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CHAIRMAN:-Strictly speaking this is out of order, Mr. SALES. MR. SALES: Which is out of order, the statement I made about the Financial Secretary or the reading rooms?
CHAIRMAN:-The reading rooms, Mr. SALES.
MR. SALES: -Are you too, Sir, joining the Financial Secretary in suppressing the wish of the people to be literate?
CHAIRMAN:-Not at all.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I was not on the Library Com-mittee when Wah Fu was chosen, but I am not aware since I came on the Committee that there has been any separation between Wah Fu and Aberdeen for the special reason stated that there is no other accommodation. I should be glad if you would tell the Financial Secretary that any separation is on his part not ours.
MR. HU:--Mr. Chairman, I was on the Library Select Committee when the Wah Fu Library was discussed. Would you be kind enough to confirm that there was no such undertaking required when we discussed the setting up of Wah Fu Library?
CHAIRMAN: As far as I am aware, Mr. Hu, that is correct, but I also understand that the insertion of Wah Fu into the programme somewhat upset the original programme proposed by the Council. But this was because the accommodation was to be available quickly.
MR. BERNACCHI: -Mr. Chairman, why as the premises for the library were available in March 1968 should the final estimates have been presented to the Financial Secretary only in May of 1969?
CHAIRMAN:-I will need notice of that question, but the estimates were quite complicated and there were many questions concerning them which had to be answered to the satisfaction of the Secretariat.
MR. HU:-Mr. Chairman, I would like, if you would be kind enough to convey my personal view, to say that we want both libraries. We want the Wah Fu Library and we want a library for Aberdeen. We want Wah Fu Library for convenience sake because it was already there. I want Aberdeen Library because there is really a need in that area. So would you be kind enough to convey our view to the Financial Secretary?
CHAIRMAN:-I would rather take it, Mr. Hu, that it is your view, but in any case this matter will be discussed by the Library Select Committee and we have to leave it to them.
MR. HU:-Mr. Chairman, you know I did raise question No. 16 on the agenda, and I am a little bit surprised to read that in order to have the Wah Fu Library we must give a written undertaking to the Government saying that we would not like to have a second library. I think, Mr. Chairman, whether you agree with me or not, that is putting the cart before the horse, because we really do not know whether there is any genuine need for such a library in the Aberdeen area.
CHAIRMAN: ----Wah Fu is supposed to cover Aberdeen, but while I say this, the matter is open so you can advise the Library Select Committee at its next meeting.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I, through you, invite Mr. Hu to attend the next meeting of the Library Select Committee on Saturday?
MR. HU:-Yes, I am a Member of the Library Select Committee. (Laughter). Thank you for your invitation anyway.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Did Mr. Hu attend the last meeting of the Library Select Committee?
MR. HU:-Oh, yes, there was a conflict of two meetings, one was the Building Committee under Mr. FORSGATE, and one was the Library Committee, I attended the Library Select Committee. I did not attend the Building Select Committee under Mrs. ELLIOTT.
(5) MR. PETER P. F. CHAN asked the following question:
May I ask the Chairman of the City Hall Select Committee to consider whether it is desirable to include facilities for the showing of films in the Concert Hall of the City Hall? This question is asked because there are various volun-tary agencies who encounter difficulties in obtaining accommodation in commercial cinemas for charitable performances.
MR. A. de O. SALES, CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY HALL SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
Sir, the Concert Hall was never intended to substitute for a cinema. In the schedule of accommodation prepared after considerable discussion by various Committees which stemmed from the original City Hall Committee, the architects were requested to produce a hall which could, apart from providing for concerts, be used for dramatic performances. Mr. Chairman, I am informed that it is now not possible to fit a projection room into the existing structure. Even assuming it were possible to make alterations to this Concert Hall, such conversion
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