LOWER HUTT {BANDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 117, 19 May 1937, Page 13

LOWER HUTT {BANDS

MAYOR'S CRITICISM

STATEMENT IN DEFENCE

Mr G F Kaye, horn secretary of th? Lower Huff Municipal Band, i writes:— . ... . On behalf of the meimbers of the Lower Hutt Municipal Silver Band (Inc.), I furnish the J QUo t 7 ln§ M r a vP O r to statements made ta the Mayor Mi;. J. W. Andrews, at the meeting 01 the Borough Council «n May 10 to questions asked by Councillor W. A. $• Hall as to why the Municipal Band was not invited to participate in the Anzac ceremony, this yaoar. It appears that.Mr. Aandrews's main reason for not issuing, an invitation was the alleged affront; at the Anzac service last fear. The following is a copy'of a letter receivedby the band in so far as instructions for 1936 were concerned: "I am directed by his Worship the Mayor to invite the co-opera-tion and assistance of'your band at the Anzac Day celebration* to be held in the Recreation 'GroW'3 en the 2atn inst. The, troops, etc., -will parade as usual at 10 o'clock at tha Hutt Central School and will be played to the Recreation Ground by.*he bands, and it is suggested that 'both the local banfls should combine ior the playing of the march 'Colonel !3ogey' ior the march past of the troops, at the conclusion of the service.: The hymns at the service will be played by the Civic Band.—(Signed) ,B. S. Knox, Town Clerk." . , The public may see tfrom this that there were no instructions for the two bands to play for the march past under one conductor, and that Mr. Andrews's reply to Councillor Hall does not coincide, therefore, .with his written instructions. In < any case, the conductor of the Municipal Band was the senior officer. Mir-. Andrews also stated that the parade was not of sufficient size to warrant two bands. Why, then, did he engage the Petone Pipe Band in conjunction with the Civic Band at the Coronation Parade, which was, if anything-, smaller than that of Anzac Day? He also made mention of the contusion that would be caused by too many bands, as had happened elsewhere. 3Chis is no reason why he should nqt have invited the Municipal Band alt Lower Hutt, as the above incident ■ occurred after the local arrangements were made, and unless Mr. Andrews foresees the future with remarkable accurracy this part of his remarks is in no way a reply to Councillor Hall's question. We would also like .to point out that Mr. Andrews came forward at the conclusion of the ■, Anzac service in 1936 and congratulated the band for its general efficiency throughout the proceedings. "We "desire, too, to correct and refute his statement to Councillor Hall that fthe Municipal Band did not allow the Civic Band to play, but continued on during the march through the town. The march was played as written {Jkwice through), and, having concluded, !the Civic Band followed with their pMce. With regard to coin plaints from shopkeepers about thei band playing in High Street: we Wave played in this street for the pas« sixteen years without permission, being encouraged by shopkeepers, the • pmblic,- and past Mayors and councillor's to continue. A written complaint fsrom one shopkeeper, however, that the band knows of set Mr. Andrews in action.Other people in the sarnie line of business as- the writer of the above letter/ have repeatedly ' requejsted the band to play outside their ; premises, but on account of light we have been obliged to refuse. Tina last two occasions on which the fc-and played in High Street (far removed from the complaining shopkeeper,) were at the request of most of the prominent local organisations whip desired our music in order to attract people •to functions they had in [progress. ' Mr. Andrews statedf to Councillor Hall that he had done afll in his power to bring about a better! understanding. On the contrary, his actions have, from the very beginning,' wf.ien he itook away our instruments and band-room, been attempts, directly and indirectly, to undermine the structure and organisation -of the Municipal Band, which has been,, and always will be, ready to serve the people of Lower Hutt, from whom it receives loyal and generous support. THE MAYOR'S RESFOINDER. The letter was submitted to Mr. J. ,W. Andrews, Mayor' c«E Lower Hutt, who replied as follows::—"The letter from the Town Clerk to' the band secretary was an earnest, of my desire for complete co-operatian and an ending of the silly antagonism that was, quite unwarranted. • ~ : "I think Mr. Kaye vfM concede that I will always make it iony practice to thank the band at all public performances, and I did so on Amzac Day, 1936, after the address. It '.was following this that I was subjected to the double affront, first by the conductor of his band stepping out ,'in ifront of the massed bands and bes-.ting time, although they had been ativised verbally that the other conductor would be in control, and secondly by,the hand deliberately playing twice through their march on the short reborn trip immediately after I had personally arranged with both, the conductor and drummajor that it should be {played through once. "The pipers on the Ooronation Day parade were the pipes ( and drums of the Fifth (Wellington) .'Regiment, and they turned out with C Company of their battalion. We arja always very pleased to have them !as they performed creditably on tihe march -and are always happy to fit lin with all arrangements made. ' i . "I would have no objection to the band playing anywhere; within reason, but the council, and riot myself, has decided that owing to -Ahe traffic congestion, which is very jnarked at present, and complaints flrom shopkeepers, this Trtus"t not be done in certain parts of the main streei" !on late shoppingl nights. It is regretted that even after at least two writ ;en notices to this effect the band continued to disobey the council's instructions. "The instruments, v^hich ere the property of the council.! were not taken away from the band vplly-niily, but were called in following' the unanimous decision of the council from individuals who had applied;, in writing for membership of the reorganised band and who later refused 'fto attend summoned practices."