appointed. [His appointment has now been confirmed]
I have advised Members of these facts, because I did not mention the Society's new link with the Antiquities Advisory Board in my last annual Report, as I ought.
Finance
The Hon. Treasurer has given an account of our present position, and expectations for the coming year. It is clear from our financial position over the past few years that, even with increased subscriptions, we can barely make ends meet. The rising cost of services and publication make this inevitable. We have already used part of our reserves to meet deficits last year. We should now be looking for ways to replace what has been spent in this way, and also to add to our funds, in order to further the aims and objects of the Society in Hong Kong.
Some of you may recall that we celebrated our 25th anniversary by a joint publication with Oxford University Press. We would like to publish more in this way, but need funds to do so. We also considered an annual prize Essay in English on a Hong Kong subject, and would like to take this idea further. It could be at two or three levels, in schools and tertiary institutions, and should be made a valuable prize in order to attract enough competition.
With these and other needs for more funds in mind, Phillip Bruce of the Council has suggested a new type of institutional membership, in addition to the scholarly institutional one that has existed since the re-establishment of the Branch. The Council has supported this idea, which is being put to the AGM for consideration tonight. There is no doubt that we could put extra funds to good use, and members are asked to consider the suggestion carefully and support it if they can. In this connection, I have just discovered from the latest Journal of our parent Society that it now has a number of “Corporate Subscribers", as they are styled, "whose generosity sustains its work, including the publication of the Journal". They include The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Matheson and Co. Plc and John Swire and Sons Ltd. Enough said, I think!
!
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Page 16
appointed. [His appointment has now been confirmed]
I have advised Members of these facts, because I did not mention tha Society's new link with the Antiquities Advisory Board in my last annual Report, as I ought.
Finance
The Hon. Treasurer has given an account of our present position, and expectations for the coming year. It is clear from our financial position over the past few years that, even with increased subscriptions, we can barely make ends meet. The rising cost of services and publication make this inevitable. We have already used part of our reserves to meet deficits last year. We should now be looking for ways to replace what has been spent in this way, and also to add to our funds, in order to further the aims and objects of the Society in Hong Kong.
Some of you may recall that we celebrated our 25th anniversary by a joint publication with Oxford University Press. We would like to publish more in this way, but need funds to do so. We also considered an annual prize Essay in English on a Hong Kong subject, and would like to take this idea further. It could be at two or three levels, in schools and tertiary institutions, and should be made a valuable prize in order to attract enough competition.
With these and other needs for more funds in mind, Phillip Bruce of the Council has suggested a new type of institutional membership, in addition to the scholary institutional one that has existed since the re- establishment of the Branch. The Council has supported this idea, which is being put to the AGM for consideration tonight. There is no doubt that we could put extra funds to good use, and members are asked to consider the suggestion carefully and support it if they can. In this connection, I have just discovered from the latest Journal of our parent Society that it now has a number of “Corporate Subscribers", as they are styled, "whose generosity sustains its work, including the publication of the Journal". They include The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Matheson and Co. Ple and John Swire and Sons Ltd. Enough said, I think!
!
xiv
Page 15Page 16
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