JANUARY 13, 1978 PAGE 5
Ken Smith Notes Give & Take
of Federal Reserve Involvement
As a newly reappointed di
rector for the Portland branch of
the Federal Reserve Bank of
San Francisco, Confederated
Tribes General Manager Ken
Smith feels he is on a “two-way
street.”
“ I have something to give
them ,” he said, which is a
monthly report on the economic
conditions of the Central Oregon
area, including the reservation.
“And it’s a valuable experience
for me to get involved in a
central banking system. It keeps
me on my toes,” said Smith.
Being aware of regional and
national economics is essential
for sound planning for the Con
federated, Tribes, noted the gen
eral manager.
Smith, 42, is beginning a
three-year term on the board, to
which he was first appointed in
January 1976. The San F ran
cisco bank is one of twelve
banks in the Federal Reserve
system, which regulates the flow
of money through most Ameri
can banks.
The four branches of the San
Francisco bank are located in
Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles,
and Salt Lake City. In the Port
land branch Smith is one of
seven directors, three of whom
are bankers and four non-bank
ers.
Branch vice president Ange
lo S. Carrella said that the bank
seeks board members who rep
resent a diversity of back
grounds. Smith is the only
American Indian in the.Federal
Reserve System.
A board member’s main re
sponsibility is to provide the
bank with economic information
in his area of expertise and geo
graphical region at monthly
meetings. This information is
sent to San Francisco to be
compiled into an economic pro
file of the whole district, which
GENERAL MANAGER
KENNETH SMITH
covers most of the west as well
as Hawaii and Alaska.
Directors are also asked to
offer opinions on the Federal
Reserve System, to review bank
operations, and approve bud
gets. The boards are principally
advisory bodies, said Carrella.
In turn, directors may use
what they have learned to act as
spokesmen for the system, “in
forming the non - informed”
through public appearances and
other means.
Smith gathers information
on Central Oregon to present to
the board on a monthly basis. He
reports on the accomplishments
of. the Confederated Tribes, their
impact on the local economy,
and the clim ate of the timber
and tourist industries.
He also has business con
tacts throughout Central Oregon
who keep him abreast of the
economic situatidn in their area.
Of the central part of Oregon,
Smith commented, “everything
is booming,” with the exception
of the recent drought’s effect on
agriculture."
A direct benefit of Smith’s
bank involvement is the broader
perspective he brings to the
Tribes, said the general mana
ger of eight years. Making de
cisions about the Tribes’ future
is easier with some knowledge of
the economic scene. Smith has
even been inspired to brush up
on financial theory as evidenced
by a brand new textbook about
money atop his desk.
An important side benefit of
his work for the board is the
building of positive public rela
tions between the Tribes and
other communities. Solidifying
business contacts and increasing
the exposure of the Tribes works
to the benefit of the reservation
and its growth. Smith noted that
his role as a director in the
Federal Reserve system gives
him more credibility as a tribal
leader even in the eyes of other
tribes.
Note From
The Clinic
Smith’s time commitment is
minimal. Once a month he
spends half a day in Portland at
Due to difficulties encount
a board meeting. He attends the ered in processing laboratories
annual meeting in San F ran for physical examinations done
cisco (1% days) and usually one on Friday, physical examina
other meeting per year at the tions will not be scheduled on
main branch (1% days).
Fridays.
He said that he always tries
All physical examinations
to schedule other meetings or will be by appointment Mondays
conferences in the city he will be ' through Thursday only, so time
in to make the most of his time. may be properly allotted and
The Federal Reserve bank pays needed laboratory examinations
for transportation and per diem. anticipated.
Smith is also an active
Thomas J. Creelman, M.D.
board member for the American
PHS Indian Health Center
Indian Travel Commission and
sits on the Oregon State Board of
Education.
Activity Calendar
January
13 - Volleyball games for Lillie Heath family who lost their home in a
fire last week.
16 - Title IV Part A Parent Committee Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at thè
Warm Springs Grade School modular unit; all parents
encouraged to attend.
21 - Boxing team at Nespelum, Wash.
20, 21, 22 - Boys 18 and under Basketball tournament at Muckleshoot.
24 - General Council Meeting, Agency Longhouse, supper at 6 p.m.
Meeting, 7 p.m.
27, 28, 29 - Old Duffers at Tahola.
28 - Boxing matches at community center (tentative).
February
2 - Public Education Meeting, Agency Longhouse, 7:00 p.m.
Snacks at 6:30.
Ä
' ß
Council Approves Zone Change, Bids Opened
For Industrial Park Construction
Bids for construction of a
new Assembly Plant and Vehicle
Pool at the new Industrial Park
were opened yesterday (Thurs
day at the Community Center.
The five bids ranged from
$502,000 to $720,000.
December 14, the Tribal
Council approved the zone
change designating that area by
Fire Control as industrial in
conformance with the guidelines
of the Reservation Comprehen
sive Plan.
Construction of the first
phase of the project is being
financed through a $638,750
Local Public Works grant from
the Economic Development Ad
ministration.
Phase one of the project
consists of construction of the
Assembly Plant and Vehicle
Pool at the Industrial Park
which is located between the two
warehouses and the main road
in front of Fire Control.
Architects Reddick - Brun -
Moreland Associates have com
pleted the drawings for the
structures which have been re
viewed and approved. It is
anticipated that construction
The site for the new Industrial Park is situated between the two
will begin as soon as the weather warehouses and the road in front of Fire Control. Council has
permits.
approved the zone change from agricultural to industrial.
Sandy Rangila Photo.
Meeds Will Not Seek Re-Election
U. S. Congressman Lloyd
Meeds (D-Wash.), whose recent
bills on tribal jurisdiction and
water rights have come under
attack by Indians nationwide,
announced last December 22
that he did not intend to run for
re-election in November 1978.
This is an “irrevocable deci
sion,” said Meeds, and he has no
plans to run for any other office.
When asked by the press
about accepting a federal judge-
ship, Meeds said that he would
be “open” to such a position if
offered to him. It is not known
whether Senators in his state
have approached Meeds on this
yet, or even if there is a judge-
ship available.
Meeds, a 15-year veteran of
Congress, barely hung on to his
office in the last election,
squeaking by with 528 absentee
ballots. Although fear of losing
the next election apparently was
not a factor in his decision,
Meeds admitted that election
dynamics have influenced him.
One of his three reasons for
withdrawing from the race, as
revealed at the December 22
news conference, was the dilem
ma of campaign funding. Meeds
felt that the large donations
needed for a Vi million campaign
had strings attached. “Donors
are not investing in just good
government,” he said, pointing
to “clearly implied obligations.”
Meeds expressed disappoint
ment in the failure of legislation
that would have provided for
public financing of elections.
Meeds has found campaign
politics figuring into his work as
a legislator in other ways.
“ What I ’m trying to do is
often overshadowed by conjec
tures about my reasons for
doing it,” he said, offering
another reason for withdrawal.
He said this was especially
true for his introduction last fall
of two pieces of legislation that
seem to contradict his previous
efforts in Indian Affairs. This
move was considered by many
as. an effort to win back anti
treaty rights constituents whose
disaffection for his stance on
Indian matters had jeopardized
the last election.
Meeds said he would like to
see his proposed legislation con
sidered on its own merit and he
hopes that his withdrawal will
direct attention to the content of
these and other bills.
Meeds has, proposed, h itl^
regarding northwest regional
power and Alaskan claims, the»
motives for which have also
been attacked.
He mourned the “unhealthy
cynicism about politicians re
sulting from Watergate.”
The third reason Meeds of
fered for his decision not to run
was more personal. He said he
would like to be free to pursue
some favorite pastimes he has
neglected, such as hunting and
fishing.
Professionally, Meeds is
considering starting a private
law practice in Everett, Wash
ington, but has made no deci
sions yet.
Spilyay Tymoo talked with
Meeds’ press aide John O’Leary
about the proposed legislation
that has marked Meeds’ alleged
“turnaround.” O’Leary saw
H.R. 9950 (Omibus Indian Juris
diction Bill) and H.R. 9951
(Quantification of Federal Re
served Water Rights for Indian
Reservations) as fully consistent
with Meeds’ position through the
years.
H.R. 9950 would limit tribal
jurisdiction to self-government,
preventing any control of non-
Indians. H.R. 9951 provides for
the “quantification” of Indian
water rights according to levels
of use in the previous five years
and the extinction of aboriginal
rights beyond those identified
amounts.
According to O’Leary,
Meeds has been and still is a
strong supporter of Indians on
social issues such as health and
education. But he has always
felt sovereignty and jurisdiction
of Indian tribes should be limit
ed.
In a 1965 speech before the
Washington State Indian Coun
cil, Meeds stated that Indians
cannot be “a part of as well as
apart from” American society.
There is a limit to how insular
and autonomous a tribe can be,
he said.
These attitudes were rein
forced when Meeds participated
in the American Indian Policy
Review Commission. Recent
legislation is a by-product of the
minority report he ordered to
the commission.
Tribal lobbyist Jay Edwards
commented on the fate of
Meeds’ legislation in light of his
withdrawal intentions.
He felt that the bills will
have to move in this session of
Congress or not at all, unless the
bills can find other sponsors.
The w ater rights bill might be
popular with Southwestern Con
gressmen, he said.
But Meeds may choose to
“make a last ditch effort,” said
Edwards, and leave office with a
victory under his belt.
There are several candi
dates who have announced their
intentions to run for Meeds’
office of Congressman for the
Second District. They are John
Nance Gardner (R) who nearly
upset the last election by coming
within 528 votes of beating
Meeds; Theodore Roosevelt
Hickel Jr. (R),a city councilman
from Linwood Washington; Rod
Chandler (R), a state represent
ative; Brian Corcoran (D), who
is Senator Henry Jackson’s
press secretary; Dick King (D),
who is currently the house ma
jority leader in the state legis
lature; Barney Goltz (D), a
state senator; and August Mard-
shich a State Senator who was
recently indicted and acquitted
on extortion charges.
All candidates are reported
ly sym pathetic with attitudes
such as Meeds’.