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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
sion drawn from their answers is quite disturbing. The Urban Council is like the elephant to the three blind men, a different animal to different people depending on how they come into contact with it. This lack of awareness of the scope of the Council's work among the public is wide-spread, so I think positive actions should be taken to improve the situation. Only then we can except the public to appreciate the purposes and aims of the Council. The public must realize the Council's commitment, on the one hand, to diligently seeking the improvement of the traditional municipal services—like refuse collection, markets, abattoir; and on the other hand the Council's commitment to expanding, within our means, those services that are aimed at the improvement of the quality of life of the people—these are the numerous recreational and cultural facilities and activities provided by the Council. Just to name a few—swimming pools, playgrounds, sporting events, libraries, museums, the festivals and so on. When we have the understanding and support of the public the implementation of the Council's policies will be more efficient and the work of the Councillors more meaningful.
To close this topic I would like to share a few observations with you on the rather controversial subject of the amount of money spent by the Council on recreational and cultural services. The total amount in the budget for the current year including non-recurrent items is around $90 million. To view this figure in the right perspective I wish to point out that it is equivalent to 2 floors of Gammon House and works out to be less than $1.40 per person per month. The amount isn't much but it certainly provides immense enjoyment for thousands of people. There is definitely a case for spending more in the future.
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
I would like to make a few comments specifically about the Hong Kong Philharmonic in response to criticism frequently quoted in the Press.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic has developed into an outstanding orchestra, comparable to those of many great cities in the world. And this is, to a large extent, the result of the continuous support given to the Philharmonic Society by the Urban Council that enables it to overcome many difficulties encountered in the various stages of its development.
It has often been said that the Orchestra caters mainly to the small expatriate community in Hong Kong, but statistics on the composition of the audience over the past two years prove that this is not so. Some people have put up an argument against spending money to raise the standard of the Philharmonic, basing it on their observation that the majority of the people are indifferent anyways because they are not familiar with and do not appreciate Western classical music. But a growing portion of the young generation does understand and enjoy Western classical music; Western classical music is a heritage of mankind that transcends racial boundaries. In fact, we should encourage our young people in such aesthetical pursuits.
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Another issue frequently brought up is that of the localization of players of the Philharmonic. This is basically a political issue that tends to be blown all out of proportion. Hong Kong is a great cosmopolitan metropolis. Its achievement in domestic development and international trade has depended a great deal on the joint contributions of both the expatriate and the local communities. Even though the trend favours local dominance, which is rightfully so for obvious social and economic reasons, one should not sacrifice expertise just for the sake of localization. I don't think the audience really cares who the players are so long as they produce the right sound. A rational approach to the question of recruitment into the Orchestra would be to try to get the best of those musicians who can play up to standard, that is, the standard of the Orchestra. In a case where qualifications are almost identical, preference should be given to local players because they could provide more stability to the Orchestra in the future.
My final comment concerns the misconception that a vast sum of money is being poured into the Philharmonic annually. Well, the budget for the current year is less than $9 million of which 3.9 million comes from the Urban Council. It is a sizable amount but again one must look at it in the correct perspective. We are talking about paying for the services of over 70 professional musicians, the necessary supporting administrative staff, the rental of office accommodations and venues for rehearsal and performances and so on. Our budget is by far the lowest among comparable orchestras in other parts of the world. Moreover, this amount provides many audience-hours of enjoyment.
Social Welfare
My next topic is on social welfare in Hong Kong, I think there is a strong case for localization. It is the localization of concept, rather than manpower. It is undesirable and impractical to try to rigidly adopt the social welfare systems practised in developed western countries, for several reasons.
First of all, there is no clear evidence that those comprehensive social welfare systems are really working. For instance, unemployment benefits, which were intended to be a means to an end—tying someone over between jobs—have become so substantive that they have become the end itself. Secondly, in Hong Kong we cannot afford to support such systems financially because we don't have a high taxation basis. Maintaining our low tax structure is essential because it has been the key factor in the commercial success of Hong Kong which in turn has lifted the standard of living of its citizens over the years to among the highest in Asia.
Thirdly, institutionalized social welfare is basically a western concept alien to us, because traditionally the responsibility of taking care of the unfortunate lies with the family or the clan, and not society as a whole. Moreover, we are against handouts; we feel that they would lead to the degradation of human dignity. Nevertheless, there is definitely a need for social welfare in
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