Form 3347
Rtqutstttf
A 7 -.
11
BULK RATE
U. S. POSTAGE
PAID
Ptrmlt No. 2
I ."''" . ' ' l I'll l
CHILOQUIN, OREGON
VOL 4 NO. 1
KLAMATH INFORMATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
January 1959
Tribal Property Reappraisal Completed;
Timber Worth Reduction Noted As
Total Value Set at 90 Million Plus
As announced by the Dept. of
Interior on Jan. 14. 1959, under
the reappraisal ordered 1y Con
gress Klamath tribal lands have
now been appraised as having a
realization value of $90,791,123.
The new appraisal total figures
out to about $44,000 for each, of
the 1,659 withdrawing tribal
members and also includes real
ization values of land that will
be administered for the nonwith
drawing members.
In a Congressional enactment
of last August, which required
the reappraisal, the "realization
value" of the tribal property was
defined as "the fair market value
of the forest and marshlands as
if they had been offered for sale
on a competitive market without
limitation on use during the in
terval between the adjournment
of the 85th Congress" and the
final date of termination of Fed
eral trusteeship of the Klamath
properties, which is August 13,
1961.
The $90,791,123 figure was ar
rived at by adding to the realiza
tion values of the forest and
marshlands the appraised values
of grazing and farm units and
other miscellaneous parcels.
In February 1958, the prop
erties of the Tribe, including cash
assets, were appraised at $119,
758,029. Since then, however, cash
distributions have been made
which amount to more than
$1,000 for each tribal member.
Under terms of the law the
review was made by three ap
praisal firms. They arc Hammon,
Jensen and Wallcn, Oarland,
Calif.; Higlcy and Fciss, Kugene,
Ore. and Marshall and Stevens.
Los Angeles, Calif. The new fig
ure is an average of their com
putations. Since the original appraisal and
the recomputation, timber market
prices for pondcrosa pine dropped
about 15 percent. That contrib
uted to the decrease in appraised
value. Moreover, all three firms
participating in the reappraisal
had lower final totals than the
original estimate by Western
Timber Services, Areata, Calif.
Another factor in the appraisal
decrease was the fact that cash
distributions had cut into the
tribe's cash assets since the orig
inal appraisal.
U. S. National Bank
Chosen Mgt. Trustee
The Dept. of Interior has an
nounced the selection of the LI. S.
Xat'l Hank of Portland as trustee
to manage the property of the
remaining Klamath tribal mem
bers under provisions of the
termination law.
According to the announce
ment, the management area con
sists of 144,690 acres. Much of the
property is forest laud with 971
million board feet of ponderosa
pine and mixed species. Also in
cluded is almost 8,000 acres of
marshland as well as some farm
land and open range.
The U. S. Xat'l Hank was se
lected from two proposals as its
plan involved lower service fees
to be paid by remaining members.
, As explained in the summary of
the tentative management plan
put out by the management spec
ialists in 1957, the trustee's main
functions will consist in sustained
yield sales of forest products and
of the accounting and distribution
of funds derived therefrom. Also
mentioned as important steps to
.be accomplished at an early date:
a. The trustee should decide
whether it is advisable to develop
the areas of farm land and
marsh ...
b. The trustee should decide
whether it is advisable to develop
a wood using industry to increase
the per cent return on an overall
wood growing, wood utilization
investment . . .
c. The trustee must devise some
method for use of the range re
sources by participating mem
bers . . .
WITHDRAWEES MEET; LOAN APPROVAL
CLARIFIED, DIRECTORS' COMMITTEE SET UP
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The Directors' Committee for the withdrawing group, its originally
set up, included, seated left to right: Marie Norn's, Clarice Lotchcs,
Leonard Moore, Dclford Lang and Arlen David; and standing:
Wilbur Crim and Isom Mitchell. Crim later resigned and was re
placed by Patrick Shclp.
The withdrawing members un
der the chairmanship of Dclford
Lang held three general meetings
during January, all at the Klam
ath Agency council house.
At a meeting of Jan. 2, the
proposed loans to withdrawing
members provided the main topic
of discussion. F. I). Windsor, at
torney under contract with a seg
ment of the withdrawing group,
presented the latest information
on the loans, gathered from a
phone conversation between the
area office and the Secretary's of
fice, the import of which was that
loans would be granted to mem
bers of over H degree blood for
their livelihood, .such loans to be
made from the revolving fund.
At the close of. the meet
ing Chairman Lang named a
seven - member committee to
work with attorney Windsor,
Named on the committee were
Wilbur Crim, Isom Mitchell, Del
ford Lang. Leonard Moore,
Clarice Lotchcs. and Arlen David
(sec cut).
The status of the loans also
played a big part in the Jan. 16
meeting, when attendance was in
the neighborhood of 250. Letters
from Senator Xcubcrgcr's office,
dated Jan LJ and 14, and an en
closed cop of a letter from the
Secretary to Sen. Xeuberger,
were read. In the letter of Jan.
LI regret was expressed that
there had been a delay in trans
mittal of details concerning the
loan approval and in the letter of
Jan. 14 it was noted that the
"... Interior Dept. is considering
legislation to permit loans to be
made from the revolving fund to
withdrawing members, of less
than onc-(iiartcr degree of Indian
blood so as to avoid discrimina
tion in the making of loans to
withdrawing members".
The letter from the Secretary
to Senator Xeuberger contained
much the same information as
conveyed in the (juestions and
answers on the loan given on
page .V
Mr. Walker of the credit dept.
of the HI A area office was called
on to provide additional details
on the loans. Walker indicated
that the area office's information
on the loans was substantially as
given in the letters. He affirmed
that the basis of the loans would
be the amount of the per capita
(Continued Page 3, Col. 2)