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406
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN:-Sorry, but I will not allow the meeting to deteriorate further.
MR. BERNACCHI-I would ask you to refer the matter to the Standing Orders Select Committee, because I think that I am perfectly right in using Standing Order 8(3).
QUESTIONS.
(1) DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG asked the following question:-
During the Annual Conventional Debate, the Chairman of the City Hall Select Committee mentioned the suggestion that this Council should have a symphony orchestra. As I think this idea will be enthusiastically accepted by the people of Hong Kong, can I be assured that suggestion will be followed up seriously?
MR. A. de O. SALES, CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY HALL SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
Sir, I am glad to give Dr. HUANG the assurance he seeks. The matter will certainly be considered very seriously initially by the City Hall Select Committee and the Department. It is clearly premature to say any more at this stage beyond the fact that I have already discussed it with the City Hall management and called for a detailed proposal to be submitted to the Select Committee at an early date.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, has the Select Committee already accepted the idea of having a symphony orchestra in principle?
MR. SALES: Sir, the paper has already been issued to the Select Committee. The Select Committee has discussed this matter in principle in the past. It is the policy of the Select Committee to probe into all possibilities for enlarging the ability of the Council to serve the public in Hong Kong in matters of cultural interest, and this is in line with that policy.
(2) DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG asked the following question:
Can consideration be given again to opening public libraries from 8 a.m. to a later hour in the evening so as to make these facilities available to office workers?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
407
MRS. E. ELLIOTT, CHAIRMAN OF THE LIBRARY SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:—
At present, the adult sections of the Libraries are open 51 hours per week, i.e.
Weekdays: from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The junior libraries are open 43 hours per week, i.e.
Weekdays: from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturdays: from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The City Hall Library closes on Thursdays whilst the Kowloon Library closes on Mondays. Libraries are also closed on Christmas and Boxing day, Good Friday and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days of the Chinese New Year but are open on every other General Holiday during the year from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
If the libraries were to be open from 8 a.m. to a later hour in the evening, say 10 p.m., with one day closed during the week, it would increase the opening time by 65% in the adult sections and 96% in the junior sections. In terms of staff and maintenance costs, a rough estimate of additional annual expenditure would be in the region of HK$500,000 p.a.
Statistics recorded of the use made on the present facilities reveal that the number of readers decline very sharply after 7 p.m.
The Library Select Committee at a recent meeting has adopted a proposal by the staff of the libraries to open the Reference Library, City Hall on Thursdays in the coming months when the availability of full staff strength and a re-deployment of staff work makes this feasible. Further consideration is also under study to open all the services one hour earlier in the morning, that is 9 a.m.
The Library Select Committee considered the matter raised by Dr. HUANG in detail as recently as 20th December, 1969 and in the light of the above,
(a) resolved that the cost of opening from 8 a.m. to a later hour on weekdays would be out of proportion to the possible increase in numbers of library users at the present stage, and
Page 215
Page 216
237
Page 215 of 237
406
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN:-Sorry, but I will not allow the meeting to deteriorate
further.
MR. BERNACCHI-I would ask you to refer the matter to the Standing Orders Select Committee, because I think that I am perfectly right in using Standing Order 8(3).
QUESTIONS.
(1) DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG asked the following question:-
During the Annual Conventional Debate, the Chairman of the City Hall Select Committee mentioned the suggestion that this Council should have a symphony orchestra. As I think this idea will be enthusiastically accepted by the people of Hong Kong, can I be assured that suggestion will be followed up seriously?
MR. A. de O. SALES, CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY HALL SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows : ·
Sir, I am glad to give Dr. HUANG the assurance he seeks. The matter will certainly be considered very seriously initially by the City Hall Select Committee and the Department. It is clearly premature to say any more at this stage beyond the fact that I have already discussed it with the City Hall management and called for a detailed proposal to be submitted to the Select Committee at an early date.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, has the Select Committee already accepted the idea of having a symphony orchestra in principle?
MR. SALES: Sir, the paper has already been issued to the Select Committee. The Select Committee has discussed this matter in principle in the past. It is the policy of the Select Committee to probe into all possibilities for enlarging the ability of the Council to serve the public in Hong Kong in matters of cultural interest, and this is in line with that policy.
(2) DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG asked the following question:
Can consideration be given again to opening public libraries from 8 a.m. to a latter hour in the evening so as to make these facilities available to office workers?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
407
MRS. E. ELLIOTT, CHAIRMAN OF THE LIBRARY SELECT COmmittee, replied as follows: —
At present, the adult sections of the Libraries are open 51
hours per week, i.e.
Weekdays: from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The junior libraries are open 43 hours per week, i.e.
Weekdays: from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturdays: from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The City Hall Library closes on Thursdays whilst the Kowloon Library closes on Mondays. Libraries are also closed on Christmas and Boxing day, Good Friday and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days of the Chinese New Year but are open on every other General Holiday during the year from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
If the libraries were to be open from 8 a.m. to a later hour in the evening, say 10 p.m., with one day closed during the week, it would increase the opening time by 65% in the adult sections and 96% in the junior sections. In terms of staff and maintenance costs, a rough estimate of additional annual expenditure would be in the region of HK$500,000 p.a.
Statistics recorded of the use made on the present facilities reveal that the number of readers decline very sharply after 7 p.m.
The Library Select Committee at a recent meeting has adopted a proposal by the staff of the libraries to open the Reference Library, City Hall on Thursdays in the coming months when the availability of full staff strength and a re-deployment of staff work makes this feasible. Further consideration is also under study to open all the services one hour earlier in the morning, that is 9 a.m.
The Library Select Committee considered the matter raised by Dr. HUANG in detail as recently as 20th December, 1969 and in the light of the above,
(a) resolved that the cost of opening from 8 a.m. to a later hour on weekdays would be out of proportion to the possible increase in numbers of library users at the present stage, and
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