A BAND CONTEST MATTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19648, 6 September 1926, Page 6

A BAND CONTEST MATTER

(To the Editor.} Sir, —In your issue of the 4th the »<♦- j jud-.dator’s remarks arc tendered in supI port of the claim by the Queen ; Alexandra Band, an 1 ] tailed ;to see mention of eongra>uiT ■ tons to Mr Buckley and the words ; the performance was an outstanding amt distinctive one.” So I take jthat Mr A. R. Donaldson wtis not fnllv I informed and refer him to the Dunedin I “Evening Star” of March •: “Speakj ing of the performances or the various j bands at tlie reception held to iud-’es .officials and bandmasters, Mr Ricketts I said that the outstanding performance i in the A Grade was without doubt that. lof tho Wanganui Garrison Band. Al- • though this band had not won the I trophies its work was head and shouldjer.s above that of other bunds The i general effect of the band was simple i wonderful, especially on tho second j night. He had been thrilled bv f] l( i playing of this band.” etc. It i’s ckni that the praise given for the outstand : ing performance to the Garrison has ttiken by th- Queen Alexandra Band, and as conductor of the Garrison ; Band, knowing what sacrifices wore ; made for this high praise, 1 sought to have due e-edit given thorn. Mr A. R. Donaldson then seeks to make out that friction between the. ■ bands is only of recent origin. Howi over, most people in Wanganui are bet- | tor informed hnd I recommend him tc ■ consult one of the old and honest mum ibers of the bands regarding its origin Re Mr A. R. Donaldson's advice reigarding fair play, my military dis- ; charge shows that I don't need it. But ■ 1 ask him if it is fair play to refuse ■ help to the Garrison Band bechuse thtsv ■ are not a charitable organisation anil : later organise a concert for the Queen ■ Alexandra, Band. In conclusion pice ---i i believe that I did not think telling tho ■ truth would belittle Mr Bu«ltkr’a-i ' Jthat I am still a lover of fairplav.-! am, etc., JAMES A. WATSOM. (Mr Watson proposed in his letter to ■ give a number of reasons—seven to I I precise i—for recent friction between the jbauds, but we think that it wool I prol ilt neither bands nor the public ;.i I have these matters discussed publish-, i So ftir as the matter at issue in Mr j Watson’s former letter i <■ ,nc< rm d ti,.> position now seems to be clca-. In tho annual report of the Queen Alt•ttr.ndm Band the secretary referred 1, t'.o band’s success in the own choice selection at the Dunedin contest, saying that the adjudicator “congratulated Mr Buckley and said that the performance was an outstanding and distinctive one.” Mr Watson took exception to this statement, and he now says that in the adjudicator’s remarks, published on Saturday in a letter over Mr A. R. Donaldson’s signature, there is no men tion of congratulations nor can ho find the words “the performance was an outstanding and distinctive one.” Surely Mr Watson stickles unnecessarily' for literal exa.ntude, The adjudicator concluded a scries of appreciative remarks with the phrase, ‘‘a fine finish to a distinctive rend cring of a difficult work.” The secretary of the Queen Alexandra Band paraphrased this remark with the words “an outstanding and distinctive one,” and it seems to us that he placed \ a very reasonable construction on the 5 adjudicator’s words. As to the eon- / gratulations—well .it would have been strange if the adjudicator had not con gratulated the conductor of the winning band. There is no reason why the Queen Alexandra Band people should not congratulate themselves on their success, nor is there the slightest ground for supposing that their action could in any way detract from the high praise won by the Garrison Band for its remarkably tine work at Dunedin. — Ed. “Chronicle. ’’)