The system that was in place just after Confederation was an old one. There were "relieving officers" in regions of the province. They were not trained in social welfare. They came from many walks of life. It was their job to deal with requests for help from people who were destitute. People had to show they had nothing left. The amount of public relief itself was not decided by what a person or family needed. It was a set rate, and very low. It was not money, but a note. A person could take the note to a store and get food for it.

In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Newfoundland's old welfare system went through many changes. But before these changes came about, the government had to use its old system to respond to emergencies. In 1949, this meant that Mr. Smallwood himself tried to answer many of the letters. Often, he sent the letters on to people who worked for the Department of Public Welfare. He would sometimes write a note saying, "Can anything be done about this?"³ In this way, each case was a special problem. There was no real method for dealing with the larger problems of poverty and need. Long-term problems were treated only when they became emergencies. The story that follows tells of what happens when problems are left until they become urgent.

Credit: PANL.

Smallwood addressing the masses

J. R. Smallwood speaks in a Newfoundland community. Smallwood repeated his promises of better times in many speeches and election campaigns, but real positive changes were slow to come.