Land settlement schemes were tried in several places. The most well known one was in Markland.¹¹ It was started in 1934. Over the next few years, over 200 families moved there. Many had no experience with farming or rural life. They had to learn many new skills. In spite of this, for a while it seemed that Markland would be a success. But it ran into problems.

Markland was run by trustees—people who made decisions about how the community would be run. Money came from the government. The trustees and the government made all the decisions. Some of the settlers did not even know if they could leave if they wanted. People did not really form a community, because they felt they did not have a say in their own lives.

There were other efforts to get people to move to rural areas. Some of these efforts were aimed at people who lived in St. John's but had property outside the city. In 1934, Jean Muir, the head of the City Welfare Bureau, sent a list to the government.¹² On it were the names of 41 people with property in the outports. Some had only land; others had land and houses. Mrs. Muir did not seem to think that widows or old people should be made to go back. But, by the names of several men with houses, she wrote, "should be made to return," or "should be made return or no relief."

Other projects seemed to have the goal of simply getting the unemployed off the streets. The St. John's Community Centre was this kind of project. The Centre did not stay open for long. But it did leave reports that tell about some of the things that went on there.¹³ The Centre made its first report in January, 1936. The report said that 475 men were members at the Centre. They took part in many different activities. Some activities were physical, such as basketball and swimming. Some people played cards. There were also classes for learning new skills. Some men were learning boot and shoe repair, and others were learning navigation. Sixty men were learning how to read and write.

Readers may be able to think of programs today which are a bit like the ones the St. John's Community Centre offered. And just as people do today, the organizers at the Centre asked the members for their comments. These comments were put in the reports to show that the Centre was doing well. Here's what one participant said:

If this place were closed I would not know what to do with myself. I had no place to go but hang about the streets and it was hard to keep out of mischief.