PRINCE IN AUSTRALIA

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1920, Page 4

PRINCE IN AUSTRALIA

CAUSES OE HIS INDISPOSITION.

SYDNEY, J uno 2. The Prince lias been literally rushed off his I'eet since has arrival in this country, and to-day the country learns, with blank dismay, that the young man is indisposed, and that all, engagements have been set back one week. That will bring him to Sydney on June 16th

instead of June 9th Everyone is agreed that the Prince s programme was far too strenuous and 'so Australia is proceeding to flog its joss, officialdom. Officialdom, say the outspoken one, grabbed the Royal visitor as soon as he landed, and, while ho expressed his eagerness to see the country and meet the people, overwhelmed him witlr pageants and wearisome ceremonies*. On top of that lie has met the .bitter raw weather of a Victorian winter, and has contracted a cold. He had not been .here more than tlire'e days before it was seen that ho was utterly weary. His staff begged for some respite—but officialdom had made its 'arrangements well ahead, would forego none of them, anil kept up the whirling pace. The doctor s firm decision—a week’s ,-esl—has surprised none in touch with events. The Prince was tired when lie left Now Zealand. It appears that he found the strain there very severe. The railway strike, and his decision to devote the time in which lie was to Wave rested to completing his public programme, resulted in his over-taxing .bis strength, and the voyage from New Zealand did not give him time to recover. He is to spend a week quietly resting somewhere. PRINCE s CAPTURES MELBOURNE. It is not exaggerating to say that Melbourne Jost its collective beadxovor tlie Prince. Australians are naturally suspicious of'anything savouring of the aristocracy—but tire oh arming smile and simple, unaffected manner of the young heir to th'e Throne found a way straight to their warm hearts. The crowds, indeed, were so enormous, an<J so demonstrative that they made the performance of the Prince’s onerous public duties very difficult, and contributed to no small degree to Iris threatened collapse. He was late for almost every public . engagement —simply because the people thronged around him so that his carriage could not get through the streets. He never failed to stand up in his car, saluting tfieni and smiling his

famous smile. H<' refused to have an escort of mounted police : he thought they might hurt the people—and so lie paid the penalty by having the people almost trampling on him in their eagerness to get near him. The authorities tried to help matters by having foot police move along rapidly beside the car. But the Prince noticed that these men were distressed by their heavy work, and the fast pace—and so he stopped the car and made them ride on the footboards. It is a. little incident like this that finds the heart of the Australian people. He lias hogged the crowds to spare Him a little and keep hack—hut they only cheer him the more and crowd closer.' AMONG THE DIGGERS.

.Many thousands of returned soldiers met the Prince in the Exhibition Buildings last Monday evening. They greeted him uproariously. He spoke to them first from the platform, and then he went down into the body ot thp hall and visited the different groups. He paused for a moment and shook hands with the head of each table, and passed on, encountering a great deal of good-natured chaff from the Diggers. Several shouted out tips for the races, which the Prince wifi attend at.Flemington on and one buttonholed the Prinee confidentially, and told him to he sure to back Pram for the Steeple. The Prince enjoyed this part of the programme immensely, and returned to the platform flushed and smiling, and completely at ease. He departed a little later amid vociferous cheering, and the singing of “ He’s a Jollv Good Fellow.” UNFORTUNATE SCENE AT TOWN HALL.

The Prince had a less happy experience that same evening at the Town Hall. There was a Hospital Funds Ball there, and all a lkl f sundry had been allowed to buy tickets. Too many people were present—many of them with no conception of good manners. The iloor was so crowded with wouldbe dancers that practically no dancing could'take place. Members of the committee tried to deaf the floor a little. Then the Prince and a big official party arrived and confusion became worse confounded. The dance+s made.a little space, and tli'e Prince led the Lady Mayoress out to dance. The people crowd**] around to that extent staring and jostling, that the Prince and partner were forced to stop. The crowd moved back somewhat, and again the Prince tried to dance. Again the unmannerod men and women crushed forward, and the Prince, with every evidence of annoyance, led his partner from the floor. After a discussion, the official party moved towards the supper-room; even then, they got through the jostling mass with the utmost difficulty. While .they were at supper, the crowd was appealed to to make room, and the committee was anxious to rope off a space; but thie Prince would not allow that. The people, he was sure, would make room. ITe re-entered the ballroom with a young lady, and tried to dance. Again the people pressed on to the floor, and he had to stop. Sir Lionel Halsey mounted a dais and asked the gentlemen present to clear the floor—thle dancers to dance, and the onlookers to get back to the sides of the room. An attempt was made to do this. But only a few measures were danced before the implacable pressure irom behind ipiced those in front out on to the floor again, and the.-Prince found himself and his partner hemmed in by the loutish crowd, stared at as if he were a zoological specimen. The Prince and official party loft the Town Hall almost immediately. SUNDAY SPENT WITH Mil HUGHES.

The Prince spent Sunday afternoon very happily with Mr Hughes, the Prime Minister, who, only a few short years ago, was an umbrella mender in Balmain, Sydney, and the stormy-petrel secretary of the Sydney "Wharf Labourers’ Union. Mr Hughes has a cottage at Sassafras, a beautiful mountain ro- . sort some distance out of Melbourne. | He motored the Prince out there, pro-1 vided tlie young man and his companions j with back's, and sent them off for a. gal- j lop along the wooded mountain roads, j They saw rural Australia for the first , time, boiled a billy, and picnicked, and

thoroughly enjoyed themselves. By the time the Prince got hack to Sasafras the villagers were astir and waiting for him, and he good-naturedly planted a tree on the “Anzac Parade” lor them. Then a young girl came up and very shyly ottered him a young wallaby) a most attractive wee animal. The Prince was delighted, thanked the girl very warmly, and toolc the wallaby hack to Melbourne with him. The following day, he had ••imself photographed, with the Wallaby. On Tuesday, tin; Prince set oft by tram to visit the rural districts of Victoria. Every district wanted to see him, and so obliging officialdom arranged it 'hilt way. Thus,"the unfortunate young .nan is this week being rushed from place to place at brealc-neck speed, getting- the usual loyal addresses from the usual local bumbles—liis average stay in each town seems to be about 15 minutes and “ seeing Australia ” from the vindow of the flying train.