VISIT BY OPERA COMPANY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27090, 13 July 1953, Page 8

VISIT BY OPERA COMPANY

N.Z. TOUR MAY BE CANCELLED

TAX CONCESSIONS SOUGHT

The National Opera Company of Australia, which has booked theatres for a three-months’ tour of New Zealand next year, will cancel its tour unless tax concessions are granted by the New Zealand Government. This was announced in Christchurch last evening by a representative of the company, Dr. A. L. Buchanan, a Sydney surgeon and opera enthusiast. Dr. Buchanan said that the company was not only granted remission of all entertainment and income taxes by Federal and State Governments in Australia, but had also received more than £6OOO in bonuses and grants from State Governments and educational authorities. “I take the view that if the company had to pay any tax to the New Zealand Government Australian taxpayers would, in effect, be making a gift to the New Zealand Government,” Dr. Buchanan said. “To keep faith with our supporters in Australia—whose donations were made to the company, and not to the Government of New Zealand—l cannot agree to a tour under any conditions except complete remission of tax.”

Dr. Buchanan said that the company was a non-profit making organisation. For the New Zealand tour, which would comprise Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill, some of the cast and orchestra members would be recruited in New Zealand. Dr. Buchanan said that in discussions he had had with the Associate Minister of Finance (Mr C. M. Bowden) and the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. A. Bodkin) he had received no indication that the concessions he had asked for would be granted, although he had explained that none of the tax rebates or profits would be taken out of New Zealand. The money standing to the company’s credit after the tour would be left in New Zealand to finance the next tour—he hoped .to follow the first tour by 'an annual New Zealand season—and possibly it would be possible to provide sums for such purposes as the overseas training of New Zealand singers and musicians, he said. Dr. Buchanan had little doubt that the tour would pay, and he had received substantial offers of financial assistance from prospective guarantors of the tour.

Company’s Record A part-time company, the National Opera Company was formed four years ago and has proved such a success that this year it will be together for seven months, in which time -it will visit the main cities of the Commonwealth. If the New Zealand tour eventuates the company would be touring for 10 months. Dr. Buchanan, while in Auckland and Wellington, was seeking guarantors to provide a total of £2OOO to help finance the tour, but did not proceed with this search when he found that his requests for tax concessions were unlikely to be met. He was confident that the required sum. which would have been repaid after the tour, would have been found.

The company is at present playing in Sydney. With an orchestra of 45 and a chorus of 40, with a full cast of Australian principals, the company opened its present Sydney season with a “first-night” house completely filled by preferential bookings at 27s 6d a ticket for most seats. The repertoire for the New Zealand season would be “The Barber of Seville,” “La Traviata,” “The Rake’s Progress,” “Die Fledermaus” and “La Boheme.” Some prospective members of the chorus for the New Zealctad tour have already been given auditions. The conductor of the New Zealand National Orchestra (Mr Warwick Braithwaite) has consented to act as musical adviser for the tour, and the New Zealand Musicians’ Union has arranged to provide musicians to augment the orchestra.