"VERY CRITICAL.”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10169, 28 July 1924, Page 5

"VERY CRITICAL.”

NEW ZEALAND AUDIENCES. JUGO-SLAV MUSICIANS’ VISIT. “ Australian and New Zealand people are far more critical regarding music than are the Americans,” said Mr John Gayski, conductor of the Jugo-Slav orchestra, which is visiting Ashburton in connection with Chautauqua, this afternoon. Jazz music appeared to satisfy the Americans, he continued, but the classical side of music was sought by New Zealander's and Australians. One reason for this might be found in the fact that the Americans developed music for financial profit, and the New Zealanders for refinement and expansion of the personality. Mr Gayski remarked upon the ignorance of Americans in regard to New Zealand and Australia. If these countries had not come into the . war they might never have been mentioned in America. When the members of the orchestra returned to America, where they had been for three or four vears since coming from Jugo-Slavia, they would tell the people of that continent all about the fine climate and excellent opportunities available in New Zealand. The orchestra had so far touched at only Blenheim, Nelson, .Motueka, Gieymoutfi, and Ashburton, but the members were already full of admiration ot._ our climate, scenery, and the clean towns, free from drunkenness and full of busy people, and the evidences of prosperity. “One thing that has struck us already,” said Mr Gayski, is that everybody here works- There are very few drunkards about.” The members of the orchestra visited the Woollen Mills at Allenton to-day, and were impressed by the systematic way in which, the material was bandied. The programme for the present tour was to touch at places on the east coast as far south as Invercargill, and then round the West Coast to Wellington and Now Plymouth. There were many Jugoslavs in Auckland, and after the present tour the rest of the time until September 2, when they would sail for Tahiti in the Niagara, would he spent | there. The mildness of the climate here was a point which struck Mr Gayski. Weather similar to this would be experienced in Jugo-Slavia, not in tho dead of winter, but in the snring or the fall of the year. The climate here was better than in his own country where the thermometer sometimes dropped to from 10 to 15 degrees below zero. . He was agreeably surprised to find New Zealand so developed industrially and intellectually. The farms were larger here than in Jugo-Slavia. In his country a farm, or rather, an in-tensely-cultivated “garden,” was considered a large holding. The soil was very good and production prolific. His country was somewhat similar to New Zealand scenically, Jor both had plains and mountains of corresponding height and beauty. Jugo-Slavia would have I changed much since the speaker was j thorn six vears ago. The Ttslw-w wanted to take away all outlets to the Adriatic Sea. and thus rob it of seaports; but Mr Gayski. with a show of spirit, said the Jngo-Slavs would fight* and die if need lie to protect their country.