This amendment allowed the government to take possession of any ‘unused’ reserve land for patriotic purposes without surrender or consent of band members. This included issuing location tickets to Aboriginal veterans without band consent. The Superintendent-General was also given the right to issues leases for surface rights on reserve lands, as well as to distribute up to 50% of proceeds from timber and land resource sales on reserve. An amendment to section 149 also allowed for those participating in “give away” dances to be tried without reference to a higher court, in order to streamline the process of dealings with these offences, given the cost of hearings and the need to reduce wartime spending.
PAC, RG10, Vol. 6809, file 470-2-3, vol. 6: Memorandum of Scott to Meighen, 8 May 1919; Memorandum of Timber Inspector H.J Bury to the Deputy Minister, 9 June 1919, signed by W.A Orr of the Dept's Lands and Timber Branch and initialed by A.S Williams, the Dept. Law Clerk; Scott to W.F O'Connor, 12 March 1919 with accompanying brief to Soldier Settlement provisions of the Amendment Bill; O'Connor, Chief of Counsel's Office, Soldier Settlement Board to Scott, 25 June 1919. RG 10 R.S., Vol 2390, file 79941-1: Memorandum of Scott to Mitchell, 7 August 1919 CP, House of Commons Debates; Vol. V, p. 4171: Indian Act Amendment Bill, 27 June 1919;