THE CITY BAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 71, 11 April 1901, Page 2

THE CITY BAND.

ANNUAL MEETING. The fifth annual meeting of the City i Band was held at the Borough Chambers on Wednesday night, when there was a large attendance of members. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. E. Dockrill), presideut of the band, ! was in the chair. Tne report and balance-sheet were read. Briefly put, the band now stands in a most creditable position, both musically and financially. Beceipts during the year totalis d .£3Ol 7s Sd, and expenditure .£264 lis lid, leaving a credit balance of £3B 15s 9d. A bazaar and art union were held during the year, and netted £l2O odd. Thanks were due to Mr. A. L, Cooke for donating a valuable prize, as well as to a large number of people who assisted. The band had maJe a bold advance by entering for the New Zealand Band Contest events, and, thanks to tbe untiring energy cf the bandmaster (Mr. Haigh), it bad secured third place in the marcbing and test selection. This wae a most creditable psrformatsce, seeing that the members of the band were nearly all almost raw hands when Mr. Haigb took charge. During tbe year the band had spontaneously turned out on many occasions of patriotic gatherings, and so earned the thanks of the''public. Some new Besson instruments had been procured, but a number of old ones were yet in use, which required replacing. Tbe officials of the band bad succeeded in setting the management of the New Z' a'ard Bund Contest to arrange that i ext year's contest, should ba held a'.. New Plymouth, and it waq the publio would do all it could to assist in making the gathering a thorough success.

The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and baknee sheet, complimented the members on the progress made, and fcho proud position achieved during the year. It was Taranaki's first attempt to gain outside honors in musical circle?, though she had bsen on occasions very sucie*sf ul in the sports fi>ld acd in other matters. Now that it was decided that r>ext yonr's content should he'd, at New Plymouth, ho hop,;d the public would rise to the occasion and respond libcraJly to the call for assistance), Mr. 3C|. McKinnon' Bain seconded, and the report and balance-sheet were adopted, The election of officers resulted as follows : -Patron, E. M. Smith, Esq., M.H.R.; President, E. Dockrill, Esq,; vice-Presidents, Drs. Leatham, Wa'ker, McOlelland, Home, Rev. P, G. Evans, Messrs. McKianon Bain, N. K. ;MaoDiarmid, W. L. Newman, W. Coker. J. 0. George, R. 0. Hughes, S. W. Sbaw, 0. A. Harrison, vV. and A. Ambury, E. G. Allsworth, R. and■ R. Coleman; committee, Mepsrs, Wj Hura, T, I)onqvaii, and A, Hoskin; auditors, Messrs. F, W. McCo'oiish and H, Flatt; hoa. secretary and treasurer, Mr. F. Newail ; assistant eeoretary, Mr. F. Coleman. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded [to Bandmast-r Haigh, accompanied by a bonus of £lO, and an increase of .£lO i to hfs annual salary. | Mr Ha-gh in returning thanks said! he saw no reason why, if thuy persevered, tbe band should not, with new '.ins'ruuKnts, become as gosd a« any in New Zealand. Mr Dockrill movrd a hearty vo';o o{- ' 'hanks to the fecretiry officers, Mr VV. Ambury s conded, and in doing so, ea'd he noticed the public subscriptions had been comparatively smal 1 . Seiing the benefit and pleasure the public derived from the hand in various ways, he thought it might be possible to obtain a larger share of public support if a prop3r canvass were made.—The mo'ion was carried. Mr. Newail mentioned ti;e matter ef getting a practice room for the band, Mr. Donovan thqught 'he Borough [Cqunci} rriight be approached with a visw tq Feeing if it could grant any | assistance, The Chairman snid there could bn no harm in applying to the Council, though he could rot siy how that body would view ths request. A hearty vo e of thanks was accorded Mr, McKiiaEOfi Bain for th« assistance ho h»d rendered to the band in the past, and with ths usual com pi itient to the chair the meeting terminated,

As showing the progress made by • he I City Band during the past three yaw, [it nv»v ho etnted that the to'al amount of receipts, for 1901, 1000, nnd 1899 weie respectively £302, £B2, £3O, omitting shillings and pence,