The Social Structure of a Canadian Community.

This article presents a case study on the social structure of the town of Brockville, Ontario. Briefly, it was a study of social administration, dealing with the social services of a small Canadian town. The aims and achievements of each service were described. A study was made of the resources available to each, the regulations determining and limiting its work and the decisions made about the service at various levels within the community. Finally some general conclusions drawn about the character and development of social services in such a town. Field work for the study was done by three people who lived in the town for three months. They examined the records and case papers of social services, interviewed board members and workers in these services, read such local historical material, interviewed a representative sample of 200 households in the town and participated as far as possible in the life of the community. An attempt was made to trace responsibility for the planning and administration of the social services of the town. Three types of leader came to light, each drawing power from different sources. The three types of leader that characterize different stages of the town's history did not succeed each other at clearly defined intervals. Further analyses of social structure were according to familiar measures of socio-economic status. An attempt was made to identify classes of people with common interests and values, common patterns of association, consumption and leisure-time occupation.