TOY BANDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11029, 18 March 1914, Page 5

TOY BANDS.

SUPPLIED FOR £5. DEFENCE AUTHORITIES' CHEAP SCHEME. FLUTES FOR EIGHTEENPENCE. -. ■ In addition to a toy navy, the Government has gone in for toy bands, with . which the Senior Cadets may amuse j themselves, when they aro on parade. 1 The Bcheme has been advanced by the Defence 'Department, and according to tho " Dominion/' which is the Uoverh- , mcnt organ of Wellington, "the stir- . ring strains, of. drum and fife bands will soon be revived in the New Zealand military forces." This is to be done nt a cost of £5, oh the " Dominion's " estimate. Cheapness, at liny rate, is tho kcy'Jioto of tho Defence .Department's '• Echehie, and n circular recently issued •gives the following prices at which tho . Department will import from England f.o.b. at Wellington :—Flutes, B-flat, i 18s a dozen; flutes in F, 2s 7d each; 1 piccolos in F, ll}d each; triangles, Is j sid eacli; cymbals, (is ' 2d' per pair; > isido drums, complete with carriage and j bticks, 32s 6d. each; bass drum, with carriage and sticks, 76s 9d. Half Cne money, has to accompany tho order, ancl j the other half is required, to■ bo paid l on the arrival of "tho instruments. The ' Department, on its side, guarantees the I instruments in perfect order. I Tim remarkable cheapness of the scheme can be better understood when the prices for what are recognised as' good standard instruments, furnished to a " Star " reporter by a well-known .musician, are considered 1 Flutes, B-filat, 25s to :35s each. I Flutes,.F,. 35s each. Piccolos, F, 2os each. ' ■ Triangle, 2s each. ■ Turkish cymbals, £3 3s i a pair. Side drums, £3 10s each. Hiss drum, £8 to £l'i each, ■ Taking the lowest prices, the cost of one -of each of these standard instru*. incuts-would be £l9, but the Defence authorities can quote at £5 Is 10gd This would show that the ''Dominion's" idea of a drum and fife band is to have one of each kind of instrument, and to discard the triangle. The make-up of a drum and life blind' varies- considerably, but 4 it is usually composed of the following:—, Flutes, B-flat, 12: flutes»-F-. J; piccolos, .. 1' ; triangle.' .1: cymbals, 1 pair; side drums, 15; bass drum, 1" And for a • band of this character the cost for equipment with good instruments would be £56 los, but to furnish tile:nn'.sioians with the Government's special cheap toy instruments would only involve £l2 17s 2d, a much less expensive scheme, and ono in which music could not be required/. There are instruments cheaper than 'the standard articles which ca« •be .supplied for Cadet bands, and the prices 'of these are as follows Flutes, B-flat, 7s 6(1 to 12s 6d; flutes,"F. 25s to 355; piccolos, 255: Gcrmaii cymbals, 80s; Cadet side, drums, 30s; Cadet bass drums, £5 to £l2. • GOVERNMENT -INSTRUMENTS " USELESS. Speaking to a "Star— reporter .about tile .departmental circular, a ■ Christchurch musician said that' tho instruments, quoted must be machinemade and of foreign manufacture. The ; flutes,.at eighteenpence each would lie . out of tune and. without tuning slides. This would mean thai boys playing on -thein would get so used to playing cut of tunc that their cars for musicnl "purposes Would" be hopelessly at' fault. - -'The whole scheme outlined by the ■ Department's .circular is cheap aM \ nasty/'. .lie said, " and .it •is Worse , than nothing, .because it will iiopelessly.niin the boys. The price list.has evidently been arranged by someone who is without any knowledge- of-music . and pno who has no- idea of/tho value i nt a good. instrument, lo furnish; a . Cadet band with l>-flat flutes at eighteenpence is as good as-providing them with, tin penny guns -aiKl e.\- < pocting them.to shoot. If it were not for the serious aspect of it the whole affair would be a huge joke, but ary band which accepts the Government instruments will probably find itself re- • wiring/the..,attentions >of the inFpoetor ■of nuisances as soon as it to play. ; Christchurch is getting a drum nnd fife band, but the instruments aie good, and the public support is, not as good as it should l.*e. yet the; city will be proud of it when it hears it. In the meantime we can he Ibankfiil that we have; escaped the Government's eighteenpenny Whistles."