THE BAND CONTEST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 89, 18 April 1902, Page 2

THE BAND CONTEST.

HOW THE SPOIL IS DIVIDED. Under the abovo handings a correspondent who signs himself "Cornet," and whose identity it should not be difficult to discover, writes as follows to tho flew Zealand Times:

" The coin«iitt«» of the abowmmed function having made a good haul over its venture, is now squabbling over a division cf the spsil, and as tht- leading paper in Now PI m u'h will not allow discussion in ics cuiu—ls ■ ver the matter, my reason for wriiing you is apparent, particularly as your p:tp*r has now as large a circulation here as the othsr New Plymouth paper. As a subscriber to the funds, I am very pleased tosee the comoaitte has decided ro give tho Town Band £4O. But lam very grieved to t-ee our Recreation Board hats only been granted £75. In my opinion the Board should havft had at least £l2O. The Garrison Band is to receive about £l5O. Why, a great many here are at a lots to know. A fair thing would have been to have voted it £4O. The Garrison Bind had »8 much chance of winning prizes as any other competing band at the contest. I should like to ask the committee what its band contest would hive resulted in if we hid no 1 ; had our beautiful Recmtios Ground for the purpose of the marching contest. Tao Recreation Beard has a standing rule stipulating that 25 per cent, of the grost proceed! of any g\*e moaey shall be received by the B,aro. The Board, however, on this occasion agreed to accept a minimum of £2O, letving it to the committee controlling the band contest to augment tbis if the contest was substtntially successful. The R ere ition Board laid out a sum of £lB on fixing s»ats, etc., and I am mr* your Wellington b>nd will admit that* better place could not have been designed than tbe New Plymouth Roreation Ground for such a oontest «s that of band marching. In my opinion a mistake was made in allowing ho many of the le tding spirits who distinguished themselvns over a formar carnival held in New Plymouth siroe two years ago to foist themselvus into a prominent position in the band cont«s*. One itsm they voted (60 guioe is to the secretary) is very much criticised. What, in the name of all that is wonderful, does ths committeo think the public subscribed so handsomely to this affair for ? Certainly not *o make such votes as £63 to the secretary ani £l5O (at least) t> the Garrison Band. I subscribed my mitt>, thinking any surplus would have heen equally disr.iibutad among our musicil socie'iw and the Recreatiou Board, with a douceur, say, of £4O, to the secretary. Som-i tugge'tioi'g made by at: individual who hopes to have the ordering of rew instruments fur this Garrison Band (tnd the usual commission, of course) have convinced the 'fundfinding ' portion qf the commucny of the necessity of being a littl-t mor* careful in future in contributing to anything 'Tom, Dick, and Harry' mi) evolve from their fertile brains. lam sura a majority of subscribers would have been b*tter pleased if the surplus ha'! b en divided equally betweea thf musical societies of the town after the Recreation Board had received C 100." If we are correct in our surmise as to the personality of "Qorntt," we would point out that he was probably more to blame for the unseejilyl wrangling which has occurred than anyone else connected with the late band contest, and should certtinly be the last to write iu the strain of the above letter. I