PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12636, 24 March 1905, Page 3

PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.

The adjourned'.'public meeting ih-cqnnec-" (ion with the formation of the" 'limaiu Philharmonic Society-was held last night in the Sophia street Hall. <-• -Ihe chair was taken by Mr J.- p. Newman, in the absence of -tha president, the Ven. Archdeacon Harper. ■About fifty persons- were piesent. The c-ha'irmau; expressed- pleasure at the good; attendance, and explained that the meeting was called to consiclsi in more detail the administration of the Society, whose genera! princip es weie decided upon at last-meeting. He hoped the good attendance that ineetise was an, indication of an .active- interest that would last. The Council reported upon the -cost- o? renting a hall. Vi'he secretary stated that among tlife offers was one of the Assembly, •Booms,at 10s per night.-JTie regular charge wai £l-. pert night, but the proprietors had lowered the charge ill consideration .ofc. the regular-engagement; and furthermore, the four -proprietors offered to" subscribe one guifaea-per annum each._ Messrs Begg and Co.' wrote that "they would be .p'eased to allow the free use ot their piano; . and the Council recommended (1) that the Assembly Booms be engaged ; (2) that five more members be added to the committee; (3) thatMonday night be the night of rehearsal ; (4) that, the policy of hiring, instead of purchasing, the necessary music,- be adopted for the present; and" (5) that active members subscribe 10s for men, and 5s for ladies, the committee to have power to reduce. the fee where several members of a, family are simultaneously members of the Society.. . • The first and, third recommendations were carried unamended and nnopposed. .The fixing of the fees was well discussed, the .chief points on which opinions differed being the reduction of subscriptions for two members of the same family, and ■ the remission of fees in special cases. There was ho opposition to the fixing, of the fees at the amounts recommended. It ..was considered inadvisable to leave the reduction of fees unsettled; and in order to -provide a, "definite scale it was resolved that the subscription be reduced by 2s for men, and Ik for ladies, for each successive member of each sex from the same family. It; was resolved, on the motion of. Mr Bockel, that it be a recommendation to the committee that free membership—as a sort-of exhibition-—be granted to such candidates as did well at anv public "musical examinations. Some members considered that; cases:might arise in which it would be desirab'e to ,-remit the fees altogether, if the pecuniary .-.consideration wouldestop desirable-persons from joining. Ifc;wasre-. solved, therefore, that the committee have power to remit the fees in. such cases. Mr raided the auestion of men's dress at concert...yTtywas always the cose.at.Home, he said. black suits should be worn ; b,ut musical socie+ies in this colony often lost 'the services of really good singers who could not or did not- care to loin a "swall'owfg.il : affair." He thought the . selection of dress should be left entire'y to the discretion of' Tlie matter was left ove". . The secretary-stated that Mgs Pratt was unable to ant on the rommitree. "In pccordahce with the committee's recommendationi the following were elected to the committee, which has power to ndd to their Ti'imberMesdanies T. O. Bowie and.C. H.- Tripn. Misses Harscott. McGuiness and Campbell. BeV. Father Tubman, and Mr W. Martin. . ... • . Votes of thanks were nassed to Messrs Beffg and Co.-. for the offer of their pjnno, and to the propHef-ors of the Assembly . B-ooms for their proroised Mr •Bowie snoke ap-nreniativelv of' the "favoTrnotice the Society had.;.receiyed ; -in v the local panei-R. The chairman asked a 1! who desire; 1 +o ioin as • acnye members to hand <-he ; r names, and about, fifty were enrolled at once. -