City Bands and Finance

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 70, 15 December 1932, Page 11

City Bands and Finance

Sir,—l have read with interest the Press report of the Wellington Bands’ Association meeting, under the chairmanship of the president of the N.1.8.8.A., Mr. H. D. Bennett, also a letter from Mr. A. Buckley, secretary’ of the Wellington Bands’ Association, re the above. I am not a member of any band now, but 1 have had 23 years’ continuous band work. Under existing conditions, there is nothing left for the bands of this city but to disband, but this condition is unnecessary and uncalled for, if the bands are only given a chance to help themselves, and that relief must come from the City- Council by removing the drastic conditions they have imposed ou the bands. If a band plays at the Gardens, the collector must remain stationary at least 20 yards away and inside the gate, and must not solicit donations. If a band plays at Oriental Bay, not even a collector is allowed, but a stationary box with a notice attached may be placed in a fixed position. Now, Sir, it is hard to realise that a body of publicspirited citizens would draw up such regulations and have them enforced on their bands, that are public benefactors, musical assets to the city, and have been at the beck and call of the Mayor’s Fund, etc., without fee. I do not know of any city in the world, where such conditions are imposed. At Dunedin the bands usually get from £2O to £25 a Sunday afternoon performance at their Gardens, but a Wellington band can rarely get more than 30/- when playing at our Gardens. We have band rotundas at Lyall Bay, Oriental Bay, Newtown Park, and The Gardens, and we have two A grade and a number of B grade bands, equal to the best in New Zealand. We are now m the height of tbe summer season, but. there is not the sound of a band to be heard —dead silence prevails. The reason is ‘‘the conditions” —they are wrong, and should be removed without delay, and I trust abler pens than mine will take this matter up. and that influential citizens, too. will call for their removal, and allow the bands to take their collections as they have in past years, and as thev do in the other cities. If this is done, the bands will enter a new era, and will work out their own destiny all right. They won’t, then disband, but can be made a paying proposition to tbe city, and I recollect the thousands of citizens who used to follow the bands to their performances, and the consequent revenue to the Tramway Department.—l am. etc., F. BOURKE. Wellington. December 13.