Evening star., 1939-06-04
.Wheat|and Farmers
Hail King and Queen
In Saskatoon Stop
Royol Couple Hear Mayor
And Ride II Miles
Before Crowds
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SASKATOON, June 3.-Hardy
farm families from Saskatchewan s
rolling wheatlands joined their city
cousins today in welcoming King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth
with the greatest demonstration ever
witnessed in this agricultural CEN
ter.
When the royal train arrived at
2:19 pm. crowd of 1O0,0O0-more
than twice Saskatoon's population
-thronged the city and sent up
wave upon wave of cheers as the
King and Queen rode slowly over
an 1l-mile route.
The royal visitors looked refreshed
after nights sleep aboard their
train and appeared to enjoy i'm
-mensely the greetings from the
prairie folk who have gone through
hard time in recent years but didn't
show it today.
< Saskatoon Mayor Speaks.
The tWo-hour visit to Saskatoon
was limited to the motor ride. the
reading OF an address by Mayor C.
Nlnderost and the usual inspection
OF a guard of honor by the King,
A railway siding on the empty
prairie tonight held the royal train,
giving the King and Queen a night
OF rest undisturbed even by train
movement.
Tomorrow at Portage La Prairie
o. miles west of Winnipeg. they will
attend services at the United Church
OF Canada. Later their train will
roll across Northern Ontario. arriv-
Ing at Sudbury junction at 7:3O
pm. E. S. T.. for a lO-minute ride
and 50-minute stop at Sudbury.
, Enjoy Summer Day.
All day long today the blue and
silver train clicked off mile after
mile of Canada's thousand-mile-
wide wheat belt From their oh
servatlon car, the King and Queen
enjoyed a day of rare early summer
beauty on the prairies.
Rolling expanses of wheat fields
broken by groves and lakes. blue
skies pulled with white clouds. sun
shine tempered by cool breezes-
these were the vistas which
rolled by.
During the day the King and
Queen saw prairie mirage. They
watched ''twisters," little wind
whirlpools, pick up dust and race
across the fields Tall wheat ele-
= vators reared their bleak heads
from the prairies.
Refers to Europe's Situation.
In his speech, Saskatoons Mayor
Niderost told the King that many
people Of this part of Canada came
from European countries not under
his rule, but that they have come
to know and appreciate the bless
lngs of freedom and liberty"
He recalled that many men of
the province needed the call of
their country 20 years ago. and for
which they would again should it
be necessary"
Ihls was one of the few refer
ences by an official at any stop of
the royal tour, even indirectly. to
the European situation.
Impressive Welcome.
This prairie city gave the King
and Queen one of the simplest but
most impressive welcomes of the
royal tour with two features no
other city had arranged.
Sheltered from the brilliant sun
Under rod aud rolI
station plaza were 700 high school
girls singing softly Sing Along the
Way Then they formed a living
Union Jack with small colored flags
and finally bursting into wild cheer
ing for the King and Queen. who
recognized the demonstration bv
waving their hHnds in greeting to
the youngsters.
The other unusual feature of the
reception was that after riding
. through literally hundreds of miles
OF Jammed streets from Quebec to
Victoria, Saskatoon provided some
tnlng different in county fair of
exhibits arranged along one section
OF the royal route through the city.
Instead of massed crowds the
royal car moved slowly through
lines of prize cattle, mostly short
horns and Aberdeen Angus. horses,
sheep, hogs, exhibits of wheat and
-four, honey, lumber and wood prod
ucts
Welcomed by Man, 104.
In the special stand near the can
opy where the King and Queen stood
was the oldest man who has yet well
coined them, and he once fought
against their rule. He was Thomas
Swain of North Battleford. aged 1O4,
whose father was an Englishman, his
mother an Indian. He fought in the
Louis Reil Northwest Rebellion of
80 years ago.
Coming to Saskatoon the royal
train at the Kings instructions made
an unscheduled stop at Unity, where
thousands of people lined the rail-
way. At Wainwright the King and
Queen saw a stuffed buffalo at the
station and were told about the herd
OF 5000 animals raised there from
buffalo obtained from Yellowstone
National Park.
A mile east of Tako the King or
oered the train stopped and with
the Queen walked along the track