The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-10
BandSmen Disturbed Over Letter From Commissioner Flames Musicians Notified to Avoid In- vidious Announcements of
 Their Performances Censorship of Programs Does Away With FavOrs Formerly
 Received from Music
 PubIiS hers

Members of the Coast Artillery Corps Band are rather disturbed over a letter which was received June 10 from George B. Flames. president of the Board of Park Commissioners. The letter which reached Leader Paul L. Goulding in substance says, that the commissioners desire no newspaper comparison of the concerts played at the parks by the various bands, and also states that the schedules of monthly concerts as published in the newspapers are not to be construed as a contract between the commissioners and the band and that the commis- sioners reserve the right to make any changes in dates or to cancel any dates they may see fit.
 The band has also received notice not to announce it's concerts as the Park board has it's own system of publicity and prefers to announce the concerts itself. The band is also orr dered to submit programs for concerts to the board before playing them.
 In years past it is said, when the bands have played a song hit as ons of the numbers of their concerts, the publishers of the song have shown their appreciation by sending profes- sionaI copies of other music to the band or in other ways. Publishers of songs also sent ''song pluggers'' to sing their publications at the concerts. The music publishers generally saw that the bands received some return for any fayors shown in this manner
 Now that the Park Board Commit tee on concerts which consists of Pres ident Eames and Clerk Cooney, cen sors the programs before they are played, the bands have no opportunity to do any plugging" for a music pub fisher unless they play one of his songs as an encore.
 Rumor has it that the reason for President Eames' letter is that the band has had for a press agent, a we'll known Bridgeport newspaper man. It has been charged that he received the programs of concerts to be played by the band and published them in his newspaper before the other newspapers received them. Members of the Park Board thought all the newspapers should receive no- tices of the concerts at the same time, hence the letter to Leader Goulding.
 The letter was received while the band was in camp at Fort G. H. Wright. It was discussed with much interest and has since been a topic of discussion whenever members of the band meet. Leader Goulding was not inclined to discuss the letter, how ever. To Farmer reporter he ad- nitted that the letter had been re- ceived.
 He denied that he, as leader, had furnished advance programs of con certs to any one newspaper and denied that the band had employed a press agent. He also denied that the mem bers of the band had induced or tried to induce anyone to write a favorable review of the band concerts or to criticise the playing of other bands in comparison with the Coast Artillery L@H. r (H 7l<7s I he could not understand why the let ter was sent or what had occasioned it.
 At the Singer Mfg. Co., it was said that President Flames of the Park Board was out of the city to-day. Clerk B. F. Cooney of the Park Board said that he knew nothing of the let ter but he was of the opinion that it was the same as had been sent at the beginning of the season to each of the bands engaged to play concerts for the Park Board. The purpose of these letters Clerk Cooney said was to make it clear to the bands that the board did not consider the announce ment of concerts for the month, as a contract binding with the bands and that the board reserved the right to change the dates of concerts at will or to cancel them altogether if the comnis issioners saw fit.
 Under the present arrangement for band concerts in the parks, $500 is expended each year for that purpose. Of this sum about $2.4OO is divided equally between the Coast Artillery Corps Band and the Wheeler & Wilson band. Formerly the bands made col Iectfons from the business men to pay for the concerts. The Wheeler & Wilson band usually collected be- tween $500 and $9o0 for their sea- sons concerts The Coast Artillery band collected about $400 each season. Out of these sums the collector re- cefved a percentage. The present arrangement it will be seen gives more money to bandmen and also re- lieves them of the necessity of passing the hat.