By William N.T. Wylie
[Cliquez ici pour le texte en français]
The different priorities of the federal and
provincial governments were most clear in relation to their
response to the economic problems of the industry after World
War One. British Columbia and Alberta were both determined to
promote the interests of coal-mining. Alberta, in particular,
established royal commissions to study the problem of
over-capacity and insufficient markets in 1919, 1925, and 1935.
Two kinds of proposals resulted. Firstly, there were discussions
about the desirability of limiting the number of mines and
rationalizing production. The commission of 1925 emphasized the
need for this, as did some operators. The suggestions, however,
were never acted upon in a province dedicated to the ideal of
unfettered private enterprise.
1
The second Alberta proposal was to expand
coal sales in the largest potential market, that in eastern
Canada. This remedy was largely outside the power of the
province to implement. While, in the mid-1920s, Alberta sought
to encourage sale of its coal in Ontario through advertising and
promotion, further progress depended ultimately on freight rates
and federal policy. The railways were unwilling to lower their
rates to make coal competitive. The federal government was
caught between the interests of producers and consumers. As
historians have concluded, it proved unwilling to subsidize the
industry by introducing sufficient freight subventions, or by
raising the coal tariff, preferring instead to support the
desire of fuel consumers in Ontario and Quebec for cheap
American coal.
William N.T. Wylie, "Coal-Mining
Landscapes: Commemorating Coal Mining in Alberta and
Southeastern British Columbia," a report prepared for the
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Parks Canada
Agency, 2001.
See Also:
The Coal
IndustryOverview, Rapid Expansion,
Domestic and Steam Coalfields,
1914-1947: The Struggling Industry,
Collapse and Rebirth,
Settlement of the West,
Issues and ChallengesOverview,
Entrepreneurship, Technology,
Underground Techniques,
Surface Technology,
Surface Mining,
Social Impacts,
Unions,
1882-1913: Unionization and Early Gains,
1914-1920: Revolutionary Movement,
1921-1950s: Labour Unrest and
Setbacks, Mining Companies, People of
the Coal Mines,
The Middle Class,
Miners and Local
Government,
Politics and Economics ,
Environmental Impacts,
Health and SafetyOverview,
The State and
Labour Relations, The State and Development after 1918
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