Motors and motorists have increased in such numbers during the last two rs that the subject of reasonable eds and other regulations necessary for their control has forced itself upon of the chief commissioner deen. hobs frequent, and only a lents have of late
fow days ago an unfortunate cyclist met with an almost instantaneous death through a collision close to the city boundaries, with a motor car driven by two visitors to Melbourne. Just at present motor cars are subject to the ordinary regulations applied to street vehicular traffic, and as these regulations were drafted to mest the case of vehicles capable of travelling at about one-third of the speed possible to the motor, efficiency needs no comment. In owners were well-known and easily identifiable by the police "mais nous avons change tout cels," and their number now is multiplied many times over, whilst the drivers thereof, clad in all sorts of strange garments, and muffled up tothe eyebrows to defy the dust, form an identification puzzle worthy of the steel of a matriculation candidate. The well-made and level roads in the fashionable suburb of St. Kilds are the principal places for the trial of speed by owners of new machines, and owners who wish to show off to their friends as expert chauf-fours. Just hereabouts the most reckless disregard to traffic rales occurs, and if automobilists find themselves' rath severely dealt with in the police chief new regulations, they have only the wildest among their own number to blame for the result.
At the Theatres, Pride of place at this, the festive season, must be given to the gorgeous pantomime "Sinbad the Sailor," uow being produced by Mr. William Ander-sou's Company at the Royal, Thi oldest established playhouse in M bourne, has for the last three months been in the hands of the builders and decorators, and was reopened to the public for the first time on the 20th of December, The pantomime ran for close on four hours on Boxing night, possibly more, as most of the critics left in a hurry to catch the last train home, and it was then going strong, not even having reached the transformation scene. Since that date, however, the prauing knife has been judiciously applied, and it is possible to seo the finish and got away midnight. Miss Ravensburg, as Sinbad, fully comes up to all that the advance notices led us to expect, whilst Best Bailey, a well-known Melbourne favourite liven unlimited opportunity to work in all the seasonable gage, including of course the Butter Commission, and the great "Argus" discussion " What is a gentleman At Her Majesty's, "The Orchid," after most successful season, extending over a Period of nine weeks, hus been withdrawn in favour of a revival of "Florodora," with, of course, George Lauri as Professor weedlepunch. Somehow on the opening night the production went rather flat, fu ite of the Professor's game attempts to infuse life into it. Miss Clifton, who takes the part of Lady Holyrood, is not 80 gay and lively as Miss Grace Palotta, who was cast in the part when first prov es duced here.
Hackenschmidt, the groat Russian wrestler who is appearing under Rickard's the Tivoli, has managed local champions of the so far essayed to try their skill with him. He offers £10 to any man whom he fails to throw in ten minutes and £100 to the man who will lay him on the mat. Up tothe present he has not been called upon to hand over either amount. Now he aspires to enter the prize ring and wants to meet Jim Jeffries, when he proceeds to America. He is taking boxing lessons daily with Gooner Moir, his trainer, A sensation has been created in Now Zealand by Mr. Williamson's Knight-Jeffries Company presenting the early English morality play, " Everyman," to Nelig ican Bishop of Aucka Sunday audience, which comprised Dr. land, a considerable umber of the clergy of various denominations, and the general public. The "New Zealand Her refers to the experiment in a article, in the course of which it says Wisely removed beyond: the atmosphere of the playhouse, it gained ite just measure of religious significance, whilst losing none of its dramatic quality. It would have been impossible for even the most thoughtless to have witnessed such a performance without being moved, The unbroken silenes of the large audience, the entire absence of anything in the natare of applause from to end, bore eloquent testimony to the effect this play—so touching from its
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.