1972-11-17 Char-Koosta News

              How Per-Capitas Are Made
Dixon (Char-Koosta): Nobody will   take the Kerr Dam rent adjustment per capita checks for granted—its hard to snort at $2,000. However, many tribal members may not know how much work is involved in getting the money processed and mailed
The checks, which will be mailed out on the 24th of this month, came from a lump of $11,249,913.81 paid by Montana Power to the tribe in July. The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled the utility owed the tribe the money for increased rent on the Kerr dam site going back to 1959. The precent setting court battles which resulted in the rent increase started in 1966 when the Federal Power Commission upped the annual rent $711,625—but that is all history. Right now the Tribal Headquarters in Dixon is busily converting one large check (now to over $11,300,000 from interest) into 5,681 per-capita checks.
According to Tribal Treasurer Ruby Christopher, the process of paying out per capita dividends starts with the tribal roll books. New members have to be added and addresses have to be updated. Mrs. Christopher says this is an ongoing process but that many people do a great deal of moving around and current addresses have to be double checked.
After the rolls are brought up to date and there is a pretty good idea of how many members are eligible for the dividends, the enrollment is divided into the lump sum to determine how much money each member will receive. In this case the Tribal Council decided to pay each member an even $2,000 which may mean that there could be a little left over or some money might have to be taken from the General Fund to make up the difference.
Next, tribal credit, tribal court and federal offices are notified about the payment and asked to post claims on out standing debts. These claims are entered in the payroll book
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Council Condemns Indian Protests .. mrt
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Dixon (Char-Koosta): The Tribal Council of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes voted last Friday to authorize a statement concerning the activities of Indian at Bureau of Indian Affairs Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and else where in the country.
The motion to send out a press release on the tribe's position as offered by Councilman Fred Whitworth, Arlee, stated 'The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes do not support and never authorized anyone to represent them during the demonstrations which have taken place during the past weeks."
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tion the release should not only be sent to local newspapers but also to the Congressional Delegation and the President of the United States.
The motion carried unanimously. Councilmen Pat Left-hand, Elmo, and Tom "Bear-head Swaney, St. Ignatius, were absent from the meeting.
Salish, Kootenai, Pend 'd Orielles Tribes
KOOSTA
Volume 2, Number 14
Elders Drop Education & Employment
Dixon (Char-Koosta): In a
squeaker vote last Friday, the Tribal Council abandoned its plans to take over the BIA offices of Education Specialist and Employment Assistance Officer.
The four to three vote Friday rescinded resolution 4311 passed September I which • started a series of negotiations between the tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs which would have resulted in the assumption of the two offices under contract. The contract, as explained Friday by Albert Renne,Reservation Administrative Officer, would have turned the BIA budget for the offices over to the tribe but would have kept ultimate responsibility for the administration of the offices with BIA. He said the contract would have been mutually revokable.
The motion to break off the negotiations was offered by Jim Ely, Ronan, (who was absent when the proposal was first made) and was seconded by Councilman Fred Whitworth (who voted against the negotia-
(cont: on page II)
MOON OF AUTUMN  17
PRICE 10c
Valley Unit Will Be Sold At Oral Auction
Dixon (Char-Koosta): The
36,326 acre, 81.3 million board foot Valley Logging Unit will be opened to oral bid auction January 12,1973.
The Tribal Council decided Friday to open the Valley Unit to oral auction because this system provides a greater leverage in obtaining the highest possible bid. Bureau of Indian Affairs Forester Bob Miller explained that the tribe will not be committed to accept either the high bid or be compelled to negotiate with the high bidder under the ground rules of oral auction.
The Valley Unit, which is located south of Dixon atop the Valley and Revaise Creek drainages, is the largest proposed cut in the history of the reservation. Of the 36,326 acreas of forest within the boundaries of the unit, only 19,380 will be cut during the eight year program. The remaining 17,000 acres, according to Miller, will be left standing to provide recreational lands, game ranges and upper water-shed storage.
The Council also opened the five million board Toot Kashua Peak Logging Unit to Indian
preference bids. This 740 acre unit is to processed under a new "commercial thinning" program which is designed to contribute both to forest management and the tribal coffers. Currently, a commercial thinning operation is being completed on the dry forks salvage unit above Hot Springs by tribal member logger LeRoy O'Bennick.
The Council decided Friday to break the nearly 50 million board foot Hot Springs Unit into three smaller packages. The split, as approved by the Council, would make one 25 million board foot unit and two 12 and one half million board foot units. The two smaller units, by Council Action, would be given Indian preference
Lucy Pellow Finley
Arlee (Char-Koosta): One of the four remaining "children of the Bitterroot"—Salish Indians born in the Bitterroot Valley, the tribe's traditional homeland, before Chief Chariot and his band moved to the Flathead in 1891—is dead.
Lucy Pellew-Finley, the
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