CONCERT HALL PROPOSAL.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17747, 26 April 1923, Page 11

CONCERT HALL PROPOSAL.

SUPPORTED BY BURGESSES* ASSOCIATION. The United Burgesses' Association decided on Tuesday night, by 7 voles to 5, to support the proposal to build a eoncert hall in Christchurch. The motion, which was moved by Mr A. R. Blank, was: ''That this meeting desires to endors© the report appearing in the newspapers, and made by the Citizens' Association, regarding the proposed ooncert hall." Mr R. B. I>alley opposed the motion, on the 'grounds that if a conoert hall was erected it wojild' interfere with the Town Hall scheme. It was beooming increasingly difficult, he said, to get weight behind the Town Hall movement. The outlying districts,, like Papanui, were getting their own town halls, and although they were in Greater Christchurch, they would not voto for a central Town Hall, as their rates would be increased. "It would have been easier to build a Town Hall ten or fifteen years ago," he said, "and it will be more difficult in another ten or fifteon years." He had never known a Town Hall or concert chamber that had paid, and he was certainly notj impressed with the Citizens' Association's report. The chairman (Mr G. P. Allen) said that he was a musio enthusiast, and he thought that a eonoerfc chamber was urgently needed in the city. The Musical Society and the Mule Voice Choir were doing a great work in cultivating musical taste, and there waa no really suitable building in which they could hold their concerts.' The cost of providing seating accommodation at the Barracks was prohibitive. Mr Dnlley thought that if the. concert chamber was so -urgently needed, and would pay so . handsomely, the musical societies should ereot it as.a private enterprise" _Mr E. Franklin said there waa the site to bq considered. . Mr T. Q. OarMe said that if the decision of the United Association resulted in turning the tide at the poll in favour of the proposal, the Town Hall scheme would lose the finest section of its supporters:, for the ■ musical ■ people would be satisfied with the conoert hall. The city could. not afford to have the Town Hall proposal • delayed. Mr Blank: Christchurch is not bankrupt. It oan stand a conoert hall andi a Town Hall as "well. The motion was carried after more disoussion by seven votes to five. THE THEATRICAL VIEW. .A conference took place on Tuesday between the. Mayor (Dr. Thacker), and Mr Allan Doone, whose company is now appearing at the Theatre ' Koyal, ' regarding the matter of making the proposed concert ball suitable for theatrical performances. Mi Allen Doone Btaied that it would be a great mistake and a sad waste of money to erect a building which could not be used by touring oompanies. The coat of equipping the building as a theatre would be really no more. than aa a ooncert hall, and the value of the building as a theatre would be more than trebled from a revenxie-eaming point of view. As things were now, independent oompanies like his own would be unable to show in Christchurch, for they could not afford to pay the rentals and other charge* demanded for the use of the Theatre Royal. A building similar, to Liberty Theatre, but equipped with proper stage arrangement!, would serve admirably, both for concert performances and for theatrical purposes. The stage should a 36ft opening at least, the dtepth should be 50ft ,or 60ft, and there should be a height of about 55ft to the top of the flies. At least a dozen Bmall dressing rooms would be wanted, with two large ones. So equipped, the theatre would be capable of taking any show. The floor of the auditorium should be slopedi, for it was Useless trying to make a theatre suitable for dancing purposes. There was little to be gained by so doing, and so much to lose. "The experience of other places in different parts of the world," added Mr Doone, "is that it is a big mistake to put up a "building for uae as a concert hall only, when it is just as easy to provWe a properly equipped theatre, which would be in every way suitable foT concert performances, and would, moreover, be available for theatrical companies. Were such a building to be provided here there would be no lack of tenants,"