The Post-War Period 231

and federal Departments of Agriculture were already attempting this by helping with the formation of clubs for young livestock producers. Since the Acadian communities showed little interest in these efforts, the Committee decided to take on the task of setting up the clubs. It was in 1945, therefore, that the President, J.-Edmond Arsenault, sent around a circular to Acadian farmers asking for their support:

It is an aspect of our agricultural organization that has been neglected for too long. Instead of moving ahead we have regressed alarmingly while our sister province New Brunswick and other provinces in the country have made very commendable progress. [...]

The Agriculture Committee of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Society wishes to promote new interest amongst our youth in this type of agricultural activity designed to improve the state of our farming.

We are requesting, therefore, that you take an interest in this question and that you discuss it with your neighbours in order to convince them of the need for this type of organization.

You are no doubt aware that matters relating to our young farmers are far too neglected. We have no organization capable of helping them with their training or informing them about crop and livestock management. And yet these form the very basis of our agriculture. (TR)'®

The efforts of the Committee were relatively productive: several clubs for young beef and poultry producers were organized in the parishes of Rustico, Mont Carmel and Egmont Bay. Some of the clubs were active for several years''. The Agriculture Committee also took on the task of providing study groups, schools and producers with farming publications and encouraged Acadian farmers to subscribe to agricultural papers. The Committee also raised the question of apply- ing the necessary pressure in order to get the Department of Agriculture to appoint a francophone agricultural representative who would han- dle information and organization in the Acadian areas of the Island. There was not one agronomist in the government capable of com- municating in French, which of course did not facilitate the formation and development of circles for young producers in the Acadian parishes where the young people spoke little English'’. It was not until the 1960s that some services were obtained in French.

The Agriculture Committee considered other projects but, due to a lack of personnel and little interest on the part of the farmers, their accomplishments remained limited in scope. Numerous agricul-