Chapter Four ()9

community. Some undertakings seemed important at the time, but in the longer run their impact appears to be less than that of the co-ops. Take, for instance, schools and education. The curricula and staff did not change much throughout this period, but the buildings undoubtedly did. In 1930, Charles Dalton, who by then had been knighted by the Pope and become the Island's Lieutenant- Governor, had a boys’ school built which was to be the counterpart of the Convent. It was to be run by the Christian Brothers and to accept both day and boarding students. Much of the plan fell through, but the school was used only for boys for some years after its construction. Then, in the late 19505, the provincial government built a regional high school. This drew teenagers from the entire Tignish and Palmer Road area, allowing them to take a complete high school program without having to leave home, which had previously been the case. This was a step towards more educational independence, even though nearly all the teachers were Sisters, and there was nothing particularly local on the curriculum. It was, however, another new institution for Tignish.

As (to—operation grew and flourished, independence increased in some ways, though it was some time before all the rival institutions were gone, and one — the Bank of Commerce - lingered on into the nineties. Many of the small tradesmen gave up business owing to changing conditions. For example, with the advent of the tractor, the car and truck, there was less need for blacksmiths. Retail catalogues made tailors less plentiful, though there still, were — and are — women who made clothes to order. By about 1960, there was very much less variety in the goods and services obtainable locally than there had been at the beginning of the century. Less variety meant greater dependence on sources more or less distant from the area. In the long run, this trend could also have endangered the survival of the community. For the community in