Orchestra constitution drawn up

Press, 15 July 1978, Page 1

Orchestra constitution drawn up

A draft of the Canterbury Orchestra Trust’s new constitution has gone to Christchurch local bodies for their comments. The Court of Appeal ruled : n November, last year, that the old constitution was void because of the uncertain meaning of some of its clauses. It also ruled that the trust was immune from any attempts by its opponents to wind it up. The trust and its solicitors have been working on a new constitution since then, and yesterday a draft

was sent to all local bodies in Christchurch which fund the orchestra, and to the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council. [The Crown Law Office has already '.aid that the trust’s new constitution might be ar, appropriate way of dealing with a letter now before the Attor-ney-General (Mr Wilkinson) from a Christchurch man (Mr R. A. Smitham), who seeks the dissolution of the trust under a section of the Charitable Trusts Act.] It would probably be some time before all local

bodies made official comments, said the chairman of the trust (Mr E- J. Bradshaw). After that, and after comment from the Arts Council, the constitution would be sent to the Attorney-General. If reaction from local bodies was not favourable, the board would “look at the choices then,” Mr Bradshaw said. Until a new constitution was approved there was “no point” in holding an annual meeting, he said. However the annual report and accounts were made public yesterday. The trust had an income for the

year to March 31 of . $197,600 (its estimated income for the year was $191,723), and it spent $196,282 ($194,820). Concert receipts and subscriptions provided $17,157, another $29,054 came from fees for orchestra sendees, $2u,167 from metropolitan local bodies, $118,852 from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, and $5361 from gifts. Other income was from bank interest, proceeds from a lottery, and a gift of $lOOO from the Sargood Trust. Of the expenditure, $140,017 went in salaries to the conductor and players,

$25,138 in concert presentation costs, and $13,105 in management and administration expenses. Players’ living and travel allowances cost $7837. Income exceeded expenditure by $l3lB, and profit from the sale of a piano, together with the previous year’s balance of $9378, swelled this year’s balance to $11,166. “Income for 1978-79 will be substantially increased,” said Mr Bradshaw in his report. “The Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council has granted $140,000, the Metropolitan Grants Committee has recommended a

grant of $30,000, and, at the date of writing, subscribers number 589, the largest of any subscription concert-giving body in Christchurch.” The orchestra gave 155 performances during the year to an estimated audience of 50,000. Of these, 115 were with the trust’s core of full-time players. Fifty-two concerts were held at schools, and there were 49 lunchtime recitals. Christchurch part-time musicians were employed for 7000 paid hours during the year-