Just what the absence of local government could mean in a town of the size Bell Island had become by the 1950's is shown in this photograph of "the Green". Part of the resistance to local government on Bell Island undoubtedly sprang from the uncertainty of life in a company town. It could always be argued that it was foolish to pour money into property that could be made worthless overnight. But this was only part of the story. Much of the rest of it is to be found in the traditional Newfoundland notion that the family should be virtually self-sufficient. This view was contrary to the hard facts of urban life and prevented people from coming to grips with the many problems that their new working environment posed.
