The Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1911. MUNICIPAL BAND CONCERTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10297, 31 October 1911, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1911. MUNICIPAL BAND CONCERTS.

The discussion at the meeting of the Oity Council last evening on the subject of municipal band concerts shows that the Councillors ■■ themselves are taking a decidedly partial view of the position, and that the interests of the public, which ought to be the first consideration, aro in danger of being forgotten. If we admit for the moment the correctness of the Labour Party's viow that tho Woolston Band " went back on " the other bands and accepted too low a payment last year, it by no means follows that the Council ought to take sides in the squabble. From the public point of view, the Woolston Band's action was a public-spirited one, and whatever tho merits of the dispute may bo it is doubtful if any arrangement would satisfy the citizens now 'f it did not include the Woolston organisation. What is needed is tho exercise of a little conciliatory tnct. The Council ought to make up ite mind what amount it can afford to set aside for band music, and then call for tondors. But there is an aspect of this question that has not received the attention it needs. The primary pbjcct of the municipal band concerts was, of course, to provide music for the people, but the promoters also had in mind tho encouragement of the bands. The earnbig power of a hand is not great, Before it can make a creditable public experienco it must incur an expenditure of at least £SOO, and its current expenses cannot be less than £IOO >k a year. The best bands may spend thousands of pounds on equipment, music, uniforms, salaries and so forth. The men themselves are rarely paid, although it would be a manifest advantage for a band to be able to engago the services of high grade soloists, and all the band's earnings go into the general fund. In these circumstances, a payment of £4 or £5 for a concert by twenty-five or thirty performers is scarcely adequate, and the public, we are sure, would cordially approve of a policy of generosity in this matter. There is just a danger that the present Controversy may end in tho public being left without open-air music for a season, and we should like to see the City Council seriously facing the question of encouraging the bands as well as providing pleasure for the citizens. We should think that a city like Qhristohurch should be ablo to set aside £SOO a year for band music, following the excellent example of municipalities in tho Old Country, which, by the way, give special attention to Sunday afternoon concorts in the parks.