THE FARMER IN ALBERTA.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 187, 30 June 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE FARMER IN ALBERTA.

By MARY MACDONALD BROWN

The farmer is the man of the moment in Alberta just now. Hitherto the speculator has monopolised most of the limelight. Two years ago, Calgary, "the Phenomenal' —as with some justification it has christened itself—barely recovered from the real estate collapse, was in the grip of a frenzied oil boom. In the course- of a week oi two four million dollars were subscribed, and 400 new companies started; drapers' and jewellers' stores were transformed into oil shops; people fought for certificates in the street like wild beasts, while messengers hurried to the banks with huge clothesbaskets of dollars subscribed by an agitated gold-gripped public. The war has given the cold douche to the speculative fever; while the 370,000,000 dollar turnover of last " Fall's" prairie produce has agreeably demonstrated the financial possibilities of agriculture. At a United Farmers' Convention, held hero lately, turcoated farmers from rural districts with melodious names like Red Rose, Silver Lake. Enchant, Sunshine, and Green Valley, were Mattered and feted to their hearts' content, whereas «t their last Convention, three years ago, they were practically ignored. As Mr. Robert J. C. Stead, the poet of the prairies (who is also incidentally one of the C.P.R. publicity managers), remarked to me: " The war has "brought home to Western Canada a realisation that her prosperity lies in the land and not in speculation. We are not so keen on money-making as we were, and are altogether a much more serious and thoughtful people." THE PATRIOTIC FUND. Moreover, the farmer, hitherto considered somewhat ''close-fisted" in money matters, has opened up his heart and his purse-strings. Contributions to the Patriotic Fund are steadily growing. From Calgary and its environs alone the amount contributed last month was 55,000 dollars. It is interesting to record that ten Barnardo boys clubbed together to give their small weekly wage of five cents for ten weeks to the Fund. The Chinese, of whom there is a large community in Calgary, doing exceedingly well as laundry-workers am' market-gar-deners, have also contributed generouslv.

And a word of very warm praise is due to the Indians —the Sarcees, Blackfeet and the Soncy—living m Reserves on the outskirts of Calgary, who have contributed the sum of 5,000 dollars—this though times have been very hard with them lately, owing to the diminution in the prices of furs, and to the fact that the Hudson's Bay Comnany, immediately on the outbreak of the war, discontinued the practice of giving each Indian hunter a certain amount of credit or "debt" to tide him over the lean season till the furs wero prime. The women, garbed in beautifully-coloured blankets with gay handkerchiefs round their heads and moccasins on their feet, the men with cowboy hats and tartan shawls—one sees those Indians in the big modern Hudson's Bay Store with its post-office, library, rest-room, lounge and restaurant, spending their money liberally on anything that takes their fancy, from a white woolly cap for the litt'e brownfaced papoose slung behind, to scents and soaps of luxurious quality, or chocolates and sweets, of which they are much enamoured. The Indians are extremely patriotic. Brightly-col-oured portraits of the King and Queen wero hung on the walls of the somewhat sparsely-furnished cottage of the Indian Chief at Sarcee, which I visited. These tribes are very anxious that a special regiment should be formed; and the only drawback is the difficulty in finding' officers who can speak the language.

AN IMPETUS TO RECRUITING

The destruction of the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa gave a great impetus to recruiting. The number of recruits in Alberta exceeds any other province in proportion to is popu'atiou. And the extraordinary thing is that neither in Edmonton nor Calgary are any recruiting posters exhibited or recruiting meetings held. There arc no bands playing or Hags flying. I?c----cnuts come pouring in as quickly as they can be assimilated without any of these inducements. And a liner lot of men than these young ranchers and farmers it would be difficult to find; 471 members of the Trades and Labour Council have enlisted and 150 of the Calgary Orange Lodge. An American Legion is being formed, and there was some talk of forming a Commercial Travellers' battalion. Sixty or fieventv of the Calgary school cadets have joined. These boys are trained on somewhat similar lines to the Australian cadets, but the training is not compulsory. A Scandinavian battalion is to lie raised in Western Canada, composed of Danish. Norwegian, and Swedish, which is to be known as "The Vikings of Canada." The Calgary battalions are comfortably housed in the old Fan- grounds. General Cruickshank, we'll known as a writer on Canadian history, i> in command of the district, and'few officers are more respected and admired than he

THK RIDERS OF THE PLAINS

The Royal Xorth-Wc-t Mounted Police, who are chielly composed of English Scots, and Irishmen, are only held hack from wholesale enlistment hy a -pecial letter from Sir Robert Mordon, t lling tie in they were doing a- valuable service to the r country by remaining where they were as if they were ill the firing line, five hundred extra members were added to the force at the comnienceini nt of the war. hut ns big bodies of recruit-, are now stationed in every lawn thc-e are being disbanded and' the majority of them are enlist : ng Hnrso-stoaloi.. and alien enemies have kepi ihe Calgary Mount--0(1 Police exceptionally bu»y r-im-o the nutlireak of ih ■ war. Siiperiiitondent Iforrigan told me thai tlie synipathios „f most of Ihe aliens in this country were avowedly witTi the em my, and thev required '.cry car 'fill watching, Tnterncd alien enemies from Calvary numb r 121. and 1,.Ti(l are on paro'e. Tin- attraction! - of the .-troets of Calgary is eon-idorahl..- enhanced by roso-rcd tunic of I lie mount d policeman, and the inagnilir,.|it ooal-h'aek hor.-e . uho,e extraordinarily woll-groomcd coals shiim like -c:j ,; h. If these red-conted "' I'.iders of

the Plains'' were to disappear the aesthetic loss to the Prairie provinces would be incalculable. Unemployment and destitution have considerably diminished in Calgary since this time last year. 120 cases are now receiving charity as compared with 600 a year ago. Farmers are apprehensive that there wul be a shortage of hired help this season; but it is anticipated that a certain number of recruits will be released for a few weeks for harvest work, as was the case last year. Experts predict that the exceptionally cold weather —it lias been 39 and 40 below zero—will result in a harvest almost as miraculous as its predecessor.