AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL BAND.

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 36, 22 March 1929, Page 6

AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL BAND.

REGRETTABLE position has obtained for some time past in Auckland in relation to the Auckland Municipal Band and radio broadcasting. Imbued with a sincere appreciation of music, the members of the Auckland City Council in the past have devoted some £2000 of the taxpayers’ money annually to the maintenance of a very creditable City Band. It has been the duty and function of this band to give, freely and regularly popular concerts to the ratepayers in return for the sum expended on them. As indicated. a motive for the maintenance of this band is to give to the populace the joy and pleasure of listening to popular music, and so raise the standard of citizenship and spread a love of culture. Part of the city’s expenditure on the inculcation of music has been devoted to the maintenance. of a City Organ and City Organist, the objective being the same, viz., the improvement of the popular musical taste. WHITH the advent of radio broadcasting, it became possible for the objective to make good music available for citizens to be more comprehensively attained, and arrangements were . early made for the broadcasting, free of charge, of the band’s Sunday evening concerts. Later, the business heads of the City Council considered that the Broadcasting Company might pay something for the privilege; and, on negotiations being opened, the company agreed to pay the sum of £300 per annum for the right to broadcast all band and organ performances, exclusive of the performances given at the Auckland Zoo. This -arrangement obtained for some time, and under it listeners in Auckland district and elsewhere were regaled with some very fine performances by the band, but not so many by the organ, as those recitals proved to be unsuitable for broadcast purposes. IN September of last year, however, the Auckland City Council conceived the idea of raising the price for the right to broadcast band performances, and in lieu of the former figure of £300 per annum, demanded £750 for the series of band concerts and Town Hall concerts, plus the organ recitals, which latter had proved by experience to be unsuitable for broadcasting purposes. This amount was considered by the Company to be quite excessive in contrast with the cost of providing a similar service from other sources. A state: ment published in another section of this paper outlines the negotiations that have been conducted since, in the effort to co-operate with

the Auckland City Council in their prime objective of providing good music for the people. WE are bound to say that, in our opinion, perusal of the statement made will show listeners that the Auckland City Council, in taking up the line it has in demanding £750, has failed to measure up to the conception on which the expenditure of the ratepayers’ money was originally appropriated to this purpose. If before the advent of broadcasting the Auckland City Council felt justified in spending £2000 per annum in providing music for the people, then surely with the advent of broadcasting, and its possibility of extending those benefits to a far wider audience than formerly, the Council should be glad of the opportunity of securing a wider circle of influence without extra cost, rather than seeking to reimburse its general funds at the expense of listeners’ money. The Radio Broadcasting Company, it will be apparent from the recital of facts, is quite prepared to pay a reasonable fee for the concerts that it finds suitable to its clientele. Even though a number of the conceits provided by the band are free for the public, the Broadcas# Company was prepared to pay for them on the basis of seven guind’s per concert; the total offer amounting to £352 16s. per annum. This offer, at writing, stands refused. We cannot help regretting that so narrow a view has been taken by the Auckland City Council on this matter, and sincerely trust that ratepayers and listeners, who are most intimately concerned in the position, will use their influence to effect an adjustment.