THE BLENHEIM BAND. PUBLIC RECEPTION. TO THE EDITOR.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 263, 6 November 1912, Page 5

THE BLENHEIM BAND.

PUBLIC RECEPTION.

TO THE EDITOR.

1 The, attendance at the public reception given- to the Tenth • Mounted Bogimental Band last night on their return from the Duuodin contest was not what could be tanned complimentary. The audience, to say tho least, was very Sparse, and, as the Deputy-Mayor remarked in his speech, it was very regrettable that the chief citizens of the town did not attend in greater numbers to 'do honor to the band, which had done so much honor to the town. Mr v W. Carr, Deputy-Mayor, pre-* sided,"^in the unavoidable absence of the Mayor, and was attended on the stage by Councillor W. J. Girling. Mr Carr, in tho name of the citizens of the town, bade the band welcome, and said he was pleased to see them all back safe and well. On the evening of their return circumstances would not allow of an adequate civic welcome. He wished it understood that no discourtesy was meant, _ and he. was present there that night, in the absence of the Mayor, to extend to the band cordial congratulations on their success at Dunedin. They had done very well at Dunedin, and the citizens had every reason to be proud of them. They had need to be really very good indeed to gain a place, but they had done more than that. ' They had shown that in their conduct they had earned the approbation of the people of the town they were visiting. He thanked the band for the way they had represented the town of Blenheim at the contest. It was no pleasure trip, but entailed a great deal of hard work and self-sacrifice in the preparatory work. He apologised for the absence of his Worship the Mayor, who was absent on business, but he had telegraphed to say that the band had his best wishes. He regretted that there were so many empty chairs. He thought that many more of the citizens should have filled them. Councillor/ Girling extended his hearty congratulations to the band mi the manner in which they had upheld the dignity of the town at Dunedin. He referred' more parti3ularly to their successon tfoeqajefe' step. They had gained:.first honors^ and the iudge had' said that they hacfe proved themselves, in. the • military lepartment. quite equal to the bestirained military bands of the Old Country. (Applause.) They had ilso come out with honors in, the nusical section. The judge differed 'rom the conductor in the manner )f playing the "Elizabeth's. Prayer" 1010 in the "Tannhauser" selection, md that difference of opinion had ost them the contest. After refer•in£ to the individual soloists. Mr xirling concluded by congratojating ;he band on their good benavioi'"in Dunedin, which was so marked that -he Dunedin papers had made comnent upon it. Conductor Forrest, in , reply, hanked everybody for the "fuss" hey were making of. them. They lad done their best, and none could lo more than'that. The band were >roud of their position, and horoughly satisfied. They hoped to [o better next time. At all events, hey would do their level best. Applause.) i A programme of vocal and instrunental items was gone through, tho iand playing the contest pieces and he "Stars and Stripes" selection, tliss E. Connolly sang "When the ide comes in," a good song well reated, and Dr Bennett gave a leasing rendering of "Absent." Miss icCabe played the accompaniments.

Sir,—As a visitor to your town may I voice my intense surprise at the wretched attendance of the public of Blenheim last. night on the occasion of the welcome home to the band. As far as I could judge, the cash takings would total in the vicinity of £6 ss, and as far as any financial benefit is concerned the members of the band might just as well have remained comfortably at home—better, in fact, as they must certainly be on the wrong side rof the ledger as a result, of last night's performance./ It is tnis deadly apathy and want of support on the part, of the townspeople that kills all enthusiasm in bandsmen arid others' who are working for the good;; arid benefit of ;the town, and to uphold theprestige of the district. I happened ito be present on different occasions at I the home-coming of the Dunedin Kaikorai, the Wanganui Garrison, and the Wai hi Federal bands, and in each case the whole town turned put en masse, while at the concert given by the Wellington Garrison Band at the Town Hall, hundreds , were turned away from, that huge building unable to gain admission. It is to the everlasting shame of the townspeople of Blenheim that on the occasion of a public reception, your band last night should have had to play to practically empty chairs, and to the everlasting credit of the band both individually and collectively that they, have held together, and fought their way to the position they occupy in the face of such deadly apathy and want of support. The fact that a slight drizzle was falling is but poor excuse. For a town of this size you have an excellent, band, a band showing great promise for the future and deserving of every encouragement and support, and the town ought to be proud of it. Their, rendering last night, , for instance, of the "Stars and Stripes" was in every way a splendid performance, equalling some of the best bands of the Colony, while the spirit infused into the piece right through would have done Sousa's heart good. If IA might make a suggestion to the band it is that during the coming summer they go in more for open air concerts, say twice a week in Seymour Square on Wednesday and Sunday nights (the latter sacred, of course, and after church services were over) making arrangements with the Council to allow

them to charge for seats. Five hundred canvas-seated light-folding chairs could be purchased by the band for an insignificant sum—indeed, these would doubtless be cheerfully presented, to the band by* the townspeople. The chairs could then be placed about the lawns just before the concert commenced, and I think the public would willingly pay sixpence each for the privilege of being able to sit and enjoy the band's music in comfort, while the band would save the expense of I hall hire, etc. Other towns are doj ing this; why should Blenheim lag behind ? Napier and Timaru are both shining examples of public-spirited-ness, and neither, is so very much bigger than Blenheim. Other towns could be mentioned as well. It is the duty of your public men—town Councillors and so forth, and indeed all right thinking people—to assist in providing any form of entertainment that will assist young people into a higher standard of morality, and no- j thing is more uplifting or better calculated to do this than open-air concerts during the summer evenings. If my remarks will assist to this end, then I feel that I have done some good, and shall be pleased to start the ball rolling with half-a-dozen chairs if others \#ll .follow suit. Trusting that some abler pen than mine will take the matter up and give the band the encouragement it deserves. VISITING WELLWISHER.