CHAPTER VIII 
Manufactures 
UEBEC has special advantages for manufacturing in its supply 
0 of raw materials, abundance of cheap power and plentiful supply 
of labour. Water power developments at Shawinigan Falls, in 
the vicinity of Montreal, in the Gatineau and lake St. John regions, and 
in the Eastern townships have made those portions of the province within 
transmission distance of these points, centres of thriving manufacturing 
industries. One of the most important classes of manufactured products 
is that which includes pulp, paper, lumber and articles made from wood. 
This is a class which needs abundant supplies of forest products and cheap 
power, and of both Quebec has a plentiful share. Closely allied with 
cheap power, also, is the chemical industry, an important centre of which 
is growing up about Shawinigan Falls. 
Reliable Labour Supply.—Possibly nowhere in America are labour 
conditions more stable and satisfactory from the manufacturer's point 
of view than in the province of Quebec. The supply is ample. Indeed, 
s0 large is it that for many years there has been a steady drift of population 
into the manufacturing towns of the New England States, but every 
effort is now being made to retain such an asset for the province. The 
French Canadians raise large families and as a race they are hardy, indus- 
trious and thrifty, whilst their religious teaching influences them against 
detrimental associations with international labour organizations. 
Natural Resources the Basis of Industries.—The development 
of Quebec’s natural resources has led to the growth of its industries. In 
recent years numerous manufacturing plants have been established as the 
result of water power development and at the present time several large 
and important industries are in process of installation in the vicinity of 
great hydraulic power. The exploitation of the immense pulpwood forests 
has given opportunity for the expansion of pulp and paper industries. 
The discovery of vast mineral resources in western Quebec has led to the 
founding of several allied industries. Important industrial towns have 
been erected on modern principles of town planning, such as Arvida, 
Riverbend, Noranda, Rouyn and Grand’Mere, and other industrial towns 
are now being planned. The valleys of the St. Lawrence and its tribu- 
tarv rivers are destined to become the site of a great industrial region. 
Leading Industries.—Industries using forest products as their raw 
materials stand at the head of the list of forty leading industries of the 
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