THE “BOMBARDON” BAND

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4389, 13 March 1922, Page 4

THE “BOMBARDON” BAND

“CLEAN BLOWN OUT.” - CHAMBER AND COUNCIL WHO IS OUT OF TUNE? Fantasias, burlesques, nocturnes (a night of twenty years’ sleep), and other musical diversions enlivened the usually prosaic proceedings of the monthly meeting of the Paeroa Borough Council', held last Thuisday. The full blast of the massed instruments was heard in the following number, under the conductorship of Mr E. W. Porritt, president of the Paeroa Chamber of Commerce: “At a meeting of the Paeroa Chamber of Commerce on the 7th inst. it was stated that the Borough Council had passed a resolution to sell the band Instruments, and a resolution was passed that I put the position before you as regards the instruments, “The instruments are partly the property of a former Town Band, purchased partly by public subscript tion and partly by members of the band. “ In 1903 a new band was formed called “The Paeroa Town Band,” and all the property of the former band, and of t.he new band, was vested in a committee in trust to hold the same for a Town Band. The instruments of the former band were vested on terms that if for any cause t.he band ceased to exist, the instillments of the original band were -0 be handed back and become the property of the former -members of the band, who shall then be living in Paeroa and its neighbourhood. “ The surviving members of the committee in whom the instruments are vested are Mr Poland, M.P., Messrs T. E. Corkill, F. H. Mueller H. O. Searle, C. Morgan, W. Brodie. W. Sorensen, and myself. The other members of the committee—Messrs E. G. B. Moss, J. Nathan, F. Griffiths, and G. Mettam—are now dead. “As the band has now gone out of existence, under the terms of the trust, the instruments on the list herewith marked ? A ’ are to be held in trust for a Town Band, but no member of the band shall have any personal ownership or property in them.

“ The instruments on the list marked ‘B’ have become the private property of the surviving members of the original band. “List A—l bass drum and drum stick, 1 side drum (presented by Mr E. Connolly), 1 E flat bombardon (circular), 1 euphonium, 2 baritones, 3 tenor horns, 3 cornets, X B, flat trombone, the band room on skids, 1 instrument box, 1 set of music books (incomplete). “ List B-—Being the instruments handed over to the committee by G. Mettam, C. Mettam, W. Sorensen, OMorgan and S. Andrews (members of the. original Paeroa Brass Band) : 1 8.8, flat bass, 1 E. flat bombardon (upright), .1 euphpnulm (Besson, Class A), 1 B flat cornet (Boosey), 1 baritone (class 1 E flat tenor horn, 1 B. flat trombone, 8 band stands, 3 sets music books, X triangle, 3 torches, X broom, X table, gas fittings in the band room. " From the above you will see that the articles in list ‘A’ are held in trust for a town band, and the arti-, elec on the list ‘B’ are now private property off the survivors of the donors. “ Under the circumstances, it ap-, pears as though the Borough Council has no power to sell the instruments.” The Mayor (Mr P. E. Brenan) said Continued In next Column.

Continued from previous Column. his recollection was that in 1916 the Council was approached by a deputation (one of whom was a trustee) asking the Council to take over the assets and liabilities. The effort to get a good band together had proven a failure, and the Council decided to sell the instruments which had been secured at the expense of the Council. The “bombardons” had been “blown out” long ago. It was a pity that the trustees woke up only after twenty years of slumber. The advice that the Council had no power to sell the instruments came five months after the instruments were sold, despite all the publicity given to the question. Or. E. Edwards said the controversy in the “Gazette” should have awakened the dormant trustees to a sense of their responsibilities. The letter was “filed for future reference,” the remainder of the performance consisting of light airs to dispel the din of the bombardons.