* A Distributed Proofreaders Canada eBook *
This eBook is made available at no cost and with very few restrictions. These restrictions apply only if (1) you make a change in the eBook (other than alteration for different display devices), or (2) you are making commercial use of the eBook. If either of these conditions applies, please contact a https://www.fadedpage.com administrator before proceeding. Thousands more FREE eBooks are available at https://www.fadedpage.com.
This work is in the Canadian public domain, but may be under copyright in some countries. If you live outside Canada, check your country's copyright laws. IF THE BOOK IS UNDER COPYRIGHT IN YOUR COUNTRY, DO NOT DOWNLOAD OR REDISTRIBUTE THIS FILE.
Title: William T. Jackman, 1871-1951
Date of first publication: 1952
Author: Harold Adams Innis (1894-1952)
Date first posted: September 18, 2025
Date last updated: September 18, 2025
Faded Page eBook #20250918
This eBook was produced by: Hugh Dagg, John Routh & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net
This file was produced from images generously made available by JSTOR.
Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science, Volume 18, No. 2, May 1952
By H. A. Innis
Professor William T. Jackman was born at Kilsyth, Ontario, January 8, 1871. After graduating from Owen Sound Collegiate Institute, he entered the University of Toronto in 1892, and graduated with his B.A. in the natural sciences in 1896. He taught successively at Perth Collegiate Institute, Pickering College, and Owen Sound Collegiate Institute and took his M.A. in 1899. He attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1900; was appointed instructor in economics in the University of Vermont in 1901; became assistant professor in 1907; and in 1915 left to become lecturer in the University of Toronto. He was promoted to an assistant professorship in 1921, and a full professorship in 1929, and retired in 1941. He died November 8, 1951.
He took postgraduate work leading to the doctor’s degree at Harvard University from 1905 to 1907 when on leave of absence from the University of Vermont and passed his general examination. He spent three summers in England in London and Birmingham working on his thesis on the history of transportation which he submitted for examination in May, 1910. In a letter dated January 11, 1911, to the registrar, Mr. J. B. Brebner, the guide and friend of so many University of Toronto graduates, he wrote:
The examining committee asked me so many small, mean and insignificant questions that had no value at all, that I was utterly disappointed in the result and in the nature of the examination. They have asked me to come up again, but rather than spend such a long time (for it would take five or six years, at the least) in delving into insignificant details, which have almost no bearing upon the broad question of economic development, I would prefer to do without the degree. I am still continuing my research, however, and hope to have the results ready for publication in two or three years. . . . Their reason for giving such insignificant and mean questions was, they said, “to make the Harvard degree stand for something.”
The results of his continued research were published as The History of Transportation in England in two volumes by the Cambridge University Press in 1916. These have become standard works on a vital aspect of the economic development of England and there must be few better illustrations of the limitations of regulations leading to the doctor’s degree. After reading these volumes I was much struck by an aspect of his character which I came to understand and to appreciate during a long period of association with him. The following quotation from a footnote needs no comment. “Sir George Radcliffe writing to his mother, February 29th, 1607. ‘These rude lines are to signify to you that I received by George Armitage, a great pie and four little ones, four oate cakes, and a book from you and my sisters.’ He was at that time going to school and the pies and cakes were no doubt devoured with great avidity.”
Following the election of the Farmers’ Government in Ontario under Premier E. C. Drury, he became chairman of a Commission on Rural Credit which published A Report on Rural Credit in Ontario. In Manitoba, again following the return of a Farmers’ Government, under Premier Bracken, he was appointed chairman of a Commission which published A Report on Rural Credit in Manitoba in 1923. From that date he returned to his interest in transportation and published Economics of Transportation in 1926 and a revised and enlarged edition in 1935. This work became a standard handbook on subjects pertaining to transportation, particularly railway rates in Canada. But his interest in transportation was much more than academic. He wrote numerous articles on various phases of the subject and in 1947, in recognition of his work, he was made honorary president of the Canadian Industrial Traffic League. On the occasion of his retirement a series of lectures was arranged in his honour. These were published as Essays in Transportation (Toronto, 1941) and as indication of their quality have been translated into Japanese. This volume includes a bibliography of his works.
Unfortunately members of the department saw less of him after his retirement, though he paid irregular visits and came in to meet distinguished visitors who inquired about him. He followed with great interest the hearings of the Royal Commission on Transportation in Toronto in the summer of 1949. I sent him a copy of the Report expecting his disapproval, nor was I disappointed. I received a letter in his typical neat handwriting, dated May 12, 1951, signed “yours very sincerely,” from which I quote one paragraph. “From the abundant typescript which was placed before the Commission, and the intimate information which was given at the hearings, I can well understand that it would be difficult for the Commission, which was not familiar with the transportation issues of the present time, to render an appropriate report.”
Always courteous, always determined in positions which he took up, he could not have sent me a document better illustrating his life and work. He was of the salt of academic life in the University of Toronto. Much was gained from his vigorous intensity, his methodical handling of material and his frank but friendly statements of opinion. These qualities were rewarded in part by the devotion of his former students and the memories left to his friends.
| Publications |
| The Development of Transportation in Modern England. London: Cambridge University Press. 1916. 2 vols. |
| “Canada’s Railroad Problem” (Monetary Times, April 28, May 11, and May 24, 1917). |
| “Le Problème des chemins de fer du Canada” (Bulletin France-Amérique, Paris, Oct., 1917). |
| “The Need of an Inventory of Canada’s Industrial Organization” (Monetary Times, Jan. 18, 1918). |
| “The Government and the Canadian Northern Railway” (University Monthly, May, 1918). |
| “The Government and the Canadian Railways” (Monetary Times, May 10, May 17, and May 24, 1918). |
| “The Canadian Railway Situation” (Traffic World, Chicago, June 29 and July 6, 1918). |
| “The Canadian Railway Situation” (New York Commercial, July 11, 1918). |
| “Railway Relations—Economic Prospect” (Monetary Times Annual, 1919). |
| “Canadian Railways and the National Debt” (Monetary Times, May 2, 1919). |
| “The Canadian Railway Situation and the National Debt of the Dominion” (Economic World, New York, May 17, 1919). |
| “Canadian Railways in the Light of Railway Statistics” (Monetary Times, Dec. 19 and Dec. 26, 1919). |
| “Canadian Railway Developments during 1919” (Monetary Times Annual, 1920). |
| “Rural Economics as a University Study” (Farmers’ Magazine, Jan. 1, 1920). |
| “The Board of Commerce” (Monetary Times, June 4, 1920). |
| Report on Rural Credit in Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Dept. of Agriculture. 1920. |
| “Rural Credit Legislation in Canada” (Rome: Bulletin of Economic and Social Intelligence, International Institute of Agriculture, 1920). |
| “The Railway Problem in Canada” (Railway Review, May, 1921). |
| “Origin of Grand Trunk Railway Difficulties” (Monetary Times, Aug. 12, 1921). |
| “Case for Acquisition of Grand Trunk Railway” (ibid., Aug. 19, 1921). |
| “Government Action on Grand Trunk Railway was too Hasty” (ibid., Aug. 26, 1921). |
| “Rural Credits” (Rome: International Review of Agricultural Economics, Aug.-Sept., 1921). |
| “Alternatives to Purchase of Grand Trunk Railway” (Monetary Times, Sept. 2, 1921). |
| “Railway Policy as Influenced by Drayton-Acworth Report” (ibid., Sept. 9, 1921). |
| “What Grand Trunk Purchase Means to Canadian Finance” (ibid., Sept. 16, 1921). |
| “First Year’s Operations of Canadian National Railways” (ibid., Sept. 23, 1921). |
| “Outlook for National Railways under Present Management” (ibid., Oct. 7, 1921). |
| “Monopoly as a Solution of the Railway Problem” (ibid., Oct. 14, 1921). |
| Le Crédit rural au Canada. Rome: International Institute of Agriculture. 1921. |
| “Railway Developments during the Past Year” (Monetary Times Annual, 1922). |
| “Growth of Rural Credits in Canada” (ibid., 1922). |
| “The Present Condition of the National Railways in Canada” (Queen’s University Quarterly, Jan.-Feb.-March, 1922). |
| “The Problem of the Government Railways in Canada” (New York: Railway Age, March 11 and March 18, 1922). |
| “What Is Rural Economics?” (Scientific Agriculture, Aug., 1922). |
| “The Proper Adjustment of Rural and Urban Industry” (ibid., Aug., 1922). |
| “Conditions of Stability or Permanence of the Agricultural Population” (ibid., Aug., 1922). |
| “The Effects of Borrowed Capital” (ibid., Aug., 1922). |
| “Rural Credits in Canada during 1922” (Monetary Times Annual, 1923). |
| “Canadian Railway Affairs in 1922” (ibid., 1923). |
| Report to the Manitoba Government on the Operation and Administration of the System of Rural Credits. Winnipeg. 1923. |
| “Railway Regulation in the United States and Canada” (Chicago: Traffic World, April 7, 1923). |
| “Principal Railway Developments in Canada in 1923” (Monetary Times Annual, 1924). |
| “Suggestions for Federal Rural Credits in Canada” (Monetary Times, March 21, 1924). |
| “Canadian Railway Developments in 1924” (Monetary Times Annual, 1925). |
| “Possible Economies in Retail Distribution” (Hardware and Metal, Feb. 21, 1925). |
| “Relation of the Motor Vehicle to the Railways” (Financial Post, March 20, 1925). |
| “Relation of the Motor Vehicle to Agriculture” (ibid., March 20, 1925). |
| Economics of Transportation. Toronto: University of Toronto Press; Chicago: A. W. Shaw Co. 1925. |
| “Economics of Motor Truck Transportation” (Canadian Automotive Trade, Jan., 1926). |
| “Railway Freight Rates and the Maritime Provinces’ Problem” (Financial Post, Jan. 29, 1926). |
| “Economic Tendencies in the Retail Distribution of Merchandise” (Hardware and Metal, Feb. 20, 1926). |
| “The Regulation of the Motor Truck” (Financial Post, June 11, 1926). |
| “Improved Highway Systems Important National Asset” (Mail and Empire, Jan. 3, 1927). |
| “Rate Equalization Claims Endanger Reasonable Rates” (Financial Post, Feb. 18, 1927). |
| “Motor Transportation Ushers in New Era in Country’s Economic Life” (ibid., June 3, 1927). |
| “Ontario Taxes Increase with Road Expansion” (ibid., June 3, 1927). |
| “The Relation of Physical Factors to the Financial Results of Railway Operation” (Proceedings of the American Railway Association, Mechanical Division, Annual Convention, 1927; also in Railway Age, New York, June 11, 1927). |
| The British Merchant Marine. London: Maritime Review Co. 1929. |
| “The Stock Market Crash of 1929” (Financial Post, Nov. 21, 1929). |
| “Railway Improvements in Service and Operating Results since the War” (ibid., Dec. 5, 1929). |
| “The Railway Situation as Affected by the Disorganization of the Grain Trade” (Mail and Empire, Annual Financial and Commercial Number, Jan. 3, 1930). |
| “Rails Face Higher Operating Ratio” (Mail and Empire, Jan. 3, 1931). |
| “Some Economic Aspects of the Proposed St. Lawrence Waterway Project” (Canadian Railway and Marine World, April, 1931; also Canadian Yardmaster, April, 1931). |
| “Railway-Motor Truck Relations” (Financial Post, Oct. 10, 1931). |
| “Railway Relation to Returning Prosperity” (Mail and Empire, Nov. 28, 1931). |
| “Canadian Transportation Developments in 1931” (ibid., Jan. 2, 1932). |
| “The St. Lawrence Waterway Project” (Official Proceedings of the Toronto Railway Club, March, 1932). |
| “Some Problems in Canadian Transportation” (Journal of the Engineering Institute of Canada, April, 1932). |
| “The St. Lawrence Waterway Project” (Proceedings of the Canadian Political Science Association, IV, 213-44). |
| The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Waterway: Cost, Traffic, Marine Relations. London: Johnson Publishing Co. 1932. |
| “The Importance of Economic History”; being chapter i of Facts and Factors in Economic History, published by Harvard University as a memorial volume to Professor E. F. Gay upon the completion of his twenty-five years’ service in that university. Harvard University Press. 1932. |
| “Professor McDougall on Railways: A Reply” (Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science, May, 1935). |
| “Coordination of Transportation Facilities” (Canadian Chartered Accountant, June, 1935). |
| Economic Principles of Transportation. Toronto: University of Toronto Press; London: Humphrey Milford. 1935. |
| “Present and Future Problems of Transportation” (Chicago: Traffic World, Nov. 8, 9, 1935; New York: Railway Age, Nov. 9, 1935; Proceedings of the Railway Business Association, 1935). |
| “Government Ownership of Railways” (Commerce Journal, published by the University of Toronto Commerce Club, Feb., 1936). |
| “Some Vital Questions” (London: Transport Management, 1936). |
| “The Railway Problem To-day” (Financial Times, Montreal, Nov. 13, 1936; Montreal Gazette, Nov. 9, 1936). |
| “The Recapitalization of the Canadian National Railways” (Montreal Gazette, Feb. 24, 1937; Globe and Mail, Feb. 25, 1937; Montreal Gazette, March 20 and April 9, 1937). |
| The Bases and Indices of Transportation Progress. New York: Trudell Publishing Co. 1937. |
| “Railway Consolidation” (Wharton Review, University of Pennsylvania, Dec., 1937). |
| “Our Critical Railway Issue” (Montreal Gazette, Aug. 5, 1937). |
| “Our Canadian Railway Problem” (Windsor Daily Star, Jan. 20, 1938—address to the Canadian Club). |
| “Railway Coordination” (Labour Review, Feb., 1938). |
| “Disposing of Arguments against Railway Unification” (Financial Times, March 25, 1938). |
| “The Canadian Railway Issue” (Commerce Journal, University of Toronto, 1938). |
| “Appraisal of Government Ownership and Operation of Railways in Canada” (Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol 201, pp. 175-184, 1939). |
| “A Canadian Examination of the Proposed St. Lawrence Seaway Project” (Annual Report of the New York State Waterways Association, 1938; also Atlantic Deeper Waterway Association). |
| “The St. Lawrence Waterway Project” (Canadian Industrial Traffic League, Circular no. 1189, 1938). |
| “The Canadian Railway Development” (Dominion of Canada Supplement, London Daily Telegraph, London, England, May 22, 1939). |
| Critical Analysis of “The Canadian Railway Problem.” Montreal: Financial Times Publishing Co. 1939. |
| The St. Lawrence Project. Fort Erie: Times-Review Press. 1940. |
| “Conscription—not Confiscation” (Financial Times, June 14, 1940). |
| “Railway Coordination” (New York: Railway Review, 1940). |
| “The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Agreement” (Proceedings of Eastern Regional Conference on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Waterway and Power Project, Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia, Pa., April 15, 1941). |
| Testimony before and complete presentation to the Rivers and Harbors Committee of the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., on the subject of “The Improvement of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project.” Washington: United States Government Printing Office. 1941. |
| “War and Postwar Transport Problems in Canada” (Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Nov., 1943). |
Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. Where multiple spellings occur, majority use has been employed.
Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious printer errors occur.
A cover which is placed in the public domain was created for this ebook.
[The end of William T. Jackman, 1871-1951 by Harold Adams Innis]