PREPARING FOR THE PRINCE

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 70, 23 March 1920, Page 8

PREPARING FOR THE PRINCE

WHAT MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY

ARE DOING.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY, 16th March. The two chief cities of the Commonwealth seem to be looking -forward to the visit of the Prince of Wales in a way that is characteristic. Melbourne is all in a flutter of pleasurable excitement'; Sydney has a blase air and a cynical smile. Melbourne, already, is buying gorgeous evening ciothes and planning gay functions; the Sydney shops report, no unusual demand for clothes, and, ■while there is a general and obvious intention to be gay, not very much has been said about it yet; the Melbourne, City Council has set aside -£10,000' ■wherewith to do honour to Royalty, but the Sydney City Council has squabbled over, the allocation pf a very much more modest sum; Melbourne has got a prominent citizen, of substance, in' the Mayoral Chair, while Sydney,;;.owing tothe unfortunate death of Sir Richard Richards, has .placed. a-Labour.'.iriari in the high office. The-Mayor will have to be the city's official, head while the Prince is here, and Sydney is wondering rather audibly to-day 'how the- new Mayor;- Alderman Fitzgerald, will shape- at-it.—-He—has-never been, by any means, a notable public leader. He has always been a mild Labour advocate, and he has been 14 year 3in the City Council. He conducts a small grocery business*in "a work-ing-class district. ' . _ ••

The details of the Prince's Australian tour are still.in the hands of portentous and leisurely committees. What is beJieved to be the prize horse of Australia has been secured for his use, however. It is a remarkably handsome black animal called. Bayard, owned by an Adelaide -lady, and a famous prize winner at shows. The military authorities, a 6 a matter of fact, tried very hard to bfay the animal as a gift to the Prince, but the lady refused to sell. She offered Bayard on loan—and agreed that if the Prince takes a fancy to him, she will give him up. Bayard-is a particularly good-tempered animal. :- . • - ■