The Band Plays On

In the little railroad town of Newton, Kans. (pop. 15,000), as in countless other crossroads communities of rural America before the war, the biggest night of the week used to be the night of the weekly band concert. Stores stayed open, and farmers finished their chores early to drive to town. In Newton's Military Park, the municipal bandsmen sat solemn and proud in high-buttoned navy-blue tunics, and filled the summer night with sound. The music may not have satisfied John Philip Sousa, but it was loud enough to compete with the moaning of the evening train. Always, it attracted more than a thousand spectators.

After World War II, however, Newton discovered that it could tune in three television channels; it acquired two drive-in movies and an air-conditioned bowling alley. The sound of trumpets and drums seemed to fade into the summer heat. The 45-member band does not even have uniforms any more. The bandstand is long gone, and concerts are held in Themian Park, where facilities consist of folding chairs set under one dim arc of light. On a recent evening only 86 persons were moved to share the sentiments of a local farmer who stretched full length on the grass and sighed: "If there's any more restful way than this to spend an evening, I don't know what it is."

Newton's city commissioners have been tiring of the music, too, and for a more practical reason: the band costs the town $6,332 a year. Says Mayor J.M. Veazey: "I like band music. But the band is a luxury we can't afford. It costs as much to keep as two policemen or two firemen, which we need more." Added another oldtimer, Commissioner McCulley Ashlock, 72: "Sure it's great, if all you long for are the good old days. But we don't have hitching posts left either." Last week, however, surprised officials found that there was no easy way to shut off the music. The tax levy that supports the band was authorized by referendum, and can only be rescinded in like manner. Yet a special election would cost just as much as the band's budget, and there is no regular election scheduled for more than a year. So, while the town budget groans dissonantly, the Newton band will continue to play all summer long.

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