TARANAKI BANDS UNION

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 29 September 1933, Page 5

TARANAKI BANDS UNION

VENUE OF 1934 CONTEST. MAN AT A’S CLAIM SUPPORTED. Ait a meeting of tlie Taranaki Brass and Pipe Bands’ Union held at Stratford last evening there was an attendance of over 20 delegates, representing the New Plymouth -MunicipalRegimental, Hawera Municipal, Stratford Municipal, Inglewood, Manaia and Eltham Brass Bands, and Hawera, New Plymouth and Auroa Pipe Bands. In. the absence of Messrs P. Thomson (patron) and P. Skoglund (president) the chair was occupied by Mr J. McKay (Eltham). The principal business before the meeting was to decide upon* the venue and the music for the 19*34 hand contest and to consider the adoption of a set of rules. The chairman said Manaia had been suggested as a venue for the 1934 contest at the annual meeting. Mr A. H. Yarrow said ithe Manaia committee had. been practically promised the contest and had taken the matter up with the business people at Manaia. The chairman added that it really amounted' to a confirmation of the discussion..at the . annual meeting. Manaia was then * selected as the venue.

The test piece for B grade bands for the Taranaki contests was discussed. Mr McEwen (New Plymouth; moved that the selection be the Dominion test piece for the first night of the Now Zealand contest, and the motion was carried. 'The encouragement of school drum and fife bands as nurseries for senior band players was a subject raised by Mr L. M. Fairbrother (Auroa). He urged the establishment of a small test for such bands at the Taranaki contest. The programme was fairly full, said Mr McKay, but a competition or a parade in the morning might be possible. . ‘The suggestion was left to the Manaia committee to arrange for. the encouragement of funther bands of the type. All school drum and fife bands will be invited to the contest. The question whether the judge in the pipe band contest should be given; ; a roving commission was discussed and it was decided to allow* the judge a free hand. Discussion was also given to the 12mile radius qualification. . Delegates. pointed out that a 12-mile radius would cause overlapping in Central Taranaki. The B grade bands w*ere not affect—ed; there were only two of them in Taranaki, said Mr Nicholson. It was plain to see that the remit was directed at " Stratford, said; Mr • Clark. Mr Nicholson: I cannot allow that remark. -Mr Roberts asked if the contest.. . rules applied to both B and C bands • or only B grade combinations. If they w r ere going to settle down to hard and fast rules, said Mr Nicholson, it was going to he difficult for the C. grade bands. It would be better in that case for the B grade bands to drop out of the contest and give the G’s f‘aa open slather.’' It w r ould be better for band music for two B grade bands to drop out than for six or seven C grades to retire.

Mr A. Beesley (Eltliam) proposed a six-mile radius. There could be no justifiable jealousy among bands then, he said. It was finally decided to - delete the 12-mile radius rule and give bands a free hand. Other changes were made in the administrative rules of the union. It was decided to form a contest protest committee consisting of the union executive. Alterations to the rules were considered by the union. Air AlcEwen supported a remit from the RegimentalMunicipal Band that any band be allowed the .services of one player, provided he is not an A grade player or professional. Air AlcEwen said- the contest had been .started to help the G grade bands, but it was now becoming a B grade contest. He voiced suspicion that bands were being “packed. ’ ’ Air Cosgrove (Manaia) hoped the 0 grade hands, which were often hard pressed for personnel, would not bo kept out of the picture. Argument followed on the proposed rule which appeared to be directly contraaictory to a rule that any band be allowed the services of one player of the same grade. Finally Mr- C. J. Roberts (Hawera) moved as an amendment that, no banu be allowed the services of any player outside its own members. Air F. S. Nicholson- said the amend-: ment was all right for B grade bands but it might kill the C grade players. Air AY. Clark (Stratford) thought there should be no discrimination. The Stratford band had lost seven members recently—four to Inglewood and three to Hawera. Air Nicholson pointed out that New Plymouth, at any rata, was .in the. contest not for the contest’s sake but to help the O grade bands, which were often very small. The amendment was lost and the motion of the New Plymouth band was' carried.