SUNDAY CONCERTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22354, 30 August 1934, Page 7

SUNDAY CONCERTS

DISCUSSION BY CITY COUNCIL THREE APPLICATIONS REFUSED “A LOT OF WOBBLERS” The City Council had another lengthy discussion last night when three applications were received by it for permission to hold Sunday concerts. It should be explaiued that the council has on its minutes a resolution that no Sunday concerts are to be allowed. There are exceptions, however, in the case of city organ recitals and band recitals. When the three applications were read to the council the town clerk stated that in the case of two of them the word “ concert ” had been struck out and the word “ recital ” written in. At the meeting of the council a fortnight ago it was decided, in addition to the foregoing two exemptions, to grant permission to hold two “community sings ” in the State Theatre on Sunday nights. A letter was received from the bon. secretary of the South Dunedin Unemployed Association asking the council to receive a deputation on the subject of permission to run a concert recital by Begg’s Orchestral Party. The Mayor asked if it was necessary to receive a deputation on such a question. Did it come within their regulations, or did it not? Cr Scott: That is for you to decide. Or Silvcrstone: I’ll move that the deputation be received. The Mayor said he was just wondering whether they could grant the application without receiving the deputation—whether it was not covered by the decision of the council at its last meeting. Or MTndoe said that the decision of the council was to cut out all concerts with the exception of two kinds. Now the Mayor was suggesting that they should do the very opposite. The Mayor: I merely asked whether the application came within our orders. I take it it is a Sunday concert. Do you wish to hear the deputation on the matter? asked the Mayor. Cr Marlow said he would second the motion.

The motion was carried, Or M'lndoe dissenting. Mr Petrie, speaking as one of the deputation, said that some mistake had been made in the application in that the word “concert” had been used. They asked permission to hold a recital, and no concert item would be included. Permission had been given by the council to bold community recitals. They contended that an organ recital was on similar lines to a band recital. No difference existed between them. He understood that at the last Sunday organ recital in the Town Hall some very wonderful concert items had crept into the programme. The speaker explained that the proceeds of the concert were to be given to assist the unemployed. He would give them his word that there would be no concert items on the programme. Mr Ramsay endorsed the previous speaker’s remarks. The Mayor said he would like to correct Mr Petrie. The letter received from the association asked for permission to hold a concert-recital. Mr Petrie said it would be a recital. Their secretary had made an error._ He added that the council would receive a certain amount of revenue from the hall and also in added tram fares.

The Mayor: We have a number of applications. Will it be better to take them all at once? The town clerk said that there were two other applications and he then read them, -

W. F, Sligo MTOte asking for permission to present a concert on Sunday, September 2, in the Empire Theatre by the St. Joseph’s Orphanage Boys’ Band, admission to be by silver coin. The honorary organiser of the Dunedin North branch, New Zealand _ Labour Party, wrote asking for permission to hold a community recital in the State Theatre on Sunday, September 9, 16, 23, and 30. The conditions outlined by the council would be strictly adhered to. The Mayor suggested that the applications should be referred to the General Committee. Why should they waste time every fortnight discussing these things. Cr Allen submitted that they had no power whatever to grant any of the applications. They had agreed to grant permits to their bands, and that no further concerts be permitted. They could not overrule their own rules.

Or Scott: I understand that they are to be recitals—the same kind of entertainments that we run ourselves. Cr Silverstone moved that all the applications be granted. Cr Scott seconded the motion.

Cr M'lndoe said it seemed to him that the council could not blow hot and cold. He held that it was perfectly ridiculous for them to pass resolutions to please one side and then break them. The council had agreed that there should be no more Sunday concerts, and now they were merely making a play on words. Cr M'lndoe said that they were a lot of wobblers. They had made a decision regarding Sunday concerts, and why did they not stick to it. Cr Allen asked if Cr Silverstone was in order.

The Mayor said that he was. These were applications to hold recitals. He did not know, however, whether two of the applications were being made to try to ridicule the council by altering the word “ concert ” to “ recital.” Cr Allen said that the council had already decided that the only concerts they would allow were band concerts and city organ recitals. If the Mayor accepted tue motion he held he would be wrong. The Mayor said he would certainly vote against the motion. Cr Marlow pointed out that the St. Kilda Band had already obtained permission to hold a concert, and was giving over the theatre to the St. Joseph’s Band, The Mayor said the applicants who had first used the word “concert” and then struck it out should he more careful in their penmanship. Cr Silverstone said that the council had carried a resolution that no more concerts should be allowed on Sundays and had then taken on itself to interpret its ruling. He held that the applications were quite in order. Cr Begg held that the application from the St. Joseph’s Band should be eliminated from Cr Silverstone’s resolution. It was.not necessary.

Cr Silverstone said that they could not eliminate the application from St, Joseph’s Hand without his permission. He had moved that the three applications be taken together. Cr Silverstone's motion was theft put and lost, only the mover and Cr Scott voting for it. Cr Marlow then asked if be could move that the St. Joseph’s band be granted the permit given to the St, Ivilda Band. The Mayor: Am 1 in order in doing 80 Cr Silverstone said his motion had been defeated, and that they could not now take one clause out of it._ The Mayor said the point could be got over bv the permit given to the St. Kilda Band, the other people holding the concert. _ . , , Cr M'lndoe; The back door again. The Mayor: I’ll rule that Cr Marlow cannot move his motion at this stage. Cr MTndoe said he would move that the Mayor’s ruling be dissented from. It was, he held, open to the council to agree that one of the applications be granted. The council had not grasped— Cr Silverstone rose to a point of order. He said that anyone moving that the Mayor’s ruling be dissented from could not make a speech. The Mayor: Well, if there is no seconder to Cr M’lndoe’s motion it lapses. Cr Begg said he would second the motion. The motion was carried on the voices. The Mayor; Well, now, what do you want? The Mayor’s ruling is dissented from. What do you want? . Cr Allen: I would like to have a division. I am not sure the motion was carried.

The Mayor: You are too late. Cr Marlow then moved that the permission asked for by the St. Joseph’s Band be granted. Cr Scott seconded the motion. He said they could do no good in any case, because they would do exactly what they were giving them permission to do. Cr Silverstone said that this was not Parliament. It was the City Council, and he did not believe in the kind of political tactics that would curry favour with cer-

tain sections of the community. The three applications had been rejected by a little manoeuvring, and now one of them was before them for special terms. Cr MTndoe: Because it conforms with the resolution of the council. Cr Silverstone: It does not. He stood for Sunday concerts, if properly conducted, but he did not believe in favouring one section. There was applause from the gallery, and the Mayor said that he had allowed a little latitude at the previous meeting of the council, but he did not intend to do so again. The people in the gallery must take no part in any of their meetings. , Cr Silverstone explained that he was not opposed to the St. Joseph's Baud holding its concert. He, however, was there as a councillor, and he did not believe in selecting one applicant out of three. He intended to vote against the motion.

Cr .Allen said he felt much as Cr Silverstone did over the matter. He reiterated his statement that the council had carried a resolution that the only exemptions to be granted were for bauds or for city organ recitals, and they had in mind the suffkidised bands.

Cr Shaddock: After the tangle we got into at last meeting I made up my mind that I would vote against the lot, and that is my attitude to-night. Cr Begg said he was sorry that class or sectional argument had been introduced. It was quite true what Cr Allen had said, and St. Joseph’s _ Band was not subsidised by the council. Cr M’lndoe held that what the Mayor suggested as regarded the substitution of one baud for the other would take place. It was either one band or the other. So far as class legislation was concerned, he thought Cr Silverstone’s outburst was beneath contempt. Cr Shepherd said it appeared to him that they were under a misapprehension about the whole thing, St. Joseph’s Band was not amongst the subsidised bands, and neither was Begg’s Orchestra. What position would they be in if the St. Kilda Band had agreed to forgo its permit in favour of Begg's Band? Would they have allowed that band to take over? He did not think so, Cr Marlow said he thought Cr Silverstone bad lost his sense of proportion. There was no question of favouritism. There had never been any question of confining the permits to subsidised bands only. That had been read into the discussion that night. He would defy anyone to say that the permits were for subsidised bands only. Cr Marlow’s motion was then put. There voted for it Crs MTndoe, Scott, Marlow, Begg, and Campbell; against— Crs Borrie, Shacklock, Allen, Silverstone, and Shepherd. The Mayor: The motion is lost. Cr Allen said he considered it was most regrettable that this discussion should have occurred. They were not the keepers of the people’s morals: they were the authority for licensing their nails. They had the right to say what type of concert should take place in their halls, if any permit was to be granted. He thought they should dispose of this matter once and for all. He would therefore move on the lines that future applications for Sunday night concerts be dealt with by the town clerk in terms of the council's resolution. The Mayor said he would rule the motion out of order..’ Cr Allen would have to give notice of There had been quite enough discussion that night on the matter.