Page 5 - Annuaire Statistique Québec - 1949

PREFACE

The 1950 edition of the Statistical Year Book is the 35th issued by the
Province of Quebee Bureau of Statistics. As has been customary in the past,
the abject has been ta make available, within the cmTers of one volume, a great
amount of numerical data, extracted from the various reports published by the
provincial and the federai governments, and ta provide series of retrospective
tables shmving the trends in the diffel'ent spheres of economic and social activity.
Since the beginning of the 20th century the Province of Quebec has made
astounding progl'ess. A glance at the Statistical Summary on pages XII to
XIV will suffice to confirm this statement. The comprehensive Summary has
been revised and brought up to date; to eonform to the exigencies of the lay-out,
it has been found necessary to begin with the figures of the 1901 decennial census;
data whleh have beeome obsolete have been eliminated; fresh information has
been added; in a few instances, deeenniai figures have been replaced by yearly
estimates. EIse\vhere in the Year Book, the reader wiU find several other retro-
spective tables. Important. additions have been made to the chapter on Agri-
culture: the section pertaining to the decennial censuses has been completely
revised. The tables now comprise the principal statistics from 1871 or 1901 -
depending on tbeir availability -- and outline the evolution that has taken place
in the agricultural industry within the Province since 1900. The Year Book
already.contained data on the population at each decennial census from 1871;
on education in the Province from 1877; on the production of mines and quarries
from 1898; on fisheries from 1900; on IIllinufactures from 1880: on the incorpora-
tion of jointd;tock companies from 1871; on strikes and lock-outs from 1901;
etc. .. In short, the present edition contains fundamental data that can ~erve
as a yard:,;tick to measure the enormous progress achieved by the Province
during the past fifty years.
In spite of the impressive changes that have been effected since 1900, the
full development of tbe Province is still far from complete. Quebec is about
to ,,,""Îtness an unprecedented expansion of its mining field. For this reason the
chapter on Mines in the 1950 edition has been prepared with special care. A
new section shows the Province's aetual poS'ition with regard to the production
of iron ore; tbe map which supplements the section outlines the location of the
mining properties in New Quebec and gives tbe line of the projected railroad.
Another entirely new section provides statistics on the primary iron and steel
products industry, which industry will benefit, greatly from the mining develop-
ments in New Quebec. The opening pages of the chapter on tEnes ront.ain 11
description of the Provincial Department of Mines.
In 1950 the Lunatic Asylums Act was abrogated and replaced by the ~Iental
Patients Institutions Act. The present edition contains a summary of the
cbief provisions of the new Act. The Reform Schools and the Industrial Schools
were also abolished in 1950 and replaced by Youth Protection Schools; the 1950
Year Book summarizes the more important changes brought about by the putting
into effect of the new Legislative measures and the complete classification of the
y outh Protection Schools is given. In the chapter on Hydro-Electrie Power,
two tables have been added to the section on Rural Electrification: one treats