Canada. Royal Commission on Pulpwood : The Royal Commission on Pulpwood was established under Order in Council P.C. 1576, 14 August 1923, under the Inquiries Act (R.S.C., c. 104, 1906) and on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance. The part of the act under which this Commission was established is not indicated in the Order in Council. The Commission was mandated to inquire into and report on the forest resources of Canada, with particular regard to: (a) the extent in each province of wood of various kinds available for manufacturing pulp; (b) the quantity of this wood available on lands owned by provincial governments and subject, under Provincial laws and regulations, to restrictions requiring the partial or total manufacture of such wood in Canada; (c) the quantity of this wood available on lands owned by the dominion government and subject, under federal laws and regulations, to restrictions requiring partial or total manufacture in Canada; (d) the quantity of such wood on other lands and the conditions under which such lands are held, whether by ownership or lease, whether by corporations or individuals, whether by Canadian citizens or citizens of other countries; (e) the quantity of pulpwood produced in each province during the past 10 years, showing the portion used in Canada and the portion exported; (f) the question of the prohibiting or restricting exports of pulpwood from Canada; (g) any other matter concerning the production, manufacture or sale of pulpwood essential to understanding the preceding section; and (h) to make recommendations for the better conservation of the supply of pulpwood for present or future use. The commissioners were Joseph Picard, Chairman, William A. Anstie, Joseph G. Sutherland, Apollos Bamber Kerr and Robert W. McLellan. In February 1924 William Anstie was appointed Deputy Chairman (Order in Council P.C. 219, 9 February 1924). The secretary was Ernest Herbert Finlayson.
By the 1920s a prohibition on the export of unmanufactured wood from Crown lands existed in Canada. By 1923 most provincial governments had incorporated into their leases of Crown timber lands the proviso that any wood cut must be manufactured in Canada. Wood cut from privately owned lands, however, was not subject to these regulations. In 1923, the federal government amended the Export Act (13-14 Geo. V, c.46, 1923) to make provision for the prohibition of the export of pulpwood by owners of private property. Some people in the pulp and paper industry strongly supported this approach as a conservation issue and thought it would stimulate domestic industry. Others were not convinced and felt it would give a monopoly to Canadian manufacturers who would fix prices. Some provincial politicians challenged the constitutionality of the embargo as an infringement of civil rights. Before enforcing the prohibition, the Government of Canada decided to appoint a Royal Commission to investigate the pulpwood industry. (See N. Reich, The Pulp and Paper Industry in Canada, Toronto: Macmillan, 1926, pp. 47-66). Hearings of the commission were held in thirty-one towns and cities in Canada from 2 October 1923 to 10 March 1924. RG33-13 General Inventory
