Page 5 - Annuaire Statistique Québec - 1949

PREFACE

The publication of the 1951-52 S~atistical Year Book, the :35th edition,
coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Quebec Bureau of Statistics' founda-
tion. The "Act establishing the Quebec Bureau of Statistics" was, in fact,
officioJly sanctioned by the Lieutenant-Governor on December 21, 1912. It
was, therefore, considered fitting this event shouid be recalled in 1952 and a
special article in the chapter on Trade reviews the main circumstances which
lead to the establishment of the Bureau of Statistics.

On this occasion, each chapter of the Year Book has been prepared with
more thun usual care and no effort neglected ta make the publication one of
the most complete and accurate in existence. The chapter on Public Finances,
for instance, no longer contains data five or six years in arrears; the sections on
the finances of municipal and school corporations have been brough t up to date
and amplified; the figures given refer to the years 1948 and 1950. These figures
have ail been collected and compiled by the Bureau of Statistics, as were those
comprised in the statistics on meteorology, education, justice, agriculture,
dairying and fisheries.

With regard to population, the decennial Census still constitutes ~he most
copious and exaot source of information. As the 9th Census was taken on June
2, 1951, the publication of the Year Boole was delayed a few months in order
to incIude the first data made available Consequently, the present edition
provides the .1951 figures on the population of Canada by provinces and of the
Province of Quebec by counties and municipalities. In June, 1951, the popula-
tion of the Province of Quebec had reached 4,055,681, that IS, an increase of
723,799 persons 01' 21.7 per cent compared ta 1941.

As a result of the generous co-operation afforded by the various departments
of the provincial administration, the ather chapters of the Year Book have oJso
been modified and improved. The sections devoted to institutions, in the chaptcr
on Public Health, have been completely revised. The classification used by
the Department of Health makes it possible to determine the exact number
of beds available to ordinary patients, incurables, old people, orphans, etc ... ,
so that duplication js avoided. This e1assification has now bem definitely
adopted by the Bureau. In the chaptN on Labour, a table has been add'ed
showing salaries and wages in the building industry and another new one of
unusuai interest concerns apprenticeship centres.

In addition there url' ~(lveral new graphs. One caIls for particular mention,
naruely, the chart ilIustrating hydro-elcctl'ic installations in the Province. It
will be seen that by 1956 ~he capacity of Quebec power plants will exceed cight
million horse-p.ower.