Page:LewisMeriam-TheProblemOfIndianAdministration.djvu/50

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Findings and Recommendations
23

good it will do the Indians in stimulating a proper race pride and self respect.

Planning and Development Program. To plan and develop such a broad educational program obviously requires the services of a considerable number of persons expert in the special fields of activity which are involved in it. They must not be burdened with the details of routine administration, but must have their time almost entirely free to devote to.research, planning, and the establishing of contacts and coöperative arrangements essential to the preparation of such a program. The Indian Service as it is at present organized does not possess such a staff of specialists in the several fields. Without any reflection whatsoever on its central staff, it may fairly be said to consist mainly of persons with administrative experience rather than technical and scientific training for planning and developing a program in specialized fields. Those specialists that it does have are primarily engaged in administration and cannot devote their energies to planning and development unless arrangements can be made to free them from their present heavy administrative responsibilities.

The survey staff, therefore, recommends that the Secretary of the Interior ask Congress for an appropriation of at least $250,000 a year to establish, in connection with the central office but with many duties in the field, a scientific and technical Division of Planning and Development.

The functions, organization, and procedure of this recommended division, the positions in it, and the qualifications required for them are discussed in detail on pages 113 to 128 of the main report and the various functions of the staff are mentioned repeatedly throughout the report. The survey staff regards the establishment of this division as the first essential in making the Indian Service an efficient educational agency and, therefore, it seems advisable even in this brief summary to give the chief features of the recommendations.

The functions of the division should be:

  1. To advise the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in matters requiring technical or scientific knowledge of particular problems.
  2. At the request of the Commissioner and subject to his approval, to formulate programs and develop policies to be carried
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