Navajo times. [volume], February 01, 1961, Image 1

About Navajo times. [volume] (Window Rock, Ariz.) 1960-1984

Image provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

                
PRICE 10c
FEBRUARY, 1961
Tribal Council Hears
Reservation Economy
Reservation economy, education,
resources, welfare, and reloca
tion programs received the bulk
*f the emphasis in a report made
the Navajo Tribal Council, now in
session, by Glenn R. Landbloom,
general superintendent of the Na
vajo agency.
Lanobloom told the council he
believed that planning and es
tablishment of a tribal planing
commission to work with his of
fice in developing recommenda
tions for improvement of oppor
tunities for the Navajos would be
advantageous.
Delving into reservation econo
my, he cited efforts for improve
ment in the last two years, but
said despite these efforts, reser
vation economy “not only remains
at a sub-standard level, but with
the continuing drought and un
employment is getting worse, I
believe.”
He said that education efforts
•ffer a partial solution for young
er people, and development of bus
iness enterprises and industries
near the reservation capable of
employing Navajo workers also
helps, but “these efforts so far
have contributed very little to the
economy of the Navajo people.”
He suggested a request for au
thority to carry on all construct
ion on the reservation to assure
Reservation Motel
Plans Held Lagging
Paul .Jones, chairman of the
Navajo Tribal Council, told the
council, in session at Window Rock
that he is disturbed because the
tribal program of motel construc
tion throughout the reservation is
bogged down.
The Navajos have placed con
siderable emphasis on attracting
tourist trade to the reservation’s
beauty spots, especially with con
struction of highways across the
tract.
Jones said he had been advised
by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
that the master highway construc
tion program will be finished with
in a year and a half. He quoted
Secretary of State Stewart Udall
as saying this present road plan
is “only the beginning.”
Jones told the councilmen that
“unless we act quickly (on motel
accomodation construction; visit
ors to the reservation on our new
highways will be without proper
accomodations.”
He said that if this situation ex
isted, tourists would be forced to
rush across the reservation to find
food and lodging off the reserva
tion by nightfall. In addition .to
what he termed ill-will, he felt
this situation would mean the loss
sf millions of dollars in tourist
business. 1
Jones, said he would like to sel
motels and restaurants at Window I
Rock, Crownpoint, Chinle. Tuba
City, Kayenta and the Four Cor
■ers.
He said he was dubious about
•xpenditure of tribal funds for this
"VOICE OF SCENIC NAVAJOLAND"
Published Semi-Monthly By The Navato tribe—Window Rock Arizona
a maximum employment of Nav-|
ajo people. |
“If congress appropriates mon
ey for the construction of the Na-I
vajo irrigation project, for neces
sary schools, clinics, roads and
other improvements, and if a large
share of the wages paid to labor
can go to the Navajos there should
be a significant improvement in
reservation economy, Landbloom
asserted.
In education, Landbloom con
tended, great strides have been
made in the last ten years, but
“we still have a long way to go.”
He said the reservation has fa
citilities for 17,000 children ages
six through 12, but by 1963 he esti
mated the figure would be 22.000.
The bureau operates 73 reserva
tion schools but only six can offer
instruction in grades one through
six. Os the remaining 67, 51 do
not go beyond grade three.
He cited overcrowded conditions
and said “we need new dormitory
construction to accomodate 7.516
people if we are to provide the
boarding schools for all children
age six through 12. We need to
build 200 new classrooms and ex
pand 26 existing classrooms to
bring them up to acceptable stand
ards.
“For children aged 12-18 years,
it is important to us that we be
purpose and added that special
ists in the tourist field said it
would be possible for outside cap
ital to build and operate such tour
ist facilities. He cited victory for
the Navajos in getting the 99-year
lease provision approved as an
important factor if this plan is
followed.
He told the council that the ad
visory committee, at suggestion
of the Navajo Tribal Parks Com
mission, has set aside the Tsgei
Canyon area as a Navajo Tribal
Park. Additional parks will also
be requested, be added.
Jones also said restocking of
reservation with game is continu
ing in cooperation with the New
Mexico Fish and Game Commis
sion, with 59 deer from Los Ala
mos being transplanted in the last
30 days from the mountain area
above Naschitti.
Jones said the livestock pro
gram despite weather was enlarg
ed by 50 percent more livestock
than had been expected. Disaster
feed grain programs and hay pro
grams have been instituted to aid
livestock men.
•
Chi the progress sitfe of the led
ger Jones included operation of
the new Window Rock airport, ne
gotiations with the Federal Hous
ing authority with a view toward
benefiting from that agency’s pro
gram for new housing on the res
ervation, and progress of the new
sawmill with dedication tentative
let set for September 7, the open
ing day of the Navajo Tribal Fair.
I allowed to retain every available
I seat in the off-reservation board
ing schools, even though for per-I
I haps the next two years we may
not be able to use them all.”
Bordertown dormitory program!
would be used for junior and sen-i
ior high school students.
And Bloom uiged that the road
construction program continue asi
planned and that efforts to obtain j
funds for the construction of the
Navajo irrigation project also
continue.
“We should re-evaluate our po
tential for industrial development
on the reservation to utilize reser
vation resources as well as man
power,” he declared.
On welfare, Landbloom said
there is a need to restudy needs
and make such adaptions as are
necessary to cope with this “many
sided problem”. He also urged an
“attack on problems involving ne
glect or abandonment of children,
juvenile delinquency, alcoholism
and the like”.
Despite the need for reservation
development Landbloom pointed
out, it would be well to realize
the importance of the relocation
program for those Navajo people
who possess the education and
skills necessary to compete in the i
outside world and who want to
leave the reservation area.
“It is doubtful,” he continued,
“that we can ever develop the
reservation area to the extent that
it will offer a standard living to j
all Navajos for all time. We can
make it capable of supporting
more people than it can support
at present, but the population is
growing at the rate of at least
1,900 per year, and some must
look elsewhere for a living.”
j Landbloom also went into hand-
I ling of tribal funds. He said, “I
(have not said anything about trib
'al self-help programs, financed
from tribal funds. There remains |
the question of what you should do
for yourselves with your own re
sources.
“If employment opportunities on
the reservation can be improved
the need for direct welfare should
decrease and you should not need
to invest as much money as you
now. do ir» public works welfare
programs.
“I- hope that you might be able
then to develop a carefully worked
out financial program to control
the use of tribal funds. I would
hope that such a plan would pro
vide for keeping the cost of oper
ating the tribal government and
essential tribal programs well
within the annual revenue of the
tribe.”
He said the money now in the
treasury is capital rather than rev
enue. He urged investment, per
haps in the U S treasury, at least
enough that the interest would sup
port tribal government and essen
tial programs.
Landbloom also recommended
consideratioon of use of tribal
funds for financing and operation
of a necessary reservation revolv
ing credit program, either under
federal or other type of regula
tion.
Contract Awarded
For Eight Miles
The Department of the Interior
today announced award of a con- i
tract calling for construction of
8.2 miles of roadway, furnishing
and placing drainage structures,
base course and bituminous sur
facing starting at Marsh Pass, ap
proximately 38 iqiles northeast ot j
Tuba City, Arizona and running
northeasterly towards Kayenta,
Ariz.
This section of road is part of
Navajo Route 1, for which author
izing legislation was provided by
the Anderson-Udall Bill.
Completion of the 8.2 miles ad
dition tb the Bureau of Indian Af
fair’s extensive road construction
program on the Navajo Reserva
tion will provide a total ot ap
proximately 78 miles of paved
highway from U. S. 89 north of
Arts, Crafts Bill
Goes to Senate
SANTA FE (Special) An en
forcement provision for New Mex
ico’s Indian Arts and Crafts Sales
Act was in the Senate today for
' concurrence after its passage in
lh e House Wednesday by a vote
of 48-16.
i
Sponsored by the San Juan and
McKinley delegations in the House,
the bill No. 157 is expected
to be referred to the Senate Public
Affairs Committee before it is de
| bated on the floor.
The bill features a licensing and
inspection provision which ran into
opposition on final House passage.
Rep. Finis Leroy Heidel ol Lov
ington attempted to introduce a
floor amendment which would
have cut out the provision entire
ly. A motion to table the amend
ment indefinitely in effect kill
ing it was made by Rep.
Matias L. Chacon of Espanola and
was accepted.
In arguing for the bill, Rep.
Dean Kirk of McKinley County
said it simply will provide a means
for enforcing the existing law I
which was passed in the 1959 leg
islature.
The bill had been amended in
the House Appropriations and Fi-i
Teachers Take Title
Thriller In Overtime
The Window Rock Teachers em
erged victorious in the Navajo In
vitational Tournament last night
by taking a 50-45 overtime win i
over Foutz Service of Gallup.
Gilbert Montoya sank a free toss
with the score 45-44 in favor of
Window Rock at the end of regu-1
lation play to send the game mtoi
overtime.
The Teachers rallied in the three 1
minute overtime to hold Foutz i
Service scoreless and net five
points for the triumph.
Foutz Service appeared on the
way to victory at the half as they
powered their way to a 29-18 ad
vantage. The determined Teach
Flagstaff, extending northeast
through Tuba City toward Kay
enta.
Construction of Navajo Route 1
has aroused wide interest because
of the rapid deve.opment ot me
Four Corners oil field to the norm
east and the fact that the north
ern part ol the Reservation and
State of Arizona had no improved
highway. When complete, thin
route will be a short cut from
southwestern Colorado to the
Grand Canyon the West Coast and
the entire northern part of the
Navajo Reservation.
H. E. Lowdermilk Company of
Englewood, Colo., was the success
ful bidder, with a low’ bid of $903,-
i 560.23 other bids were submitted,
I ranging to a high of $1,179,945.05
nance Committee to provide that
$lO licensing fees will be paid into
the general fund and that an ap
propriation will be provided for
an inspector under the Commis
sion on Indian Affairs.
Livestock Grain
From Government
The Navajo Tribe has again re
quested and received livestock
feed grain from the U. S. De
partment of Agriculture Commod
ity Credit Division for the pur
pose of feeding their sheep, goats
and cattle through the winter. This
is the fourth program since 1906
and much has been learned of the
value of this feed. Although the
Government has seen fit to give
this grain to the Tribe, it still
cost the Tribe a lot of money to
get it out of the individual stock
men (over $500,000 for last year’s
program). The stockmen who ap
preciates this grain uses it wisely
by feeding it properly with as lit
tle waste as possible. He seeks
to store it in a manner so that
it is protected from the weather
and rodents insofar as possible.
■i ers, one of the host teams in the
I session, battled back to trim the
lead and force the game into a
j tie.
A foul called in Foutz Service’s
favor pt Ihe cud of regulation play
I gave Montoya a chance to try a
j pair of free tosses. The first shot
| missed the mark, but Montoya
j made good on the second to throw
I the contest into overtime.
■ Foutz Service held a 43-38 lead
with four minutes remaining in
‘ regulation play, but were able to
score only two points in the eight
remain'ng nrnP.es un 'er the pres
■ I sing defense of the Teachers.
VOLUME I
biuu 11