weather and landing conditions for the information of airplane pilots. Through special permission granted the Office of Indian Affairs in 1937 by the Interdepartmental Radio Advisory Committee, radio stations may be established in Indian Service schools and hospitals. without the issuance of licenses, for communication with each other and administrative headquarters through the Signal Corps System. Although the teacher must purchase and install at his own personal expense the radio equipment necessary for such a station, 42 stations have already been authorized to operate as Indian Service stations. These communication facilities are making the Alaska Indian Service more efficient and economical in saving lives and preventing accidents. The Indian Service had in operation 115 small day schools, two boarding schools, and eight small hospitals. School facilities have yet to be provided for a third of the Indian and Eskimo population of Alaska.

Expansion of the educational and health facilities is underway with the construction of 4 new small community day schools, two 32-bed hospitals at Kanakanak and at Tanana, and accommodations for a dispensary and nurse's or physician's quarters at Nulato, Klawock, Tetlin, and Hydaburg.

In Alaska, as elsewhere in the Indian Service, natives receive preference in employment, and those having the necessary training are rapidly promoted and given permanent positions as soon as vacancies occur. Among the 205 teachers and 73 special assistants on the educational staff last year were 1 native principal, 27 native teachers, 10 apprentice teachers, and 13 native special assistants.

In all building, native labor is employed wherever possible with only a minimum of white labor.

Tuberculosis is still the most serious disease among the natives, and there is urgent need for establishment of a large tuberculosis sanatorium. Out of a total of less than 200 beds in the present eight Federal hospitals, only 32 beds are reserved for tuberculous patients. In addition to a sanatorium, new hospitals are needed particularly at Ketchikan, Seward, and in the Norton Sound region.

Conrad L. Wirth, Representative, Department of the Interior Advisory Council, Civilian Conservation Corps

SIX bureaus of the Department of the Interior charged with respon

sibility for the protection of resources vital to the strength and defense of the Nation gave supervision during the year to Civilian Conservation Corps projects for the conservation of these resources and their development for the national welfare. In so doing they also contributed to the general program of rehabilitation and training of the young men enrolled in the C. C. C. An average of 485 camps operated under the Department during the year.

GENERAL LAND OFFICE CAMPS

Five camps assigned to the General Land Office worked under supervision of the Oregon and California Administration on projects for proper execution of the sustained yield forestry management of approximately 2,500,000 acres of revested Oregon-California Railroad grant lands in western Oregon. Conservation of the forest resources of these lands through fire protection and reforestation was a principal objective, while the corps also helped in efficient utilization of these resources. The whole sustained yield program in this area will be advanced through a C. C. C. road construction program making a large percentage of the area accessible, thus permitting the sale and removal of older and fire-killed timber to satisfy the demands of industry while leaving the younger and more thrifty growth to reach maturity and proper merchantable size.

Control of outcrop fires in valuable Federal coal deposits in Wyoming was continued under the supervision of the General Land Office in the Little Thunder Basin region. During the year, 13 separate coal bed fires were worked upon, 6 of which had been worked on previously. Three of these projects were definitely completed and work is progressing satisfactorily on the others. One fire of recent origin was taken out completely in 16 working days. There remain several other coal bed fires near Gillette upon which work must be done to prevent the destruction of this irreplaceable natural resource. The operation of these General Land Office C. C. C. camps is

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financially sound, because the cost of the camps will be returned many times to the Nation's wealth through increased protection, more efficient utilization, increased stumpage values, and conservation of forest values.

INDIAN C. C. C. PROGRAM

No section of the American people has received greater or more direct benefits from the C. C. C. program than the Indians. This program, in which thousands of them have been cooperating under the Office of Indian Affairs, has been one of conservation and protection of their own homelands on 71 reservations. Wages earned have provided Indians with current necessities of life and means for improving home conditions. The quality and standard of their work have improved. Safety and health have been emphasized both on the job and in the home. The C. C. C. has improved the mental attitude and physical condition of thousands of Indians who have had something to do and have given a fair day's work for a fair day's pay.

Basic structures for conservation of land and water and preservation of such resources as timber stands and forage cover have been undertaken under the C. C. C. program on the reservations. Water holes have been improved on Indian cattle ranges. Many dams constructed furnish water for livestock, refuges for fish, waterfowl, and animals; irrigation for subsistence gardens; and recreation. Ranges have been fenced. Much erosion has been prevented. New lookout towers, trails, and telephone lines have been built for the protection of resources from fire.

C. C. C. training among Indians has built up an important "second line" for national defense. For instance, more than 1,000 pieces of heavy mechanized equipment are operated and kept in repair by enrollees. More than 1,500 other automotive machines, trucks, cars, trailers, motor patrols, etc., are in continuous service on the projects. The Indians have built and are maintaining 7,000 miles of telephone lines. More than 8,000 miles of truck trails have been built and are being maintained, and more than 1,000 bridges have been constructed, involving important engineering training. A full program of first-aid instruction is being carried out. Experience in camp administration has been gained in the operation of 25 camps which house and board Indian C. C. C. enrollees.

Work in Reclamation

Valuable assistance in the program of the Bureau of Reclamation for the irrigation of millions of acres of western lands for agricultural use was given by the 44 camps allotted to this agency. Rehabilitation

of the distribution system of older reclamation projects continued to be the principal C. C. C. activity, although a large portion of enrollee time is being devoted to work related to the development of new areas and to experimental programs seeking to improve the conservation of water for irrigation purposes.

Most of the work on reclamation projects is of a construction nature, affording valuable training for the enrollees. Projects involve the building of many concrete water-control structures, lining of canals, clearing of reservoir sites, etc., requiring the operation of a fleet of trucks, tractors, scrapers, compressors, and similar mechanized equipment. The number of pieces of heavy equipment assigned to each reclamation camp is the second largest per camp assignment in the Department of the Interior. Operation and maintenance of this equipment under the difficult field conditions encountered on many reclamation projects and in coordination with the regular work programs is providing an unusual opportunity for the specialized training of hundreds of enrollees in a type of work fundamental to national defense.

An outstanding C. C. C. achievement of the year under Bureau of Reclamation supervision was completion of the Duchesne feeder canal diversion dam and headworks on the Moon Lake project in northern Utah. Another completed project included the raising of Clear Lake Dam on the Klamath project in Oregon. The Hackberry Draw flood-control project on the Carlsbad project in New Mexico, also was finished. Another accomplishment was the construction of the Elephant Butte fish hatchery on the Rio Grande Federal reclamation project in southern New Mexico. This project will be of great recreational value by providing fishing in a section remote from natural fishing areas. Other recreational areas developed during the year include those at Walcott Park at Minidoka Dam in southern Idaho; Alcova Reservoir on the Kendrick project in central Wyoming; and the Nelson Reservoir on the Milk River project in northern Montana. Several heavy construction jobs were completed by the enrollees during the year, such as the building of the Alkali Creek inclined drop on the Shoshone project in Wyoming, involving production of 1,800 cubic yards of 6-inch concrete lining and 1,900 linear feet of 6-inch vitrified tile. On the Heart Mountain Canal on this same project, four large timber bridges were completed on the new operating road.

ACTIVITIES IN NATIONAL PARKS

During the fiscal year 90 camps were maintained in national parks and monuments, 198 in State, county, and metropolitan parks, and 22 on Federal recreational demonstration areas. Since the inception of

the C. C. C. there have been 198 camps established in 94 national park and monument areas in the continental United States, and 697 in 881 State, county, and metropolitan areas. In supervising this work the National Park Service has cooperated with 47 States, 35 counties, and 73 municipalities.

Camps were established for the first time in Badlands (S. Dak.) and Chaco Canyon (N. Mex.) National Monuments, Saratoga (N. Y.) National Historical Park project, and Kings Canyon (Calif.) National Park. Important historical restoration projects were carried on at Fort Pulaski (Ga.) and Bandelier (N. Mex.) National Monuments, Acadia (Maine) National Park, Shiloh (Miss.) National Military Park, and Colonial National Historical Park, Va.

Locations and plans for fire lookout towers were approved for seven National Park Service areas, and those in Shenandoah (Va.), Great Smoky Mountains (Tenn.), and Mesa Verde (Colo.) National Parks were completed. Preservation of archeological features and additional archeological reconnaissance work were continued at Ocmulgee (Ga.) National Monument.

Work accomplishments in areas of the national park system during the year included construction of 112.4 miles of fire breaks, tree and plant disease control work on 18,670.3 acres, the building of 72.1 miles of truck trails and minor roads, and 1,806 check dams. A total of 34,812 enrollee man-days was spent on 12,697 acres in the national parks of California for eradication of ribes for white pine blister rust control.

TRAINING IMPORTANT FEATURE

Enrollee training has been an important part of the C. C. C. program under National Park Service direction. During the year 95 percent of the technical personnel participated in both on and off the job training of enrollees, involving approximately 170,000 instructorhours and 1,600,000 enrollee-hours. The fact that nearly 5,000 enrollees, most of whom possessed no special skills prior to joining the C. C. C., found jobs in private industry is largely due to this training.

Much importance was placed upon accident-prevention methods in the operation of trucks and other mechanical equipment, with a resultant reduction of 13 percent in the number of lost time and fatal accidents compared with the 1939 fiscal year, and nearly 18 percent reduction in the severity rate for the same period. Special emphasis was placed upon forest-fire protection by teaching the enrollee proper conservation practices, the proper handling and inspection of fire tools and equipment, and safe practices on the fire line.