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CHAIRMAN: -Would Members like to have a recess? (Members indicated that they would prefer to continue).
DR. BELL: Could I have an answer to my question which has still not been answered? How many people in fact have been moved so far into Pak Tin? Is it 6,300 or 3,500?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -Mr. Chairman, I can only say that the figures that I have got in front of me are 3,500 and I must assume that those are the correct figures.
MRS. ELLIOTT: -Mr. Chairman, has the Select Committee not been told that there are 6,500 people being put into Pak Tin immediately?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -Mr. Chairman, I am sorry, there possibly has been some mistake, there may have been a typing error. I assumed that this figure was the correct one, it is possible that it is incorrect. I will check up and let you know.
(Mr. BERNACCHI left the Chamber at this point).
DR. BELL: Could this whole question be referred to the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, please?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -Of course, Mr. Chairman.
(12) In the absence of MR. B. A. BERNACCHI the chairman asked the following question:
Can provision be made in next year's estimate for a separate curator for the museums under and to be under the jurisdiction of this Council?
MR. WILSON WANG: -In the absence of Mr. BERNACCHI could I suggest that the next three questions be deferred to the next Council meeting. (Laughter).
MR. SALES: -In the absence of the press I would suggest that that is what Mr. BERNACCHI would like to be done. (Laughter).
MR. WILSON T. S. WANG, CHAIRMAN OF MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
At present the establishment of the City Museum and Art Gallery includes one post of Curator and two posts of Assistant Curator.
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The question of appointing a separate Curator, I must admit, has never occurred to me nor has it been raised by the Select Committee. However, I take it that Mr. BERNACCHI is contemplating a separate Curator for the Museum as distinct from the Art Gallery, but at present I for one do not think our activities warrant the additional post. In any case, at this late date, it would not be possible to include an additional post in next year's Estimates as requested by Mr. BERNACCHI.
(Mr. BERNACCHI returned to the Chamber at this point).
However, I welcome Mr. BERNACCHI's question as it provides me with an opportunity to speak on the progress made by the Select Committee on the expansion of the Museum and Art Gallery. Members are aware that whilst Government has agreed in principle to an expansion of the City Museum and Art Gallery outside the City Hall, and has suggested that Rodney Block might be used for this, the Select Committee, after very careful and detailed consideration, has replied to the effect that Rodney Block is not really suitable for the purpose without fairly comprehensive and expensive alterations and has made a counter-suggestion that it would be preferable for a completely new building specially designed as a museum to be built at a more central location. This suggestion which has arisen after several months of very detailed and careful discussion by Members, has only recently been submitted to Government and a reply has not yet been received nor is it reasonable to expect one so soon, taking into account the many factors that will have to be considered in this counter-proposal.
As the whole project for the expansion of the Museum and Art Gallery is still at these early stages, it would seem to be premature to press for the increase of the establishment at Curator level with its consequent splitting of present administrative responsibility but, if the Museum and Art Gallery services expand to any significant extent, it will clearly be necessary to expand the staff and it may indeed be necessary, because of the scope of these services, to have separate staff under two Curators. However, until the scale and scope of this development is settled it does not seem practicable to pursue the matter.
MR. BERNACCHI: -First of all I must apologize for being out of the Council Chamber. I thought that the discussion on the previous question would go on for some time.
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