246 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



f 



For the purposes of agricultural settlements, a county, or counties, 

 in old territory and a few townships in new territory should be taken 

 a*id an attempt made to apply the best kind of organization and scheme 

 of development that can be devised for each. The capital provided 

 for such schemes should be ample in amount, but as little as possible 

 of it should be given in the nature of a subsidy. A properly conceived 

 scheme should pay its way. 



The Commission of Conservation has been engaged for the past 

 two years in making a survey and in preparing a skeleton plan of 

 development for the county of Dundas. The beginnings which have 

 been made with this investigation, and the experience gained in con- 

 nection with it, should be valuable as a means of indicating what fur- 

 ther steps are necessary to replan and improve one of the older coun- 

 ties, which would necessarily be a more difficult operation than that 

 of planning and improving new areas. 



The recommendation that industrial, or partly industrial and 

 partly agricultural, town settlements be established is apt to be re- 

 garded with suspicion by practical men because of its novelty. That 

 novelty has now worn off in England and garden cities and suburbs 

 are no longer looked upon as visionary schemes. 



The movement in England has attracted widespread attention 

 in^all European countries and in the United States and has caused 

 influential bodies to advocate the establishment of similar communities 

 in these countries. 



The following resolution* was passed by the United States Senate 

 in the early part of this year, and the inquiry instituted as a result is 

 still proceeding: 



"Whereas, the garden city and garden suburb movement in 

 Europe has made wonderful progress during the first eight years of 

 its existence ; and 



"Whereas, the object of this movement is to secure permanent 

 and comfortable homes for the people on terms within the reach of 

 the average income, and to combine the advantages of town and 

 country in the same community; and 



"Whereas, this movement is contributing materially to the health, 

 comfort, and prosperity of the people who have experienced its bene- 

 fits, and 



"Whereas, the movement, in the estimation of many, points the 

 way to the long-sought goal of a contented, home-owning population; 

 and 



"Whereas, a beginning along this line is claimed to have been 

 made in the United States, and 



* Senate Resolution 305. 



