To the Editor of the "NortH-Cuina Dalny News"
Sm,—I think that the matter of whether the Municipal Orchestra is to be retained or disbanded is not so much a question of that the cost, to the community, is only 1 per cent, of the total Budget, as that the outlay is, in fact, not much short of $200,000 and that, sir, is a terrible Sum to pay for a luxury these days, when the outlook is so uncertain and everyone is searching for ways and means to reduce expenditure in Keeping with a reduced income.
From any point of view, I cannot see that the retention' of the Orchestra is a necessity and that the Community would lose anything at all by its disbandment, The requirements of the great majority of music lovers can be fully satisfied by, means of the radio, which brings right into our homes music to suit all individual tastes, There are many- cities, all over the world, which have budgets po haps even bigger than that of this Settlement but which do, not indulge in the luxury of an Orchestra paid out of the public purse, When I can listen, on the radio, to orchestra "conducted by Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Stokowsky, Walter Damrosch and other truly great leaders in the world of music, I feel that I can well dispense with the offerings of our local combination Of talent, especially if the upkeep of the organization runs to the tune of $200,000 per annum, It is a pretty tune; but hardly in tune with our days, Some capital has been made of the cultural mission of the Orchestra to the citizens of this metropolis, I take the liberty to doubt that it conveys much, in this respect, to any extended circle of inhabitants, T suggest, that the interest on the above capital is so small that it would be best to liquidate the investment and turn it into other cħannels. There is, of course, the matter of unemployment which would arise for the members of the Orchestra, were it disbanded. One can sympathize with them but one cannot visualize why they should enjoy privileges, in this connection, because they are paid by the public purse, when numerous less fortunate individuals have been thrown out of employment by the force of present circumstances, The argument, that it would be a [pity to disband an organization Which has been so painfully built up through many years of hard work is, pardon the expression, pure moonshine, because, were the Municipal Council or rather, as you say, the Ratepayers, wishful of ever possessing an Orchestra again at any time in the future, the duplication of the present organization, however excellent it may be, would offer no difficulties, This Shanghai [of 1998. is not the Shanghai of, let us say, 1907, and the development of mechanical transmission of music has progressed so far, that we are, sh to speak, no further from Europe or America to-day than the good people who actually live there and "listen in" on the excellent musical and other programmes which are made available to them, As far as Shanghai broadcasting stations are concerned, there are at least two which give excellent programmes at certain hours of the day and one always has the advantage of being able to: disconnect when the offerings are not to one's taste, I do not have to listen to Professor So-and-So trump the piano nor to Miss "This-and-That wail into the microphone in some strange tongue, But I can listen to Symphonies, Con-cortes and lighter music of the best, presented by the best, Short-wave set owners have the advantage of hearing Berlin, London, Moscow and other seats of true musical culture and it is to be presumed that their needs are satisfied without the additional offerings of a [$200,000 local Orchestra, It might be asked, but what of those who have no radios? Well, do those who are debarred from musical entertainment thereby patronize the Municipal Orchestra to any great extent?
The Shanghai Municipal Orchestra has outlived its purpose some years ago; to-day it is definitely superfluous and- for that very reason a greater luxury than it has ever been before, This is no time for such luxuries,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.