CONCLUSION 333 



" people " must have free access to its use. Not as if wrong were to 

 be done to those now in occupation, who, in truth, constitute 

 numerically only a small minority of the people. But the pith of 

 the question is to be found in the claim, become more vocal and more 

 importunate of late, of those whose toil directly produces the kindly 

 fruits of the earth which are to win the bread for the toilers and to 

 provide for the wants of the nation at large. Those rights have 

 been too long ignored, and are perhaps even now looked at under 

 too narrow an aspect. 



It is, however, not purely a question of our wage-paid labourers that 

 we have to deal with. Please God, we shall soon have self-employed 

 labour multiplied largely, with a reward secured, of which wages 

 will form no, or only a subordinate, part. However, the question 

 of employment stands well to the front in our problem. At a time 

 when we have had embarrassing, almost distressing proofs of what 

 class strife means, in its industrial aspect — intended to be between 

 labour and employing capital, but hitting hardest by a rude onset 

 the unoffending, helpless mass of the people at large, much of it 

 sprung from the very ranks of aggressive labour, and most of it of 

 very limited fixed income — we may well exert ourselves to prevent 

 by forestalling action a similar conflict coming over our rural world. 

 There have been ugly warnings of trouble on the approach. It 

 will be prudent policy to agree with our adversary while we are in 

 the way with him — or rather, before he has become our adversary — 

 by identifying interests between the two potentially opposed parties 

 and setting up sure foundations for enduring peace. 



It is, then, the interests of the whole of the rural people which 

 has to be placed foremost, and our business will be to consider 

 means, not only for giving scope to those who labour for the attain- 

 ment of a maximum material reward for their labour — while at the 

 same time securing to the nation a maximum return for the loan 

 of its land — but also a maximum of well-being in every sense to the 

 millions of families whom we hope to see settled on the land, to the 

 relief of the towns. For material gain can after all be regarded 

 only as a means to well-being, contentment and happiness, such as 

 ensure social ease and national stability. 



As means to this end 1 have advisedly placed education foremost. 

 In holding that in the labours to be engaged in for ensuring 

 healthy rural reconstruction education is out and out the most 

 important, and in truth the determining factor, 1 am glad not to 

 find myself standing alone. In his speech introducing the Agrieul- 

 tural Instruction Act already referred to, 1 find the Canadian 



