[•Til . S28 U45 •$> * o » ^ ^o^ '*Trr.' ^0-' ^oV" ^ * o « o -^ .s. the only two things that they depend on to obtain money with which to buy the necessaries of life other than those which they obtain through hunting. A certain amount of illness has been caused by under- nom-ishment among the children, and an unbalanced ration contain- ing too much meat among the achilts. It was also necessary to furnish certain of the older Indians provisions in order to prevent famine conditions. Expenditures for relief of distress among the Florida Seminoles for the fiscal year 1921 have been as follows: Professional services of physicians ' .^332. 35 Professional services of opticians 4. 50 Hospital expenses 244. 50 Medicines 63.57 Transportation of t;ick Indians 66. 52 Telegrams relative to sick Indians 1. 11 Provisions supplied to sick and destitute Indians 1, 082. 24 Total 1, 794. 79 EDUCATION. Under this head Dr. Newberne reports as follows: It is not practicable to establish schools for these Indians so long as they remain scattered as they are at present. If they occupy their reservation, as many of them desire to do, schools can be estal)lished. How to educate the children of these ])eople without jeo]">ardizing their health is one of the greatest problems of the agency. There are no health problems or moral problems connected with the uplift wt)rk among the Seminole Indians other than that of preventing deterioration from the present attain- ments. The problems are educational and industrial in character. The first will be hard to solve, but the second, I believe, will be easy if the program of the local agency is supported by adequate appropriations. * * * I believe that the Florida Seminole Agency is in good hands and that the administrative officer is worthy of full support. INDUSTRIAL POLICY. The United States Government holds 26,741.72 acres of land for the use and benefit of the Florida Seminoles. An industrial policy has been outlined looking toward the establishment of an industrial center on the largest tract of this land (17,280 acres) situated in Lee County, about SO miles from Fort Myers. For*^the purpose of carrying out this pohcy, S20,000 was appro- priated for the year 1920 and with this money 12,800 acres of grazing land was fenced, necessary reservation buildings erected, and the interest and cooperation of the Indians estabhshed. Four thousand dollars was set aside for the purchase of a herd of cattle for the range . In order to continue the work, $15,000 was requested for 1921, but only $5,000 appropriated. The Indian Office refused to allow the purchase of the cattle because there would be no funds to carry the herd through the year, and the work came to a standstill. 6 FLORIDA SEMINOLE AGENCY. The necessary expense of maintaining tiie work during the year 1921 was approximately $7,207. In order to prevent actual famine, the Indian Office advanced $2,207 of its own funds. Seven thousand dollars has been appropriated for the year 1922 and every cent will be needed to prevent actual sufi'ering and keep the present plant from deteriorating. The idea of the industrial policy is to make these Indians self- supporting and not a constant drain upon Government funds. With the disappearance of game and the occupancy of the land by white settlers, some provision must be made for these Indians. With sufficient appropriations this can be accomplished in less than five years, while, on the other hand, small appropriations merely prevent actual suffering for the time being but give no remedy for existing conditions. They make the Indian an object of charity instead of helping him to maintain his independence and self-respect. The question is often asked: "Will the Indian accept this offer?" The answer is an emphatic yes. All labor at the industrial center is performed by Indians. With the limited resources, it is necessary to allot a small amount of work to each Indian in order that all may have a chance. While this report is being written, 50 adult males are at the industrial center working in turn as funds can be secured to pay them. If sufficient funds were provided to carry out the necessary improvements, a large majority of the Florida Indians would be there to carry on the work. The Indian is primarily ah agriculturalist, and given proper instruc- tion regarding fertilization and care of crops, improved breeding, and care of cattle and hogs he will have tlie best crops and finest herds in this part of the State. Financial report. JiKcal iitcir 19.' 1. Receipts: Appropriation siippo.rt of Seminoles in Florida .§5, 000. 00 Appropriation relief of distress and preventinp,- disease 1, 707. 00 Appropriation general expenses, Indian Service 500. 00 Total 7 , 207 CO Disbursements: Salaries and labor 4, 100. 00 Motor transportation — ■ Gasoline and oil 509. 55 Repairs and equipment 356. 64 Health and sanitation 1 , 794. 79 Fuel and lights 81. 25 Travel and per diem - . 306. 35 Miscellaneous expenses 58. 42 Total 7 , 207. 00 Attention is called to the fact that receipts from appropriations for relief of distress and general expenses, Indian Service, were provided by the Office of Indian Affairs to meet emergencies and prevent famine conditions. This work had no official claim on these funds in any way. Respectfully submitted. LuciEN A. Spencer, Special Commissioner and Special Disbursing Agent. o • "^o ^Q-v- DOB^S BROS, s-" .. -«• '°-" f" '^ ■^M-' ^^^-/ --a^ ^^-^^^' ' -•'^'•- "-^ ->^ ST. AUGUSTINE ^^^ ^ '^^^^Z V^ ^ \^^.* <,V ^^ "'.'^^^\>^/ -^ L' '^^ ^^^"32084?^' "O ^-J^V-1^=^>. ^-t, C"' .O^' ^O .-^^ . <**_ v-S>- '^. -c "'' <*:^^^ .V w" »-<^