THE BAND CONTEST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 312, 9 January 1908, Page 3

THE BAND CONTEST.

The following entries were Onii.u : . from the list of entries lor the Jiuui Contest publislieil yeatcrday: — Drum competitons.—Morniugtoii am HustiDgs. Tenor-horn.- E. McKinley (Morning ton), and T. Jones (Hastings). B Flat Cornet.—l'. Fox (Hastings). E. flat Bass- —\\. Colville (Hasting.s) Trombone Trio.—Hastings. Quartette.-- I Taraiiaki Garrison. B Mat Bass.—Carl Sass (Hastings). THE KAIKOUAI I'.AN 1). fl'he secretary of tlie lvaikorai Brass Band has written to the Dunedm Star: "Having noticed that onr action in with drawing irom the forthcoming eonte.-it at New Plymouth is causing some com nient, we wi-l> to place before you Ihi facts from our point of view. 11l the first place, we are not stand'ng out hecause we think that Mr. Herd will give first place to the Wellington (iarrisi 11 Band. We ale quite as weli aware , your Wellington contemporary that the Wellington (iiirrison Band did not in tend to compete. 11l regard to Ill's mailer we may say that since hand contests were inaugurated in New Zealand tlu Kaikorni Band has, with no i-vceplinn iM'en the most consistent coui[K'titor, so surely no one can accuse us of funking. In the second place, to relieve a possible wrong impression in the minds of the public, we think that there ar« plenty of men ill Xew Zealand who, musically. ;tre quite competent to judge a first-class contest. Among that number we think that we may place Mr. Herd, for lie lias undoubtedly proved himself a good and ihle conductor, as results will show. It in not against his musical ability that we have our objection. It is because liis actions at a recent band contest have shaken our confidence in him very much, for instance, at Masterton it was common talk tliat lie got the points out of the judge for the first night's play, and, to make mat lens worse, he admit ted Ibis at a meeting held the ii"xt day. If iliat had been done under the old Xew Baud Association he would have s>en disqualified, but apparently ill the N'orth Inland Mr. Herd can do no wrong. Again, on unimpeachable authority, we ire informed that Mr. Herd found out lie name of one of the test selections 'or the last New Plymouth contest, and ■allied Home, and also to Italy, and thus iroeurcd the full score of 'Sebreo' before t was given out to the bands, thus givng I)*m nil advantage. In (he face of hese facts, we ask the public whether .re were not justified in deriding not, to ipenil €2OO in going to a contest to play inder Mr, Herd.''