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The natives have shown that the government pays them much less for their work than the minimum wage that the government requires every interstate business man to pay to his employees.  The NCAI is insisting that these wages be increased to an amount commensurate with the value of the work these men perform and their cost of living, which is very high.

Pyramid Lake

The attempt of Senator Pat McCarran of Nevada to force the Paiute Indians to sell their land at bargain prices to white men who for years have "squatted" on them in violation of law, continues to be blocked at the time of this writing.  This has occurred largely through the efforts of the National Congress of American Indians and Senators Douglas, Humphrey and Williams.  If this bill fails to pass the Senate during this session, it will be the first time in many years that it has not done so.  At all previous sessions, Senator McCarran has been able to get the bill through the Senate but it has been blocked in the House.  This year, it appears that it will not even pass the Senate.  If it is blocked again this year, it is hoped that it will not again be introduced.

Social Security

The struggle for equal treatment for the Indians of Arizona and New Mexico has gone forward.  The policies of the Social Security Board were established prior to the last convention, but the two states mentioned continue to resist.  The State of Arizona refused to care for Indian crippled children, and the Social Security Board cut off their funds.  There is a rapidly developing drive to obtain the enactment of legislation to shift the burden of Indian social security from the states to the federal government.  There is cause for fear, if Arizona and New Mexico are successful that other states, in the Northwest area, will try to do the same thing.  Arizona and New Mexico have been successful to some extent, in that the Navajo Rehabilation Bill provided for eight percent contributions by the federal government to social security by Navajos.  This ground was lost.  We should try not to lose any more

Tribal Organizations

One of the reasons that superintendents are able, very often, to dominate tribal councils, is that the constitutions of these tribes provide for the most important work of the council to be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior.  Where this is true, as Judge Johnson said last year about the Mescalero situation, self government "is a farce".  Some tribes are now seeking to have their constitutions changed so that various powers of the councils can be exercised without getting approval of the Department.  In my opinion, the NCAI should give its support to those tribes that ask for such changes.

Tribal Funds

This subject is partly covered in our separate  legislative report which is the August issue of the Bulletin.  But new developments have occurred, which require separate treatment here.  We all know that in 

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