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ALLAN HARPER: A little over a year ago I found myself on the Navajo. I found myself meeting with the Advisory Committee. There were a Chairman, Vice-Chairman and nine members of the Council. I spent a great deal of time with these eleven men and two of them have come to this convention. I was asked to convey to you the regrets of Sam Akeah, Chairman, and of the other members of the Advisory Committee who planned to come together. They found themselves in a series of public hearings with the Navajo on a revision of the grazing regulations. Sam Gorman is probably one of the greatest story-tellers of the Paul Bunyan type, that the Navajo has had. He has travelled throughout the United States. He speaks three languages. He comes from Salinas Springs.

ADDRESS OF SAM GORMAN.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: You people represent many Indian tribes from all over our nation. There was once a time, not really very long ago, when your people lived in their own way. But as time went on, conditions kept changing, and your people had to change with them. Today you and your people are no doubt making a good living for yourselves. You went to school, and your children are all in school. But your grandfathers, and perhaps even your fathers, were once faced with many of the problems that now face my people, the Navajos.

You, the National Congress of American Indians, have understood well the needs of the Navajos. You have given us a lot of help. You helped while the Long Range Program was being drawn up, and you have continued to help until finally it has become a law. We want you to know that we appreciate what you have done for us. 

You may be interested in knowing that we expect to receive $12,000,000 for work this year under the ten-year program. By the end of the year, our school at Shiprock, New Mexico, will be brought nearly to completion. There will be room for 500 additional children, or 880 in all. We hope that it will be possible next year to convert five of our day schools to boarding schools. That will make room for more children, and will make it possible for them to attend school more regularly.

The 28-bed hospital we have at Tuba City will be made larger. It will be made into a 75-bed hospital, and a Public Health Field Unit will be set up over there, too. This will be a good start in attacking the health problems of our people on the western side of our Reservation. In addition to this, they will begin making plans this year for the building of a 400-bed tuberculosis sanatorium at Fort Defiance, Arizona. We need such a sanatorium very badly because a great many of my people are sick with tuberculosis. All these things will be a real beginning. 

Also, during this first year under the Long Range Program, a road will be nearly completed across the Reservation, from Window Rock to Tuba City, and the road from Window Rock to Fort Defiance will be completed. There will be increased work in soil conservation. Water wells will be developed where there are none now. And we will have a larger loan program

                             
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