Superintendent John Francis, Jr. informs the Commissioner of Indian Affairs that Farm Cook Gertrude Giffen prepares three meals a day for herself, 10 male student farmers, and her husband, Farmer James F. Giffen. Because they all eat at the same time Mr. and Mrs. Giffen do eat some of the students' rations alongside food from the farm and food that they purchase, and Francis would like official approval for them to do this.
Francis also states that Farmer Harry Garber and his family consumes milk and butter from a government cow and requests official approval for this practice. Finally, Francis states that Dairy Laborer Jacob Wilson has been taking milk from a government cow, and he requests that Wilson be authorized to procure one quart of milk per day.
Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs E. B. Meritt denies Francis' request for these four employees' to continue to drink milk from government cows or to eat government rations. In Francis' reply to Meritt, he acknowledges that his employees' current practices do not adhere to the Bureau of Indian Affairs' rules but argues that his employees are tasked with abnormal jobs. He asks for several compromises to allow his employees to continue at least some of their current practices. Meritt states that the four employees cannot be allowed to continue to eat government food and drink government milk but that he will proportionately increase each employees' salary to allow them to purchase their own subsistence.
