CONCERT HALL.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17291, 1 November 1921, Page 7

CONCERT HALL.

deputation to city council. a demiuuon representing the mimical a nd kindred societies of Christ. Snrch waited on the City Council last sight to urge the necessity for the election of a suitable concert hal . The deputation was introduced bj fr C. W. Hervey. Professor Shelley emrliasised the importance of a concert, hall for the development of culture m the cit>. A roncert hall would fonp a centre tor Artistic effort. Lack of emotional discSlma was what the world was suflcrZ from at the present time. U «•»* a positive duty on the part o a Council to provide a centre where tj : erooiional ex "r ass roil of the people i could he organised. I Alr Wro. lleet.e said it was '-1 years ,'iineo the Canterbury Hail was opened tad that building was largelv for,music. The city now- had no suitable hall, and lie thought the ■ I ; j me bad gone by when the city eoild , fliDeCt private enterprise to P' - °™ lc i hails and theatres as in the past, lhn j proposed concert hall that the deputa- j tion had in nund would measure <OH ; hv 120 ft and would utilise much «» ■ the present walls of the Canterbury Hall building. The hall would hold from 1600 to 1800 people, and the cost : would be from £15,000 to £ - 0 »°^ p j The musical societies would take tne | hall for 100 nights in the year at £lO ; 10s a night, and if the other 200 ■ nights were taken up at a like rental, the total annual income would amount j to £3OOO. A Drivate firm was quite 1 willing to build a large theatre and a smaller concert hall on the *inu , had it not been for the city requiring i the site, he had no doubt but that the firm in question would have gone on with the project. When the Choral Hall was withdrawn, thorc would be no hall in Christchurch where the musical societies could give their concerts In reply to Cr. J. % Brunt, Mr 1 Reece said the matter of finance had not been gone into by the musical I societies, but it was thought that there might be a surplus from the new oihees loan, and that in any event a more moderate proposal than the one nrst submitted would be earned by the rateto Cr. Sullivan, Mr Reece said if the Council formulated a scheme, such would have the whole-hearted support of the musical people. . Tie Deputy-Mayor said the aims ot the deputation had the hearty support of the Council, but tile ratepayers recently had turned down the very proposal that would have been revenueproducing. A sub-committee was considering the question of modifying the plans for the utUisation of the property vn the way the deputation had suggested, and it was hoped that by the adoption of a recommendation at the » Municipal Conference it; would be possible to secure the finance without k going to the ratepayers again. The Council recognieed that a new hall was, ■i;"i neoesgarv. snd wgtg ( dGsirous of doins tie best they could for the city. The denutation, before retiring, passed a vote of thanks to the Council for the hearing accorded. - > The Council decided to refer the ; representations of; the deputation to the special committee having m hand the concert hall proposal. § '»* 'aassassasss ■