162 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



their native countries. Under proper direction and with government 

 stimulus and organization such people might be encouraged to start 

 the manufacture of useful articles. A large amount of skill must 

 be lying unused and dormant because of the absence of opportunity, 

 thus causing an economic loss to the country. 



Probably, however, the difficulties of organizing domestic indus- 

 tries in the homes of the people would be too great to be overcome, 

 except in rare instances until after a period of well organized educa- 

 tion. Perhaps the proper duty of the governments would be to 

 organized that education rather than to artificially stimulate the 

 starting of the industries themselves. There is no question as to 

 the desirability of encouraging rural manufactures and, while it may 

 not be feasible to make a beginning with domestic industries under 

 present conditions, it is both feasible and desirable that the educational 

 process needed to encourage rural industry and make it economically 

 successful should be set in motion at once. The initiative in this 

 direction must come from the governments as part of the adminis- 

 trative machinery directed to bring into play all the kinds of forces, 

 facilities and organization necessary to build up a healthy social 

 life in the country. 



Organizing New Industrial Centres 



While the promotion of domestic industries would be largely an 

 artificial process, the development of small factories, groups of facto- 

 ries and large mills, in country districts is a natural movement which 

 has already begun. A number of new industries are being estab- 

 lished in Canada in rural districts remote from large centres of popu- 

 lation. This is particularly so in connection with pulp mills, which 

 are being located in the rural districts of New Brunswick, Quebec, 

 Ontario and Manitoba. New towns are growing up around these 

 mills and in some cases existing towns are being extended as a result 

 of similar classes of development. Reference has already been made 

 to the need for planning these new towns and the extensions of exist- 

 ing towns which result from the growth of new industries. The 

 value of this industrial penetration of rural territory in helping to 

 build up the social organization of the country cannot be overesti- 

 mated and everything should be done to encourage those industries 

 which are being developed at present and to promote other indus- 

 tries which would be likely to succeed. A great many minerals in 

 Canada are capable of being converted into manufactured articles 

 and only need the organization to enable them to be produced under 

 sound economic conditions. A careful survey of the whole situation 



