The trustees wanted to take care of the people who came to Markland. The doctor in Whitbourne was paid $600 a year to give Marklanders medical care. The trustees also looked for a dentist who would visit. In 1936, a district nurse who visited Markland found that all the children were of normal weight for their ages. This was good news because many children in Newfoundland did not get enough to eat in the Depression.

Part Six
Trouble in Markland

Things were going well in Markland, but not everyone was happy. Many people who wanted to come to Markland could not get in. Some people thought it was unfair for the government to give so much help to just a few families. Others thought it would be better to spend the money on the fishery. Also, because so many people were waiting to get in to Markland, the families that settled there were easy to replace. The trustees had a lot of control over their lives. People could not leave Markiand without the permission of the manager. They could not invite anyone to visit without permission. It was not difficult to get into trouble.

In the spring of 1936, the children of a man named Thomas Butt got into trouble for making faces at their teacher, Clara Cochius.⁷ They were suspended from school. A few days later, Frederick Emerson, who was still helping to run Markland, visited Mrs. Butt. She did not seem sorry for the way her children had behaved. She said she would rather teach her children at home than send them to school. This was not allowed. She was warned that her family could be thrown out of Markland. She told Mr. Emerson that he should give her notice in writing if her family was going to be sent away. The next day, the Butt family was given a "notice of dismissal." They had to leave Markland.