The Newfoundland Royal Commission or Amulree Commission (as it came to be known) was a royal commission

Royal Commission

In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...

 established on February 17, 1933 by the Government of the United Kingdom "to examine into the future of Newfoundland and in particular to report on the financial situation and prospects therein."

In November 1932, the Newfoundland

Dominion of Newfoundland

The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...

 government led by Frederick C. Alderdice

Frederick C. Alderdice

Frederick Charles Alderdice was a businessman, politician and the last Prime Minister of Newfoundland. A prominent St...

 told the public and international community that it would be in default on payments to the public debt, which then stood at $100 million. This worried the British and Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 governments who feared this would cause a bad reaction on the already fragile stock markets of the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, it was agreed then, that Canada and Britain would provide short term financial assistance pending the full report of a royal commission.

The British government appointed the chairman, Lord Amulree. The Canadian government appointed Charles Alexander Magrath

Charles Alexander Magrath

Charles Alexander Magrath conducted foundation surveys of the Northwest Territories from 1878 until 1885. He joined Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt and Elliot Torrance Galt in their western industrial enterprises as a surveyor, later becoming Elliott's assistant and Land Commissioner of the North...

, a former member of the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

, and the Newfoundland government appointed Sir William Ewen Stavert, a Canadian who was financial advisor to the Newfoundland government.

Events of the Commission

• March 12, the three commissioners met in St. John's
  St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
  St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
  
   and were received by Governor David Murray Anderson
  David Murray Anderson
  Admiral Sir David Murray Anderson KCB, KCMG, MVO was a naval officer and governor. Anderson served in the Royal Navy from the age of 13 and served in many Colonial wars and was given various Empire postings, rising to the rank of Admiral in 1931...
  
  .
• March 16, the Prime Minister formally welcomed the Commission on behalf of the government and the Newfoundland people.
• March 20, the commission commenced regular sitting for the purpose of hearing evidence. This continued five days a week until April 14.
• April 17, the commission left the capital of St. John's to tour some of the coastal towns and villages. Over the next two weeks the commission visited the communities of Harbour Grace
  Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Harbour Grace is a town in Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With roots dating back to the sixteenth century, it is one of the oldest towns in North America. It is located about 45 km northwest of the provincial capital, St. John's...
  
  , Carbonear
  Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Carbonear is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2006, there are 4,723 people living in Carbonear, down from 4,759 in 2001.-History:...
  
  , Heart's Content
  Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Heart's Content is an incorporated town in Trinity Bay on the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The natural harbour that makes up the town is located on the east side of Trinity Bay and it is built along the northeast side and the southeast base of this...
  
  , Winterton
  Winterton, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Winterton is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was originally named Sille Cove or Scilly Cove. In 1912 the town was named Winterton for Sir James Spearman Winter, former Prime Minister of Newfoundland....
  
  , Bonavista
  Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Bonavista is a town on the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Unlike many Newfoundland coastal settlements, Bonavista was built on an open plain, not in a steep cove, and thus had room to expand to its current area of 31.5  square...
  
  , Catalina
  Catalina, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Catalina is a community located on the eastern side of the Bonavista Peninsula, in the province of Newfoundland, Canada. Catalina adjoins the union town of Port Union, the town built for and home to the Fisherman's Union Company established by Sir William Coaker.The name of the town is purported by...
  
  , Trinity
  Trinity, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Trinity is a small town located on Trinity Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador.The harbour at Trinity was first used by fishing ships around the 16th century. The Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real is said to have named this place because he arrived here on Trinity Sunday in 1501. It was settled by...
  
  , Lewisporte
  Lewisporte, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Lewisporte is a town in central Newfoundland Island, Canada, with a population of 3,312. It is situated in a bay close to the mouth of the Exploits River. Lewisporte has an excellent port and related facilities that serve the many communities along Notre Dame Bay. Gander and its international...
  
  , Stephenville
  Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Stephenville is a Canadian town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland....
  
  , and St. George's.
• April 28, the commission departed Newfoundland for Ottawa
  Ottawa
  Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
  
  , Canada, where it stayed until May 22 gathering information from witnesses who could not meet the commission in St. John's.
• The commission next proceeded to Montreal
  Montreal
  Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
  
  , to interview the general managers of the Bank of Montreal
  Bank of Montreal
  The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
  
   on the subject of Newfoundland's debt.
• May 24, the commission left Montreal for Halifax where it interviewed the general managers of the Bank of Nova Scotia, and heard more evidence, mostly relating to the Newfoundland fishery
• May 27, the commission left Halifax and arrived in St. John's on May 29
• May 30, the commission resumed sittings in St. John's and continued until the end of June.
• In total, the commission held approximately 100 formal sittings and listened to 260 witnesses.

Main recommendations of the Commission

• The existing form of government would be suspended until such time as the Island may become self-supporting.
• A special Commission of Government would be created which would be presided over by the Governor, and would take the place of the existing Legislature and Executive Council.
• The Commission of Government would be composed of six members, exclusive of the Governor, three of whom would be drawn from Newfoundland and three from the United Kingdom.
• The Government Departments in the Island would be divided into six groups. Each group would be placed in the charge of a Member of the Commission of Government, who would be responsible for the efficient working of the Departments.
• The proceedings of the Commission of Government would be subject to supervisory control by the government of the United Kingdom, and the Governor would be responsible to the Secretary of State for Newfoundland in the United Kingdom for the good governance
  Good governance
  Good governance is an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization of human rights. Governance describes "the process of decision-making and the process by which...
  
   of the Island.
• The government of the United Kingdom would be responsible for the finances of the island until the time in which the island is once again self-sufficient.
• It would be understood that, as soon as the Island's difficulties are overcome and the country is again self-supporting, responsible government, on request from the people of Newfoundland, would be restored.

Aftermath

The report and recommendations were well-received by both the media and most members of the public. In November 1933, it was debated by the legislature which subsequently passed an address to the Crown

The Crown

The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...

 requesting the suspension of the constitution. The Commission of Government

Commission of Government

The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...

took control of the country in February 1934.