1958-01-01 Char-Koosta News

              Stephen Peone
St. Ignatius, Mont.
CHAR-KOOSTA
PUBLISHED BY CONFEDERATED SALISH AND KOOTENAI TRIBES, FLATHEAD AGENCY, MONT.
Vol. 2 — No. 3
Jan., 1958
Tribal Loan Program Explained
The types of loans available under the Loan Program at this Agency are: Educational loans, Land Purchase, Business Loans, Housing Purchases or repairs, Farm operations, the purchase of Livestock, machinery, and the Emergency short term loans.
Indians eligble for loans must be enrolled members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and live within the boundaries of the Reservation to qualify for loans for purchasing land, purchasing or repairing houses, and productive loans, or have land or property within the reservation which can be mortgaged.
When applications are made there must be a sound plan. The loan plan must provide an acceptable living for the family, a full time job, pay operating expenses and still retire the loan over a reasonable period of time depending on the size of the operation and the amount of net profit accumulated.
Farm nnH ranch Joaji5_are wade when sufficient land fs available for an economical unit, whether the land is owned or under a long time lease. The repayment of such loans is, in most cases, on a yearly basis where the entire income comes from the farm.
Housing loans must be supported by a reasonably permanent income from labor or income that can be assigned to pay the indebtedness within the stated time. Repayments on such loams are usually made monthly where the head of the family has a permanent job and is able to make required payments to keep the loan in a current status.
Business loans are based on the volume of business which must be large enough to pay all overhead expenses and leave sufficient net profit to repay the loan in the time allowed.
Loans for operating machinery, livestock, and land purchase must also be based on sound operating practices.
Mortgages are taken on all purchases made with loan funds and any other security available to properly secure the indebtedness, including trust lands.
Per capita or Tribal payments are taken as security on loans in the event that a borrower becomes delinquent in loan payments they are held and applied on the loan.
The educational loan interest rate is three per cent and a maximum of $500.00 per year is allowed each student. There ,s also a $10.00 loan fee now required, applications are available for students to attend colleges, trade schools, and IT a s k e 1 institute for post-graduate courses. Applicants interested in educational loans must have at least one cosigner and satisfactory grades must be
maintained so that funds can be advanced quarterly. When unsatisfactory grades are reported, the loans cancelled and the money that has been advanced becomes immediately due and payable. Students who have educational loans are required to furnish the loan office with an official transcript at the end of each quarter. Educational loans become pay able nine months from the date of graduation as a student should be employed by such time and begin making payments on the loan.
The emergency short term loan program has been discontinued until after the per capita payments have been made. As each loan application requires a different approach, each applicant should contact the Credit Office in person to work out the application to be presented to the Credit Committee.
Information concerning any loans may be obtained from the Credit Department at the Flathead Agency.
TT1----
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Regina J. Parot, Clerk-Stenographer^ Credit Committee
Bernard McLeod, Arlee, Montana Louis Houle, Arlee, Montana Bernard Clairmont, Poison, Montana
Per Capita Payments To Be Mailed
The date of the 1958 per capita payment is tentatvely set for the last week in February. The checks will be mailed from Minneapolis, Minnesota to all Tribal members and to the individual's address that is now on file at the Flathead Agency.
Anyone changing his or her address between January and February 28, 1958 should write to the postmaster at their old address and request that their check be forwarded to them. The checks for those members who do not have an address on file will be mailed to he superintendent, Flathead Indain agency, to be distributed at a later date, upon request of the individual.
In the past, when the payroll and checks were made up by the Tribal office it wasn't necessary to type in addresses, on the payroll and the date of payment was usually sometime in January. Under the present Indian Office program addresses of all payees must be listed thereby requiring more time and work to complete the payroll. After the payroll is completed by the Tribal Office it is sent to Minneapolis, Minn, and the checks are written and mailed from that office.
The Tribal Office requested permission to handle the payroll and issuance of checks as they had done before. Apparently, some official dusted off a copy of Indian Office regulations and decided that per capita payment procedure wasn't as it should be. This could be construed
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have not yet reached a complete state of competency and are inept at handling our own funds; a good point to remember when liquidation pressures are applied.
Therefore, the date of per capita payment will be when you receive your check, via the mail.
Committee Appointed to Advise Members on Land Transactions
Superintendent Spencer has appointed a committee composed of the following government employees to make recom-'mendations on programing ftrtnds derived from the sale of capital assets and to make recommendations on land transaction applicants: Mr. Morrell Thompson, Real Property Officer, Chairman. Elizabeth Shipman, Social Worker. Carl B. Shaddox, Soil Conservationist. Ernest V. Beaver, Loan Examiner.
The Tribal Council was requested to appoint a member to the Committee. The Council appointed Mr. Walter McDonald and Mr. Jerome Hewankorn to represent them.
Capital Assets are land, oil, timber and other items which would decrease the value of the estate and could not be replaced annually.
The Committee recommends the degree of supervision and the wise expenditure of funds after planning with the individual Indian. The programs may be modified after consideration by the committee as a whole.
Other money over which the Superin-
tendent has jurisdiction come within the scope of duties of the Committee. Cases of this category are:
1. Minors who have money in their Indian Money Accounts.
2. Funds of an adult, non-compos mentis, or under other legal disability.
3. Funds of deceased Indians.
All individuals who come before the committee are advised that an appeal can be made within thirty days to the Area Director and thence to the Commissioner within a like period, if aggreiv-ed at any action taken by the Superintendent-Action taken on land sales or patent-in-fee applications is to assure that it is to the best interest of the owners of the land to sell their land, that all questions are answered clearly and that the applicant meets competency standards. The standards of competency are reasonable in that no applicant is expected to show in excess of the minimum acceptable standards in a similar non-Indian community.