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Animated Pictures 345 The city is run upon the most up-to-date civic lines. There are schools for the education of the rising generation who take part in the plays, main- tained by the company but under State supervision. There is a mayor and council, a chief of police—a woman —and full staff of mounted and foot constables, a Government Post Office, police court, jail, fire-brigade station and appliances, hospital and dispensary—in fact, every detail which is considered essential to the well-being of a modern community. Only negatives are prepared at this city. They are rushed across the continent to New York, where the attached laboratories reel off the positives, the number of which varies from thirty-five to fifty, according to the subject and its demand. These are circulated among seventy-five exchanges distributed over the country, each of which serves one hundred theatres. By means of this organisation it is possible for a subject to be shown at no fewer than 7,500 theatres. The “ City ” reels out a steady 50,000 feet of new subjects per week, and this is maintained the whole year through. Universal City brings home vividly to one the enormous hold the moving pictures have acquired upon the public. Yet the industry is only in its infancy. What the future developments will be it is impossible to fore- tell, but there is every indication that it is threatening the very existence of the theatre and music-hall. The mixed programme, which has ever been identified with the picture palace, will be partially substituted by the long film affording a complete evening’s enter- tainment. Already this movement has attained a vogue in the States, while it is beginning to assert