PRINCE OF WALES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19154, 10 November 1927, Page 5

PRINCE OF WALES.

OFFERED JOB AS FARMHAND. GOOD STORY FROM CANADA. From k Spicial Correspondbht. VANCOUVER, October 4. The best story told of the Prince of "Vvales during his tours of Canada — probably the best story of the tours of His Royal. Highness over the world—is being told now, after he has made another tour from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The story is vouched for by a high railroad official of the Grand Trunk Pacific, now retired, who accompanied the Prince at the time.

It was in the summer of 1919, and the Prince was travelling westward on the way to his ranch in Alberta. Canada had a bumper wheat crop that year, and the harvest was in full swing. The Prince asked that his train be halted for an hour or so, that he might stretch his legs, and the officials "parked" it a few miles outside a Western township. In a little time, the Prince and his equerry, Lord Claude Hamilton, who was a bit taller than his Highness, appeared, wearing hob-nailed boots, loose walking trousers, closely-buttoned coats, and plaid caps. Each carried a stout cane. Lighting their pipes, they started at a stiff pace up the road. A little over an hour later the pair came trudging back, covered with dust and perspiring with the heat. With them were two. farmers in overalls. The Prince and his companion passed on, and joined a group of trainmen, who were playing baseball to while away the time. "Say, boss," said one of the farmers to a railroad official, "what's the matter with this country 1" "Looks all right to me," said the official of the Eoyal special. "I never saw Canada in better condition. What's the trouble?" "Well, I'll tell you. The crops are so heavv this year that we can t get enough farm hands to do the harvesting. I see by the papers that thire arc immigrants and others who went work. That's a bunk. They don't want work. 11l prove it. We saw these two bnxts Sitting it up along the road without any luggage, and asked them if they wanted to put in the next four weeks It good money. 'How much?'asks the big fellow. I told him forty dollars a month, with board and lodging. That doesn't seem very much to me,wnac kind of work do we do for that? he asks, sucking at his pipe. I told them that thev bad to pitch hay, help with, the stock, tinker round, helping us build a root house and get m shape tor the threshing machine when it came round our way." , "How did he take it?" asked the official. , ~ "Put up a howl. Couldn't see it atall. Said he'd never done any farming for less than fifty dollars a month and found and that he wouldn't do no carpenter work on a root house for notody." ,_• • 0„ "Did vou meet his raise? "Not right then. We walked along with them and boosted the rates to forty-five dollars a month, and finally came up to fifty. Say, mister, you haven't any idea how bad we need farm hands up here." "Then why don't you pay 'em? ' "Isn't fifty a month during a nice dry season like August is in Canada enough* I wed to farm down bx In*

States and never got more than that even in the winter. They're out of a job, ain't they?" "Why didn't you take the big fellcnr on at fifty, the wage he asked?" •"That's just the point. We had him going, and he was on the edge of taking it when the little feller butts in and wants to know what kind of vittles we fed our farm hands. That's what he wanted to know. I told him he'd eat what we ate. Ha! Ha! What do you suppose was the next question he asked? 'What time do we have to turn out in the morning?' "Well, that's a fair question," said the railroader. "What time do you turn out?" "Five o'clock. We tramped along with these two birds for two miles, trying to persuade thorn, but they don't want work, no-how. There they are now, down there, playing baseball with your train crew. What's Canada coming to when her people won't work? That pair ought to be deported. Where did they come from, anyhow?" ''The big chap pitching the ball is Loru Claude Hamilton, and the little fellow batting is the Prince of Wales. Come along and I'll introduce you." The railroader led the farmers up to the Prince of Wales and introduced them. The Prince invited them to take refreshments with him, gave each a box of cigars, and wished them prosperity. The special train pulled out with the Royal feathers flying from the locomotive flagstaff. The farmers cheered the Prince as his train departed westward.