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DISCUSSION PERIOD WITH COMMISSIONER RYER, MORNING SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1950

Question, Boyd Jackson, Klamath Agency, Oregon
If the Reservation Superintendent and Area office will have authority levels, when will these authority levels be made public so that we may be permitted to know how much we can expect of the area office?

Answer: It will have to come on a step by step basis. We are now in the process of revising procedures and manuals and hope the first one of this group will be out within--well, it should be out by this time. It has to do with handling land procedures out here. The work has been done on it. I hope we can get action having to do with Individual Indian money. It is going to take a little time. We will do it as fast as we can and hope it will be nearly completed by January 1. 

Question, Boyd Jackson, Klamath Agency, Oregon.
With reference to the Area office in the handling of its district, will the Area Office be sufficiently staffed in order to avoid bottlenecks?

Answer: Too many things have had to go to Washington. I think we can do a great deal to speed up the job.

Question, Joe Hillaire, Lummi, Washington. 
I believe that throughout the Indian Service the Indians have been concerned about treaty claims. We have hired attorneys at high expense and I wonder why it is impossible for the Indian Department to serve as the Indians' attorney. 

Answer: I don't know the answer to that one. The policy has been established by Congress. It has set up Indian claims Commission and provided for approval by the Bureau of Attorneys contracts. 

Question, Bill Howard.
Is there a way of going past the Superintendent to the area office or the Washington office?

Answer: Yes, use the mail or make a trip.

Question 
A lot of people don't know who to write to to get information.

Answer: Write to your Area Director. In this area it would be the Area Director in Portland. 

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