FLORIDA SEMINOLE AGENCY. 0

 I saw a little boy in the Lee County Memorial Hospital at Fort Myers who had been
successfully operated upon for inguinal hernia under a general anesthetic, this opera-
tion being the first ever performed upon a Seminole under anesthesia.
 The barriers are giving way and the Seminoles are seeking the benefits of civiliza-
tion. May they never know its vices. *
 When the Indians congregate on their reservation it will be feasible to employ
regular medical services for them, but until that time the present arrangement should
remain in force.
 The year just closing has been a season of distress for many of the
Seminoles. There was no demand for fur or alligator hides, the only
two things that they depend on to obtain money with which to buy
the necessaries of life other than those which they obtain through
hunting. A certain amount. of illness has been caused by under-
nourishment among the children, and an unbalanced ration contain-
ing too much meat among .the adults. It was also necessary to
furnish certain of the older Indians provisions in order to prevent
famine conditions.
 'Expenditures for relief of distress among .the Florida Seminoles for
the fiscal year 1921 have been as follows:
Professional services of physicians.................................... $332.35
Professional services of opticians.................................... 4.50
Hospital expenses...................................................... 244.50
Medicines............................................................ 63.57
Transportation of sick Indians.......................................... 66.52
Telegrams relative to sick Indians ..................................... 1.11
Provisions supplied to sick and destitute Indians......................... 1,082.24
 Total................... ........................................ 1,794.79
 EDUCATION.
 Under this head Dr. Newberne reports as follows:
 It is not practicable to establish schools for these Indians so long as they remain
scattered as they are at present. If they occupy their reservation, as many of them
desire to do, schools can be established. How to educate the children of these people
without jeopardizing their health is one of the greatest problems of the agency. There
are no health problems or moral problems connected with the uplift work among the
Seminole Indians other than that of preventing deterioration from the present attain-
ments. The problems are educational and industrial in character. The first will
be hard to solve, but the second, I believe, will be easy if the program of the local
agency is supported by adequate appropriations. I believe that the Florida
Seminole Agency is in good hands and that the administrative officer is wn thy of
full support.
 INDUSTRIAL POLICY.

 The United States Government holds 26,741.72 acres of land for
the use and benefit of the Florida Seminoles. An industrial policy
has been outlined looking toward the establishment of an industrial
center on the largest tract of this land (17,280 acres) situated in Lee
County, about 80 miles from Fort Myers.
 For the purpose of carrying out this policy, $20,000 was appro-
priated for the year 1920 and with this money 12,800 acres of grazing
land was fenced, necessary reservation buildings erected, and the
interest and cooperation of the Indians established. Four thousand
dollars was set aside for the purchase of a herd of cattle for the range.
 In order to continue the work, $15,000 was requested for 1921, but
only $5,000 appropriated. The Indian Office refused to allow the
purchase of the cattle because there would be no funds to carry the
herd through the year, and the work came to a standstill.