To the Editor of the "Nosru-Carxa Dany News"
Sm—Not enough has been heard of the unenviable plight of the musicians of this city who are more near death than life in their struggle for existence and keeping the wolf from their doors, and now the big bad wolf in the form of the Muaicipal Orchestra has come to invade the one haven of—unemployed musiclans—the field of occasional private engagements. In the last week's issue of the Municipal Gazette, there appeared an announcement of the Municipal Orchestra to cater for private engagements. The people of Shanghai recently complained of the too high brow musie of their venerable conductor, but now he has condescended so far as to operate "Jazz Band" for his public. Most probably we shall soon hear and see symphonic jazz played a la White-man at the Grand Theatre.
Fancy, a subsidized Municipal Orchesira undercutting the standard fee by charging for engagements the ludicrous fee of about $2 per hour per musician. This amount does not affect x member of the Munlelpil Orchestra as he is In receipt of a nice regular salary, but this.practlce is depriving unemployed "brethren musicians of a chance of occasional succor. Should the noble art of music be so degenerated? Such shame-{ull competition would not even be tolerated in Europe or America, but perhaps in this great city of Shanghai. (t may be fortunate for the Municipal Counelt that It is not met with an outery.from such a non~ existent body "as a "Shanghai Musicians Ca-operative Association, Dut theres's the power of public opinion with regard to such cheap practice by their Municipal Counc.)
permitting their excellent orchestra to go a-begging and ousting unemployed musicians who deserve 2 better plight for their art, to wont fg due in no small measure the popularity of this city.
Onrnevs, Ju.
Shanghai, Oct 11.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.