RURAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 27 



to make a recommendation as to their opinions in the matter. Jurors, 

 he said, would be more familiar with the conditions than he could 

 gain from hearsay evidence. If the land was rocky and barren 

 would it not be proper for the Government to transport the people 

 to more productive land, and hand the present ground over to the 

 Conservation Commission for forestry production. There was no 

 question that the people were in a wretched condition." 



At a subsequent conference the grand jury made its present- 

 ment, and stated that the condition of affairs alluded to by the judge 

 was, to some extent, abnormal in the history of the district, that the 

 jury agreed that environment and conditions of living in the sparsely 

 settled and unproductive districts were factors in inducing a relaxa- 

 tion of moral observance and were to be regretted. They also agreed 

 with the assumption of the judge, that the lands in the district alluded 

 to were not suitable to adequately support a population in reason- 

 able comfort, nor to afford the necessary municipal expenditure to 

 provide what was necessary for the life of the people. 



Following the presentment of the grand jury, Chief Justice 

 Mulock adjourned the session until the April following, and asked 

 the jury to make a report to the judge on April 25th. In the report 

 then presented the grand jury stated that they had been unable to 

 make an inspection of the district, on account of the roads and incle- 

 ment weather, but they submitted a number of opinions of people 

 who were acquainted with the district and expressed the view, as a 

 jury, that there should be a modified system of consolidated schools 

 and improved police patrol of the districts. 



The opinions regarding the conditions showed a great diversity 

 of view, but, in the words of the report, showed, conclusively that 

 some action should be taken. The revelations made in the report 

 by some local witnesses were astounding, and, if social crime exists 

 to the extent alleged, drastic steps should be taken at once to arrest 

 the evil. Having regard to the lessons taught by these conditions, 

 the first responsibility of any government and its administrators 

 is to prevent similar conditions where new settlement is taking 

 place. That is the greater responsibility, because, in the first 

 place, the government is directly in control of the new settlement and 

 cannot blame past administrations, and, in the second place, it is 

 always practicable to prevent the beginning of bad conditions, 

 although sometimes almost impracticable to cure them. 



Whatever may be the extent of degeneration, or whether or not 

 it exists in any greater measure in Peterborough than in other coun- 

 ties, the serious thing is that such an enquiry should have been neces- 



