BAND MATTERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2181, 25 September 1920, Page 2

BAND MATTERS.

(To the Editor.) Sir. —In the capacity oi‘ Baud secretary, I wish to acknowledge . with gratefulness your encouraging and appreciative leader .our resentment against municipal control. But I am sorry to have to. point out that the subsidy matter is liable to be misunderstood by the public. The Council, Mr Editor, did not subsidise the Band by way of general assistance. It was payment for a contract binding on us to play at the Coronation Hall, as you will see by their agreement, which reads as follows: —“Foxton, July 21st, 1911. An agreement made 29th day of June, 1911 between the Mayor, Councillors, and Burgesses of Eoxton, of the one part, and the Foxton Brass Band of the other part. ' "Whereby it is agreed that the said Baud shall play at the Coronation Town Hall on the lirst Saturday night of the month of July, 1911, and every alternative Saturday night, with one Wednesday between, and that further, that Councillors Henderson and Cbrystall represent the Council on the Band Committee. In consideration of the above services, the Council agrees to pay to the said Baud the sum of lliirty pounds per annum, to be paid by equal instalments. Such agreement to be from quarter to quarter, and may be terminated by the Council if not deemed satisfactory.” You see by this, Mr Editor, (bat the Band received no linaneial encouragement from that time, when the Council were first made trustees about twenty years ago, as the above contract only 'reads from .1914. The Council forced us to cancel tin?"’ contract, as is well known from reports of their meetings, and as soon as this was done assistance was removed from us, and a subsidy immediately granted to the SalvationArmy, without any need of a,contract at all. Mr Editor, 1 bad to press the Council very severely for 17 10s ()d owing to us. It is some encouragement to the Band to see your leader agrees with us that the Council arc* only trustees of the instruments. They ignore this office of trustee. They claim direct ownership, and threaten the Baud to return the “properly of the Council.” It is this point that lias raised the little difference between Ihe Town Clerk and myself, who keeps trying to contuse me with the statement that the Baud was municipalised by the signing of the above contract, at which, he was not sent. Nowhere in the drawn by the tiien Town Clerk, Mr Kent-Johnston, does it mention “Municipal Band,” hut simply and solely the “Foxton Brass Band.” Now it is in the new agreement drawn out by the present Town Clerk, which we have resented, that ■ mention is made of a Municipal Band, thus; “That the Council grant to (lie Municipal Band, together With the right use of the practice room and instruments,” etc., etc. Now, upon the matter of municipality iind ownership of instruments, (lie. Town Clerk has been trying to teach me my business in my secretarial duties of this institution deserving of hotter consideration, aim which 1 am endeavouring to place on an up-to-date footing to encourage the bandsmen and to provide the public with musical entertainment, free from a one-sided and unfair contract. A turlher agreement lias now reached me from the Council to return “Iheir” (?) instruments to the Council Chambers, and that we can use them upon paying for their use. To my mind, as secretary of the Baud, the whole trouble is the upshot of the Council listening to some person writing some lime ago under the num-de-pluiue of “Pom Pom,”- who was not quite sure of the truth of what he was writing about. .1 am convening a meeting - of (he Band at an early dale, and the Band officials who were invited to meet Hie Council will have to place their views before Hie Band for discussion, lie!ore meeting the Council, and the Mayor must not forget that he already has a resolution from the Baud which we must abide by, whether “the municipality is a powerful factor to butt

up against” or not, as our sympathiser, '“.Municipal Progress,” thinks it necessary to remind us. In the official capacity of secretary, with a knowledge.of the facts, it is very noticeable that 1 have; been purposely ignored. The invitation of the Council to meet them along wltli the other Band officials, simply because the Town Clerk and myself had a difference on the matter. Bylins personal “slight” towards me, I fail to see the straightforwardness of the Mayor in desiring that confidence of the Band which he now asks, to confer only with the Chairman and Bandmaster, leaving them to patch up the unpleasant "slight” with me as best they can. But as secretary it is my duly and my intention to put in an appearance also, andl will say what I have to say, whether the Mayor or Town/ Clerk likes it or not. —I am, etc., A. SMITH, Hon. Sec. Band.