100 .lOURN'AIv Ol- FORIvSTRV 



tion or collaboration of some of the ])rovincial i^overnnients, particu- 

 larly that of New Brunswick. 



The Act establishing the Commission was repealed, as a result of 

 legislation which passed the House of Commons May 26, 1921. It 

 was provided in this repeal legislation that the Governor in Council 

 might make such orders and regulations as he might deem necessary 

 or advisable for the carrying on and completion of the work of the 

 Commission of Conservation by other departments of the Government 

 and for the absorption by such other departments of such officers, 

 clerks and employees of the Commission as they might respectively 

 require. The Order in Council implementing this provision was passed 

 July 20, 1921. 



In the debates in the Senate and House of Commons, the principal 

 reasons advanced for the discontinuance of the Commission were that 

 its activities overlapped and duplicated those of the regular depart- 

 ments of the Government ; that a substantial and necessary saving 

 could be made by discontinuance ; and that the Commission was doing 

 work which should be done by the regular departments and was receiv- 

 ing credit and gaining standing and prestige thereby which ought to 

 accrue to such departments. It was argued also that the organization 

 of such a commission was illogical, by virtue of its independent or 

 irresponsible status, it not being directly responsible to or under the 

 control of any of the Ministers of the Government, but only to Parlia- 

 ment as a whole. A further argument was that the need for such a 

 commission was of a temporary character only, that its proper work 

 was finished, through having stimulated widespread interest in the con- 

 servation movement, and that the time had now arrived for its work to 

 be taken over by the regular departments of the Government. The 

 great value of the work done by the Commission was not questioned. 



Strong arguments were advanced by other speakers, who urged the 

 continuance of the Commission and the bringing of its administration 

 into harmony with the desires of the Government through the ap- 

 pointment of an acceptable successor to Sir Clififord Sifton, who had 

 resigned his chairmanship during the war. The valuable character of 

 the work done by the Commission was strongly emphasized ; it was 

 pointed out that at least the great bulk of the duplication was not 

 actual, though it might to a degree be potential, since the Commission, 

 in selecting its projects, had to at least a very large extent avoided 

 those which were actually being carried on by the regular departments. 

 The need was also emphasized of an independent organization which 



