BAND CONTEST FUNDS

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 27 September 1933, Page 6

BAND CONTEST FUNDS

FUTURE DISTRIBUTION. VENUE OF NEXT EVENT. WELLINGTON, Sept. 25. The president of the New Zealand Brass Bands’ Association, Mr H. D. Bennett, stated to-day that the next band contest was likely to be held in Wellington next February. No definite decision had been reached because an application had been made from Wanganui to have the contest there, if it were decided that the contest be held at Wanganui it would he in that centre for the second time running in the North Island. He thought, how- j ever, that the venue would be Wellington. Mr Bennett said the association, which was the mouthpiece of all bands in New Zealand, decided at the n ast annual conference tljat all future contests should be held by the association itself, with the help of local committees, and that all profits resulting from them should he at the entire disposal of the executive, to be distributed as it thought fit in the interests of competing. bands and of the association itself. The next contest could only be held under these conditions. In previous years the contests had] been held by local committees, and in] some of them substantial profits had been made and credited to the local committees’ bank accounts, there to lie in some cases for many years awaiting another contest. Bands had at last rebelled against the proceeds of their activities being thus tied up, hence the decision made at the last conference. The 1934 contest had been offered to. Palmerston North and a committee had been appointed to conduct it, but he regretted to say he had apparently utterly failed to explain the conditions satisfactorily. The Palmerston North committee subsequently declined to accept responsibility. In the offer to Palmerston North full compliance with the new ixxlicy had not been insisted upon. This ‘probably accounted for the misunderstanding. Referring to a report from Dunedin regard in<r the disposal • of the old contest fund, Mr Bennett said it was quite true that a suggestion, not a demand. was made to the old band contest committee in that city that, in view of the decision to change the policy, the accumulated funds might quite reasonably be handed over to the bands. Tt had been explained since that a large portion of the dormant j assets had been the result of the direct contributions by citizens. The Dunedin band contest committee had also written to sav that the report was not authorised by it. It is understood that a full meeting of" the executive of the association, consisting of representatives from both islands met in AVellington on Saturday, when all decisions were unanimously reached, and that wherever the contest for next vear is to be held the whole of the profits will be disbursed at the discretion of the parent body.