets of the Bureau's many-sided program for the year just ending,

Two other activities, formerly with the Indian Bureau, are receiving greater emphasis under a revised setup. The Public Health Service, which took over the improvement of Indian health on July 1 as authorized by Congress, has set up a special division for Indian health in its organization. In other fields, the Bureau has entered into contracts with various State farm and home extension units where Indians live to take over activities locally which were formerly handled by the Bureau.

By expanding education facilities for Indian youth, the Department is solving the problem of providing school instruction for the youngsters who want and need it. In the Navajo county, where 13,000 children were out of school just two years ago, the enrollment was stepped up, through the Department's Navajo emergency education program, from 14,765 at the end of fiscal year 1953 to 23,679 in fiscal 1955, All told, education is being provided for over 100,000 Indian children across the Nation in public schools, Federal schools operated by the Indian Bureau, and by mission schools on or near the reservations.

More Indians sought and received help in relocating themselves and their families in 1955 than ever before. Under the voluntary relocation program, Indians are aided in moving off their reservations to better employment areas, and helped to find jobs and housing. About 3,500 Indians were assisted to relocate during 1955. This included 2,656 persons in 708 family groups, and 805 unattached men and women, The total number of relocatees represents a 60 percent increase over any previous year since the program was begun in 1952.

Commissioner Emmons reported good progress in 1955 in carrying out the provisions of 1954 laws which provide for eventual termination of Federal trusteeship and special services at six tribal jurisdictions. In one of these areas, the Alabama-Coushatta of Texas, Federal responsibilities were brought to an end on June 30, 1955.

Other tribes affected by such laws were the Menominee Tribe of 'Wisconsin, the Klamath Tribe of Oregon, a number of bands and groups in Western Oregon, the mixed-blood Utes of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation of Utah, and four Paiute Bands of Utah. The preparation of tribal rolls, when called for by Congress, was made by the tribes or by the Department of the Interior when one tribe could not agree which names should go on the roll. The rolls designate those Indians who are entitled to a share in the tribal assets. Arrangements were made by the Bureau with State educational authorities in Wisconsin, Oregon and Utah for adult education courses to help the members of the tribe to earn a livelihood, to conduct their own affairs, and to assume their responsibilities as citizens without special services because of their being Indians.

Aside from termination, the Bureau continued its long-range rehabilitation program for the Navajo-Hopi Indians of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. The program, now in its fifth year, took further strides in education, conservation and survey of resources, irrigation and road improvement.

Social workers among the Indians helped provide foster homes for children of broken families, and helped find suitable guardians to watch over their affairs and property.

In the irrigation activities of the Indian Bureau, some 8,300 acres of new lands were provided with irrigation facilities; and, the expansion of other irrigation facilities provided another 19,500 acres with a stable and supplementary water supply.

The Bureau's forestry branch supervised the cutting of 518 million board feet of Indian lumber, which had a value of over $8.5 million.

The Bureau entered into contracts with 11 of the 18 States where it has extension and home demonstration programs for the States to take over the projects formerly handled by the Indian Bureau. Extension workers under this program assist the Indian in adopting better farm practices1 improving crop varieties, controlling insects and plant diseases, bettering the condition of their soil by fertilizing, and in producing better livestock.

The Bureau continued to build new and improve old roads on reservations. In 24 States, the Bureau graded and drained 264 miles of reservation roads, surfaced 349 miles, and constructed 950 running feet of bridges. In addition, the Bureau built 172 miles of new roads. The Bureau's road maintenance program for the year just past included surface maintenance, snow removal, flood damage repairs, and repairs to bridges on 18,446 miles of Bureau roads.

A credit program for those Indians who were unable, because of a lack of acceptable collateral or for some other reason, to obtain financing from private sources was maintained by the Bureau. The Bureau's credit program is conducted mainly from two funds - tribal money and a revolving loan fund appropriated by Congress. For the first time in history, the amount of tribal funds used for credit purposes exceeded the amount of loans made from Government money.

The building program conducted by the Bureau was mainly the providing or expanding of school facilities for youngsters who previously had no satisfactory school opportunities.

The Arts and Crafts Board continued to promote the economic welfare of Indians by focusing education on better commercial methods, encouraging high quality products, and protecting the Indians and the buying public from cheap imitations.

Only guardians appointed under State law will be entitled to receive the property of enrolled members of the Klamath Indian Tribe of Oregon who are minors under the laws of the State where they reside or otherwise incompetent to manage their own affairs, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay said today.

The Secretary's statement was made to clarify the Department's position on one important phase of the readjustment program which is now being carried out at the Klamath jurisdiction under Public I.aw 587 of the 83d Congress, the so-called ''Klamath Termination Act." Section 15 of the law directs the Secretary to "protect the rights of members of the tribe who are minors, non compos mantis, or in the opinion of the Secretary in need of assistance in conducting their affairs."

Under the law adult members of the tribe will eventually have the option of deciding, on behalf of themselves and their minor children, either to withdraw their proportionate shares of the tribal estate or to remain in the tribe and participate in the benefits of the tribal management plan. Since about half of the approximately 2,000 enrolled members are minors, there has been a question about who could receive the property on behalf of such members.

Secretary McKay's clarification was made following conferences held in Washington with departmental and Indian Bureau representatives by John Brugman, Assistant Attorney General of Oregon, and Andrew Juras, Oregon State Director of Child Welfare. Glen Wilkinson, attorney for the Klamath Tribe, also participated in these conferences.

Under Public Law 587 the Federal trust relationship to the affairs of the tribe and its members is to be terminated on or before August 13, 1958. Following termination Oregon State laws will apply in all respects.

In an effort to learn more about the problem of alcoholism among Indians, and how to deal with it more effectively, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons today announced the appointment of a special three-man commission which will begin in the near future a three-month study on the Navajo Reservation (of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah) and other Indian reservations of New Mexico and Colorado.

Appointed to the commission were O.K. Armstrong, Springfield, Mo., former member of Congress; Earnest A. Shepherd, Avon Park, Fla., administrator of the Florida State Alcoholic Rehabilitation Program; and Rev. David A. Works, North Conway, N. H. Miss Selene Gifford, Assistant Commissioner (Community Services) of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will serve as an ex-officio member.

In announcing formation of the commission, Commissioner Emmons pointed out that most Indian reservations have not up to now had the benefit of facilities and services for dealing with alcoholism which are available in many non-Indian communities throughout the country. The underlying purpose of the commission 1s study will be to take the first steps toward an eventual filling of this gap. If the results warrant, similar studies may be undertaken later in other Indian areas.

Initiation of the new study, Commissioner Emmons emphasized, does not mean that the Bureau advocates any change in existing Federal law governing sale of alcoholic beverages to Indians. The present law, he added, was enacted in 1953 to eliminate old statutory provisions which discriminated against the Indians solely on the grounds of race.

While the commission's study will be conducted under general supervision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the United States Public Health Service, which has been responsible for health work among Indians since last July, will take part by providing technical assistance and cooperation.

Mr. Armstrong, in addition to representing the South District of Missouri in the 82d Congress, has had a long and noteworthy career in both journalism and public service. For the past 12 years he has been a staff writer for the Reader's Digest and has contributed numerous articles to other magazines and periodicals. Following military service in World War I he did welfare work in Europe for two years and later taught journalism from 1925 to 1930. In 1931 and 1932 he was executive secretary of the Missouri Century of Progress Commission and subsequently was secretary of the Missouri Farmers Association Committee on Taxation. Beginning in 1932 he served three terms in the Missouri House of Representatives. In recent years he has been a world traveler and lecturer on international relations. He was born in Howell County, Mo., and is a graduate of Drury College, Springfield, Mo.; Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tenn.; and the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri.

Before moving to his present position in Florida in 1954, Dr. Shepherd served for seven years as Director of the Division on Alcoholism of the New Hampshire State Department of Health. He has also been both a fellow and lecturer at the Yale School of Alcohol Studies and served as chaplain of the New Hampshire State legislature in 1945. Following his graduation from the School of Theology at Boston University in 1934, he was pastor for 13 years at Methodist churches in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. He was born at Mount Sterling, Ohio, and has a bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a master's degree from Boston University.

Reverend David A. Works has been rector of Christ Church in North Con-way since 1948. Prior to that he was for three years seminary assistant at Christ Church, Alexandria, Va. In 1952 he successfully urged the general convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church to establish a Study Committee on Alcoholism, the first action of this kind to be taken by a national religious body. For the following three years he served as assistant to the chairman of the Committee, Bishop Charles F. Hall of New Hampshire.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1920, Mr. Works served with the Marine Corps in World War II. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me., Virginia Theological Seminary, and the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies.

Appointment of Kenneth F. Lee and Dr. Ebbe Curtis Hoff, both of Richmond, Va., as members of the Indian Bureau's special commission to study alcoholism in selected Indian areas of the Southwest was announced today by Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons.

Mr. Lee, who is Director of the Division of Alcohol Studies and Rehabilitation of the Virginia Department of Health, and Dr. Hoff, Medical Director of the same Division, will join Rev. David A. Works, North Conway, N.H., the commission chairman, and Ernest A. Shepherd, Avon Park, Fla,., whose appointments to the study commission were announced Feb,. 2. Former Missouri Congressman O.K. Armstrong, whose appointment was also announced Feb. 2, has subsequently indicated that pressure of personal affairs will make it impossible for him to serve.

Mr. Lee has been in his present position since 1948. Before that he served for over 18 years with the Virginia State Department of Education, first as district supervisor of physical education and health, later as assistant director of adult education, and from 1936 to 1948 as area supervisor of vocational rehabilitation. For a period of several months in 1933 and 1934 he was superintendent of a CCC camp for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A native of Richmond, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Richmond in 1927 and a master’s degree from New York University in 1933,

Dr. Hoff, like Mr. Lee, has been in his present assignment for the past eight years. His career before that time included teaching positions at Oxford University in England, Yale University School of Medicine, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Medical College of Virginia. In 1939 and 1940 he was assigned to a number of hospitals in the defense area of London, England. From 1940 to 1943 he was a research assistant in aviation medicine with the National Research Council attached to the department of physiology at the Yale School of Medicine, From 1943 to 1946 he served in the medical corps of the United States Naval Reserve, first as lieutenant commander and later as commander. He was born at Rexford, Kansas in 1906 and was graduated from the University of Washington with highest honors in 1928. He holds numerous degrees from Oxford University including a doctorate in medicine and a doctorate in philosophy.

Appointment of Charles B. Rovin as Chief, Branch of Welfare, Bureau of Indian Affairs, succeeding Robert W. Beasley, who resigned effective March 1, was announced today by Commissioner Glenn L. Emmons.

Mr. Rovin, a trained social worker, first came with the Indian Bureau in 1950 as placement officer in the area office at Muskogee, Oklahoma. After one year in this assignment he was transferred to relocation work in the Washington office and eventually became assistant chief of the Branch of Relocation. Since last August he has been detailed to the United States Public Health Service to participate in a survey of Indian health and related matters. His career before joining the Bureau included work with the Bureau of Public Assistance of the Social Security

Board, the International Refugee Organization, the Office of Military Government for Bavaria, the Chicago Relief Administration, and the American Red Cross. He is a native of St. Louis, Mo., and has degrees from the University of Missouri and the University of Chicago.

Mr. Beasley came with the Bureau in early 1952 as a program officer and later that same year was named head of the Welfare Branch. Previously he had about 16 years' experience with the Social Security Board and also several years of earlier experience with State and local relief agencies in Illinois, Colorado, and Wyoming. He was born in Linton, Indiana, and is a graduate of Washington State College and the University of Chicago.

The White Mountain Apache Indian Tribe of Arizona and the Hale Adams family group from the Hopi Reservation, also in Arizona, have been honored by the Department of the Interior with Conservation Service Awards, it was announced by Secretary Douglas McKay today.

The White Mountain Apaches were cited for their excellent work in juniper eradication, and the Hale Adams family group for adopting more productive farming methods and promoting them among their Hopi neighbors.

The White Mountain story goes back 16 years to 1940, when the tribe realized that juniper was cutting down on the productivity of their grazing lands. During these past 16 years, the tribe has spent more than $410,000 in ridding their range of this nuisance, and eight cattle associations among the Indians have added another $70,000, by digging out the juniper with axes and hoes and fire, the tribe has cleared about 72,000 acres and has greatly improved the grazing conditions.

The Hale Adams family group, comprised of Mr. and Mrs. Hale Adams, five daughters, two sons, three sons-in-law, and two daughters-in-law, received an award for improving their land usage during the past ten years to gain high agronomic and cattle production. The family group has 15,360 acres of grazing land and 60 acres of farmland.

The Secretary stated his pleasure at the family’s fine exhibits at the 4-H Achievement Day on the Hopi Reservation, at the Navajo County Fair and the Navajo Tribal Fair. Members of the Adams family have also fostered better grazing and farming techniques among their fellow Indians.

Letters of congratulations have been sent to Lester Oliver, chairman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe at Whiteriver, Ariz., and Mr. Hale Adams at Polacca, Ariz., by Secretary McKay and Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L. Emmons. The Outstanding Indian conservationists will receive certificates from the Department of the Interior at appropriate ceremonies in the near future.

Regulations to govern the leasing of unassigned land on the Colorado River Indian Reservation in western Arizona until August 14, 1957, were announced today by Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay.

The regulations were promulgated under authority of a law enacted last August 14 which covers leasing of these particular lands for a two-year period. Under the regulations the duration of leases for nonagricultural (public, religious, educational, recreational, residential, or business) purposes will be determined in each case by the requirements for amortization of the capital to be invested. Where circumstances justify, such leases may be made for as long as 25 years and renewals for not more than an additional 25 years may be made with the consent of both parties.

Agricultural leases, however, are limited to 10 years except in cases where the production of specialized crops or the development of soil or water resources would require substantial investments which would, in the judgment of the Secretary or his authorized representative, justify longer leases up to a maximum of 25 years. Because the beneficial ownership of the lands on the Colorado River Reservation is involved in a claim now pending before the Indian Claims Commission, the law and regulations set up special procedures governing the disposition of rental income from these lands.

All income received prior to August 14, 1957, and prior to determination of beneficial ownership of the lands, from land in the so-called "northern reserve" and on the California side of the Colorado River may be expended for the benefit of the Colorado River (Mohave and Chemhuevi) Tribes and their members.

During this same period income from land in the so-called "southern reserve” may be expended for the improvement and development of these lands.

Income received after August 14, 1957 is to be held in a special account until beneficial ownership of the lands is determined.

Income received after this determination has been made is to be held in trust or the beneficial owners of the land from which the income was derived and is to be expended as otherwise authorized by law.

Retirement of John M. Cooper on March 31 from the position of area director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Billings, Mont., was announced today by Commissioner Glenn L. Emmons.

In making the announcement Commissioner Emmons paid tribute to Mr. Cooper's record of service with the Bureau over the past 21 years. This included two years as area director at Billings, three years and six months in comparable positions at Aberdeen, S. Dak., and Anadarko, Oklahoma, and one as director of Indian Bureau participation in Missouri River Basin Investigations.

Prior to 1950 he had assignments as director of the Bureau's Southwest Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory, Fort Wingate, N. Mex.; assistant superintendent of the Navajo Agency, Window Rock, Arizona; and superintendent of the Wind River Agency, Fort Washakie, Wyo. Before joining the Bureau, he worked with the United States Department of Agriculture for 14 years on sheep breeding and allied research programs, He was born in 1899 at Canyon, Texas, and is a graduate in animal husbandry from the University of California,

After March 31, Milton A. Johnson, who has been a member of the Billings staff for the past 13 years and assistant area director since 1954, will serve as acting area director until further notice

A new set of regulations on the leasing of Indian lands held in trust by the Federal Government, which will permit leasing in some cases up to 25 years, in line with a Congressional law enacted last August, was announced today by Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay.

Under the old law, Secretary McKay explained, most leases of Indian land were limited to a five-year period although longer leases were permitted in some cases.

“Because of this limitation," he continued, “there has been for many years little or no interest in leasing Indian lands for business, recreational or other purposes involving substantial investments which can be amortized only over a comparatively long period. As a result, many Indian landowners have been deprived of valuable rental income on properties which are well situated for long-term leasing. The enactment of last August and the new regulations are designed to correct this inequitable situation and permit the leasing of Indian lands for their highest and best purposes."

The duration of leases for nonagricultural (public, religious, educational, recreational, residential, or business) purposes will be determined in each case by the requirements for amortization of the capital to be invested. Where circumstances justify, such leases may be made for as long as 25 years and renewals for not more than an additional 25 years may be made with the consent of both parties.

Agricultural leases, however, are limited to 10 years except in cases where the production of specialized crops or the development of soil or water resources would require substantial investments which would, in the judgment of the Secretary or his authorized representative, justify longer leases up to a maximum of 25 years.

Grazing leases may be executed for as long as 10 years where substantial developments or improvements are involved.

Apart from the matter of term, the only other major change from the old leasing regulations is a restriction against the payment of rentals more than one year in advance of the lease's effective date. Exceptions to this requirement may be authorized in unusual cases by the Indian Bureau’s area directors.