July 8,1981 Page 13
Spilyay Ty moo
Hydro generator arrives in Warm Springs
The generator for the Warm Spring hydroelectric project recently arrived in Warm Springs. It took
over 12 hours for the extra wide, 90-ton load to travel from Portland and required special assistance
from the Oregon State Weigh Master. Special cranes (right) were used to lift the generator from the
truck and is now making its temporary home in a concrete-based silo that will keep the generator out
of the weather until it is installed early next year.
Spilyay Tymoo photos by Behrend
Smith speaks out on reservation development
“We have to strengthen tribal governments”—Smith
In an exclusive interview
with Nations magazine the day
after his Senate confirmation
hearings, Assistant Secretary
for Indian Affairs Ken Smith
said his objective “is to see
growth in reservation
economies.”
To do that, Smith said his
office and the BIA will seek to
help the tribes in finding capital
for economic development and
in identifying opportunities for
development.
Smith said that any initiative
to extend development capital
to a tribe should also make
monies available to individual
Indian developers. "We have to
attack the problem on all
sides," he said. " anything we
can do, we will do."
Smith was optimistic that
with good suggestions from
throughout Indian country his
office could find solutions to
economic development
problems on reservations.
"There are a lot of problems,
but I think we have a lot of
people out there who could
propose some solutions if we
could get them all together," he
said.
This interview appeared in
the premier issue of Nations,
which was released in June, the
specific questions and answers
of that interview as printed in
Nations follow here:
Q: We understand that you
have been running lately.
What has your schedule been
like since you arrived in
Washington?
A: “When I first came in they
started briefing me for the
confirmation. Then all of a
sudden, I was dragged into a
lot of things that required the
attention of the Secretary. That
was a briefing in itself!”
Q: Were any of those
activities related to the budget
process?
A: “I really haven’t become
involved in the budget at this
point. I am just starting to get
briefed now. Coming from the
business world, the budget is
the first thing I want to know
about. My experience is in
accounting, so I don’t think it
will take me long to review it.”
Q: If the budget is approved,
programs such as CETA, SBA,
EDA and others which help to
support tribal governments
and economic development
will go out the window. Are
there alternatives?
A: “Anytime funding is lost
there is going to be an impact in
Indian Country. I am sure that
tribes are going to be looking to
the Bureau of Indian Affairs
for support.”
Q: Do you think support will
be a forthcoming?
A: “That’s a tough one to crack,
if you take CETA as an
example: CETA is a good
program on a short-term basis
for training and employment.
But we have to start developing
other programs and new
initiatives that can build on the
long-term. These short-term
things like CETA are nothing
more than band-aids, and I
would like to see that turn
around.”
Q: Long-term building requires
capital. In the past Indians
have not had access to the
International Monetary Fund
or other vehicles for capital
formation. Do you foresee any
government help to open these
doors and promote develop
ment?
A: Indians do need help in
finding capital. Where is the
money? What are the hurdles,
and how do we overcome those
hurdles? I think that we have to
assist the tribes in identifying
opportunities. That would be
one of my initiatives.”
Q: Would a program for the
identification of development
monies extend to Indian
businessmen as well as to
tribes.?
A: “Yes, I think so. We are
not going to limit ourselves to
tribal projects, per se. Our
objectives is to see growth in
reservation economies, and this
sometimes comes from
entrepreneurs. Let’s face it, a
lot of tribal projects are not
successes. If our objective is to
increase and improve is to
increase and improve
reservation economies, I think
we have to attack the problem
on all sides. Any thing we can
do to stimulate the Indian
economy, we will do.”
Q: Would you involve Indian
businessmen as well as tribal
leaders in developing a plan to
this end?
A: “Yes, we need their input.
That would be one of the first
things we would do. There are a
lot of problems, but I think we
have a lot of people out there
who could propose some
solutions if we could get them
all together.”
Q: The BIA has stated that
the proposed block grant will
help tribes in financial
planning. How will that work?
A: “What we have proposed
is a Consolidated Tribal
Government Program, which is
a block grant concept. What we
do is put ten programs—and
hopefully we can get more
programs—into this consoli
dated program as a line item. It
will give us more flexibility
when we enter into appropria
tions. Right now a tribe has to
plan 18 months ahead of time
and put priorities down on a
band analysis. If Congress buys
our concept, tribes will be able
to sit down one or two months
before they enter into a grant
agreement to decide how they
want to spend their money.
This will provide tremendous
flexibility.”
Q: Will larger, more
sophisticated tribes have a
better chance of getting grants
than smaller tribes?
A: “We have inquiries out
now on how that money would
be distributed. One thought is
that tribes would receive the
same ratio of funding that they
have received in the past.”
Q: Then there is no chance that
small tribes will lose out to the
larger tribes?
A: “Absolutely not. I feel
very strongly about developing
financial packages for smaller
tribes mainly because they are
hurt most oy the cutbacks.
CETA workers and EDA
planners often are their entire
tribal administration. I feel that
every tribe needs a minimal
amount of money to operate
their administration. Small
tribes should get a little extra
something at the bottom line. I
will be looking for a minimal
allowance to develop this.”
Q. Then this might develop
into a new tribal govenment
program to take the place of
CETA and EDA?
A: “Yes. And this is where I
am coming from; we have to
strengthen the tribal govern
ments. We are here to promote,
to encourage, to assist tribal
government. We are going to
work with tribal governments
to succeed, because they are
going to make the decisions. In
order for us to do that, we have
to strengthen tribal govern
ments and strengthen their
fiscal management. IF they are
successful, then BIA is
successful.”
Q: “That was Ronald
Reagan’s position when he was
a presidential candidate. Is it
now his policy? Is he moving
in that direction?
A: “Yes, he is continuing in
the direction. That is the major
way we are doing to be
successful.”
Q: And you are measuring
success in economic terms?
A: “I hope that I' can
accomplish those things. My
performance is measured year
by year. I look at the bottom of
the line. If I don’t see anything
happen then I have to feel that I
¡am not doing my job.”