This piece should also be used in conjunction with the essays in "Desperate Measures: The Great Depression in Newfoundland and Labrador" (Book 4), and especially with "Pierce Power and the Unemployed Riot of 1935." Commission of Government, and the reasons leading up to it, should also be singled out. Many other essays in this series offer ideas to extend the discussion.

Most Level I students will need help with the source material of this piece as much of the language and syntax is slightly archaic.

Issues for Discussion

1. The treatment of prisoners in the past as compared to today.
   
   
2. The treatment of the poor in the past as compared to today. The attitude of the well-off towards the poor. Was it different in the 1930s?
   
   
3. The effects of the Great Depression on Newfoundland society.
   
   
4. The wisdom of giving up elected government for Commission of Government. The effect this had on society.
   
   
5. The morality of stealing rides on boats and trains in the 1930s. Are there ever times when it is permissable to break the law?
   
   
6. The psychological and social effects of the dole.
   
   
7. The practice of granting tax breaks to companies.
   
   
8. The government policy of "no dole for no work." How does this relate to the "workfare" of today?
   
   
9. The different situations of the woods and mill workers.
   
   
10. Did the suppression of the Bradley Report mean that Commission of Government was morally corrupt?
    
    
11. The role of unions in the improvement of conditions for loggers.
    
    
12. Sir John Hope Simpson's idea of what was a "reasonable" standard of living for a Newfoundlander. Where did his attitude come from? Was he alone in this thinking?