Every white community wants a good school and regards it as one of the first essentials. This was recognized in section 13 of the organic act of May 17, 1884, which provided That the Secretary of the Interior shall make needful and proper provisions for the education of the children of school age in the Territory of Alaska without reference to race, until such time as permanent provision shall be made for the same, and the sum of twenty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated for this purpose. The school work was put under the care of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Education, and Congress made appropriations each year for their maintenance until 1901, when the Committee on Appropriations of the House refused any more money for this purpose. The Civil Code approved June 6, 1900, in chapter 21. which allows towns to incorporate, provides for the schools in these towns by turning over to the school board 50 per cent of the licenses which are collected within the limits of the incorporation. This law on the 3d of March a year ago was further amended so as to allow 50 per cent of the licenses which are paid for business carried on outside of incorporated towns and covered into the Treasury of the United States to be set aside to be expended so far as may be deemed necessary by the Secretary of the Interior within his discretion and under his direction for school purposes outside of incorporated towns. The friends of this measure did not duly consider the authority of the courts to spend the license money and how little there might be to be covered into the Treasury of the United States. How the law is working has been shown above by the analysis of the reports of the clerks of courts. It is in the discretion of the judge to order the expenses of the court paid out of the funds of either schedule and consequently there is no certainty as to what amount of money the Bureau of Education can spend for the maintenance of schools. In trying to keep open the schools which were already in operation it has been driven to an economical policy that is discouraging and hampering to the teachers. It is forced to turn a deaf ear to the petitions for new school buildings and teachers for distant communities where the children are sadly in need of instruction. The people would rather see the license money spent for schools than for any other purpose, even if the whole amount is required. It is therefore recommended that Congress give this matter its early attention, as the providing of adequate funds for the carrying on of schools in Alaska is one of the most crying needs of the district. schools now in operation are as follows: The The United States Bureau of Education, for the purpose of elevating and assisting to self-support the Eskimo in northwestern Alaska, has for ten years been importing domestic reindeer from Siberia into Alaska for distribution among the natives in that region. In carrying out this project, well-established mission stations are used by the Commissioner of Education as media of distribution, the Commissioner regarding the missionaries as the persons best qualified to select as apprentices in reindeer herding the most reliable young Eskimo men in the vicinity of the stations, the progress made at each station being inspected by an agent of the Bureau of Education. A herd of deer, usually numbering 100, is loaned by the Bureau of Education to the mission station, the Government reserving the right, after a term of three years, of calling upon the mission station for the same number of deer as composed the herd loaned. Promising young Eskimo men are selected by the missionaries and received as apprentices for a period of five years. At the expiration of each year each native apprentice is loaned 2 female and 1 male deer. At the close of the apprenticeship, if the herder is faithful, his total loan is increased to 50 and he is at liberty, subject to the approval of the superintendent, to sell surplus male reindeer or kill them for the support of his family. At the expiration of twenty years, if a herder has remained faithful, the regulations adopted by the Commissioner provide that all the reindeer in his charge shall become his personal property, to be disposed of as he sees fit. As will be seen from the statistics, a large number of Eskimo boys have availed themselves of this opportunity to become self-supporting. This project of stocking Arctic Alaska with domestic reindeer is far on its way to success. It is a source of satisfaction to note the abatement of the storm of vituperation which in former years many illinformed individuals in sections of Alaska, far remote from the scene of operations, directed against this beneficent project for the elevation of the Eskimo. Congress has shown great wisdom in continuing from year to year the granting of appropriations for the carrying on of this experiment. Point Barrow: Reindeer in Alaska, fiscal year ending June 30, 1902. Owned by the Government Owned by Presbyterian mission and 9 Eskimo herders. Total. Kotzebue Sound: Owned by the Government . Owned by Friends' mission, Lapp, and 3 Eskimo herders. Owned by the Lutheran mission and 9 Eskimo herders. Total St. Lawrence Island Grand total... 100 423 523 194 94 288 1, 199 778 1,977 89 709 798 116 3, 702 NOTE. In addition to the above there are reindeer stations at Eaton, Golovin, Unalaklik, and Nulato, statistics from which have not yet been received. The total number of domestic reindeer in Alaska June 30, 1902, is probably between 6,000 and 7,000. DISTRICT HISTORICAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM. Two hundred and seventy-seven volumes and 143 pamphlets have been added to the library since last report. It has not yet been catalogued. The totem poles which were presented by Sanhat, the Hydah chief of Kasaan Bay, were repaired and painted and erected upon the historic point near Indian River, Sitka. Some mine owners have sent samples of ores to make the beginning of a mineral collection for the district. The following is the statement of receipts and disbursements: Statement of the receipts and disbursements of the Alaska Historical Library and Museum fund, office of the secretary of the district of Alaska, for the year ending September 30, 1902. 1901. DR. Nov. 7. H. A. Johnson, notary public $10.00 24. H. N. Rice, notary public.. A. R. Mordaunt, notary public.. 20. M. R. Huschberg, notary public 27. E. M. Andrews, notary public Dec. 2. H. H. Hildreth, notary public 1902. Jan. H. A. Ferguson, notary public L. L. Bowers, notary public.. C. S. Aldrich, notary public 24. Jennie A. Snyder, notary public. 1. Geo. Clark, notary public.. C. G. Cowden, notary public. T. P. Ryan, notary public Feb. 6. P. Abrahams, notary public.. Mar. 8. J. D. Thagard, notary public.. 17. P. D. Range, notary public C. R. Corbusier, notary public R. Blix, notary public.. John McClelland, notary public. Apr. 1. Geo. W. Dutton, notary public. 4. Allan R. Joy, notary public.. 22. F. A. Benjamin, notary public Geo. D. Clagett, notary public. C. G. McCleod, notary public 22. C. M. Johnson, notary public 29. A. C. Griggs, notary public John H. Schrechert, notary public June 21. James Tod Cowles, notary public. John N. Corma, notary public 27. Geo. S. Mearns, notary public.. July 10. N. W. O'Rear, notary public. Charles S. Johnson, notary public.. 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 July 10. James Christoe, notary public. L. A. Hunriston, notary public. John S. Wurts, commissioner deeds, Pennsylvania. 14. Wm. L. Distin, jr., notary public.. 16. W. V. Rinehart, jr., notary public. 24. Jos. P. Kelly, member bar.. V. M. Codding, notary public. H. W. Walbridge, notary public $10.00 10.00 5.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10. 00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10. 00 10.00 10.00 10. 00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 3, 212. 78 May 19. Alaskan Pub. Co., Alaskan, 1 year, from March, 1902.. July 10. S. F. Shorey, books purchased by Governor Brady, Seattle.. 12. John G. Brady. The Americus Law Book Co Edward de Groff, bill.. Aug. 30. The Prospector Publishing Co.. Sept. 3. The Ketchikan Mining Journal Total. $31.99 16.05 15.68 1.00 6.00 25.80 21.65 5.76 252.23 2.00 9.00 13.50 8.55 3.40 3.00 3.00 418. 61 |